1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,640 All across America and around the world, this is Veterans Radio. 2 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,920 This is Veterans Radio. 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:17,840 Welcome to Veterans Radio. 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,520 I am Jim Fossone. 5 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,840 I'm the officer of the deck today. 6 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,720 We've got some great programs for you. 7 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,520 We always want to remind you you can find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:35,240 site or at the web veteransradio.org where we're on the web 24-7. 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,360 You can find a lot of our podcasts there as well. 10 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:45,040 We post new ones every Tuesday so you can get a new story, a new interview, something 11 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,600 you didn't know before by going to veteransradio.org. 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,040 And before we get started, we want to thank our sponsors. 13 00:00:53,040 --> 00:01:00,880 Next up we want to thank National Veteran Business Development Council, NVBDC.org. 14 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:06,560 It was established to certify both service disabled and veteran owned businesses. 15 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:13,080 You'll find out how they can help your business by going to NVBDC.org. 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,600 We want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. 17 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:22,120 Legal Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability rights all across the nation. 18 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:33,240 You can reach them at 800-693-4800 or on the web at legalhelpforveterans.com. 19 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,040 And finally, PuroClean. 20 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,680 PuroClean is the paramedics of property damage. 21 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:44,560 It provides water damage remediation, flood water removal, fire and smoke damage remediation, 22 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,000 mold removal, biohazard cleanup. 23 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,280 It also has a focus on veteran franchisees. 24 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:59,080 You can learn more about them by going to puroclean.com. 25 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:06,600 We want to welcome to Veterans Radio today Brandy Hill, Dr. Brandy Hill. 26 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,680 She is going to talk to us about a subject we've talked about before on Veterans Radio 27 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:17,960 and that is Veterans exposure to PFAS chemicals, sometimes known as the forever chemical. 28 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,840 Brandy, welcome to Veterans Radio. 29 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,200 Well, thank you so much, Jim. 30 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,840 It's a pleasure to be here with you and all of your listeners. 31 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,600 Well, we appreciate the time you're making for us. 32 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,920 We know you're traveling and getting this in is really timely. 33 00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:39,960 So you have a doctorate in public health as well as a master's in public health, which 34 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:47,240 and you've done some writing on the cumulative exposure to PFAS substances impacting veteran 35 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,120 cancer diagnosis, which we'll talk about. 36 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:55,200 But before we get there, tell us why you're interested in veteran health issues and a 37 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:56,760 little bit of your background. 38 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,920 Yeah, no worries. 39 00:02:58,920 --> 00:02:59,920 Thank you so much. 40 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:06,920 So on a 25 year US Air Force veteran I retired back in 2019. 41 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:12,840 The entire time I spent working in a military medical facility, I spent my years there managing 42 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:18,200 teams of individuals who were enabling superior healthcare for all of the military members 43 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,120 as well as their families. 44 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,560 But after I did my retirement, I decided I wanted to be a health educator. 45 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,600 So off to go work as a health educator I did. 46 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:34,360 But I left to continue to make a mark in the impact specifically on military members. 47 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:40,880 So my husband and I, we have three wonderful children, 27, 23 and 18. 48 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,840 My oldest son serves in the military as well as his wife serves in the military and they 49 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:50,400 are the parents of my fantastic 18 month old grandson. 50 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:56,800 So it's a family concern for us with my husband's background and my background and both of our 51 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,200 fathers also serving both of their father serving. 52 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:06,040 You can see how this extrapolates as a thought process for us to kind of go after. 53 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:11,400 But during my active duty time, education became a huge priority. 54 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:18,600 So although I started a slow road to progress, if you will, my pathway was a wine v1. 55 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:23,600 So I originally started out as a logistician in the Air Force, which doesn't seem like 56 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,280 it has any kind of impact to health. 57 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:30,240 However, I was deploying and doing a whole bunch of humanitarian missions. 58 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:35,240 And during those humanitarian missions, my job as a logistician was to also act like 59 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,200 a pseudo pharmacy tech. 60 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:43,120 So my job was to hand out and deliver pharmaceuticals to the community members that we were serving. 61 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,040 With that, I became interested in pharmacology. 62 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,520 So I decided to go after my certified pharmacy tech certification. 63 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:57,440 So once I got that, I started doing some time in the pharmacy and realized that pharmaceuticals 64 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,000 were just a really good way of us to continue to treat symptoms, but maybe not get after 65 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:03,480 root causes. 66 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:08,640 So then I decided to head on over to the nutrition world where I got my bachelor's in nutritional 67 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:09,640 medicine. 68 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:14,840 Then I found out nobody really wanted to listen to a dietitian, right? 69 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:15,840 Yes. 70 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:21,240 In addition to that, you know, it all really boils down to education. 71 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:26,600 And the more we know, the more we grow and knowledges power and iron sharpens iron. 72 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:32,880 So that's why I went after my MPH and got my master's in public health. 73 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:38,520 Well, on top of that, I decided what really mattered to me was being able to help educate 74 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:39,520 others. 75 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,640 And so I wanted to be able to do independent research. 76 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,880 In order to do successful independent research, I needed to get my doctorate. 77 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:52,880 And so that is why I went after my doctorate public health in this kind of weeds us up to 78 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:54,360 where I am today. 79 00:05:54,360 --> 00:06:00,080 Well, it's a typical story of somebody who gets started in one road. 80 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,560 And then as you say, it's kind of a windy road where you end up. 81 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,840 Life is rarely a straight line, and we have to embrace all those curves along the way. 82 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:14,240 So I wanted that outlined because I want our veteran radio listeners to understand that 83 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,320 your interest in this area is personal. 84 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:18,320 It's with passion. 85 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:23,600 It's not just some, sometimes we talk to these PhDs or doctors and it's kind of very 86 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:30,880 egg-heady, but there's more here because of your family and life experiences. 87 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:32,560 But let's start with the basics. 88 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:37,560 As I said, we've talked about it before, but I'm sure not everybody understands what PFAS 89 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,360 chemicals or forever chemicals are all about. 90 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,400 Can you give us a thumbnail sketch of that? 91 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:44,400 Surely. 92 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:51,000 So PFASs or perinpolythloral alkali synthesis, that's a whole lot to say, but they really 93 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,280 originated back in the 1950s. 94 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:59,680 And in the 1960s when they got their first patent, which is fantastic, and they were 95 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:06,280 really useful for a whole lot of things, such as your normal nonstick cookware. 96 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:12,920 The item or the spray that you put on furniture to keep it water resistant or soil resistant. 97 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,200 So it's pretty much in everything we touch on an everyday basis. 98 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,840 There's thousands of these chemicals. 99 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:24,360 The unfortunate part about these chemicals though is they are forever and have been deemed 100 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:29,120 as the forever chemical because there's really no way to get rid of them. 101 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:37,360 Interestingly enough, the ASFF, which is the firefighting foam that's so proliferant around 102 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:45,160 Air Force bases, specifically our military installations that may have JPA or other fuel 103 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:46,400 fires. 104 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:52,680 That was actually patented in 1966, and we started using it in petroleum based firefighting 105 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:54,680 in the 1970s. 106 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,000 And these are man made chemicals? 107 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,240 They are man made chemicals, yes. 108 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:05,280 And they don't have a natural breakdown process, if I understand it. 109 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:10,840 No, that's why they're forever because there's no way for our environment to really just 110 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,520 get rid of them and flush them away. 111 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:21,280 And so when they do off slough into other parts of our environment, our water, our soil, 112 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:27,960 there they stay to contaminate things like the cows that graze on the grass, the water 113 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:35,040 inside your lake, seep into our water drinking systems. 114 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:42,760 You just pointed out these have been around now maybe 40, 60, 60 some years maybe in commercial 115 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:48,040 practice, which in the real world, it really isn't that long. 116 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:52,760 It's better living through chemicals approach. 117 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,400 They're great when they start and then we use them for two or three or four decades and 118 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,000 then find out, hmm, there are some side effects. 119 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,560 Is that kind of what's going on here? 120 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:04,560 For sure. 121 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:08,520 So originally it was like, oh, look at this, it's really awesome. 122 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:13,000 And then they found out like, oh yeah, hey, by the way, this also can cause or has been 123 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:19,840 linked to cancer, liver damage, immune system changes, all of these not so wonderful benefits 124 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,080 of this very helpful substance. 125 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:30,920 But if you go back and do some research, you can find where some of the leading companies 126 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:37,080 who were making this and distributing it way back in the heyday had some indication that 127 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:42,320 this was probably not safe for people. 128 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:43,320 You did the research. 129 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:49,080 That's why we have you on and you wrote, as I say, your dissertation was cumulative exposure 130 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:55,160 to, and I'm just going to call them PFAS impacting veteran cancer diagnosis is the title of us. 131 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:03,960 And you used a particular data set, this 10 year data set to examine these relationships. 132 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:10,360 Tell us what you were, what you went in thinking and what you kind of came out thinking. 133 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:16,280 So I went in thinking, you know, I'm surrounded by people in my life who served in various 134 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,800 different ways in the military. 135 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:24,640 And a lot of them, an alarming rate of them have had some sort of cancer. 136 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:31,520 And so I wanted to figure out, is there a linkage to perhaps where we are, what we're 137 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:37,800 doing and what kind of exposures we may have? 138 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:45,960 And so, anyways, that's what I went in thinking was, can I find a linkage to exposure? 139 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:51,160 And then what I found out was, there are some very interesting linkages. 140 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:59,200 So for one, military service members are actually 11% more inclined to have some sort 141 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,400 of cancer diagnosis. 142 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:07,160 Additionally, it's been noted that with certain different kinds of cancers, it's actually 143 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:15,000 25 to 40% higher in veterans than it is in the civilian sector. 144 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,440 And so that's why it was so important for me to be able to do this research and kind 145 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,880 of find out what is going on. 146 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:29,480 Now when I did use, like you said, a publicly available data set, this was not a data set 147 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:36,400 that was actually given to me by the DOD or it's not specific military information. 148 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:44,040 It came straight from the NHATES, which is a national representative data set. 149 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:54,280 I used the years 2005 to 2015 to really kind of underscore, looking at a 10-year area, 150 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,120 what kind of diagnosis is people getting? 151 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:04,080 And what I found in that was that there was quite the interest. 152 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:10,360 So you know, cancer alone, there's about 450,000 veterans suffering with diagnosis of cancer. 153 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,480 There's about 50,000 added each year. 154 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:19,360 So you can tell that that's pretty impressive to get that many people. 155 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:26,840 Now looking specifically at PFAS, there was 24 DOD drinking water systems with 564 surrounding 156 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:33,760 areas that actually were a higher level of PFAS than what you're supposed to have according 157 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,680 to the EPA allowable limits. 158 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:37,680 So that's crazy. 159 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:45,160 And then looking at another statistic, so there was 12 times higher the PFAS serum concentrations 160 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:50,160 in US veterans than US population. 161 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,120 So what could that all come from? 162 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:55,880 You know, you're looking at a higher risk of disease. 163 00:12:55,880 --> 00:13:00,640 You're looking at a higher PFAS serum concentration. 164 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,240 Where is this all boiling down from? 165 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:07,800 So this is kind of where I was starting to look at. 166 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:15,080 What I wanted to really find out though was prostate cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease. 167 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:20,880 These were the ones that I was like specifically looking and delving into. 168 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:28,920 And I want to stop for a minute because exposure to PFAS in the military can come from all kinds 169 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,040 of different vectors. 170 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,800 You've mentioned contaminated groundwater, but it's a lot more than just that, isn't 171 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:36,800 it? 172 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:37,800 Yes. 173 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:38,800 Yes. 174 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,880 So contaminated groundwater, you've got the firefighting foam I had mentioned earlier. 175 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:47,520 Then you've got to look at all of the different has and solutions that our service members 176 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,560 are actually subjected to. 177 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,440 So those are unique. 178 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:59,160 Then you top that off with the fact that the average adult only moves 11 times in their 179 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:00,560 entire life. 180 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:06,360 Well, a service member is going to change their environment every four to six years. 181 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:08,760 So this was really interesting. 182 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:13,000 This is the part when I read your paper, I went, I didn't think about it this way, the 183 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,000 cumulative exposure. 184 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,000 Continue talk to us about that. 185 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:24,800 So every environment that you impact or that you come across is going to actually impact 186 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:25,800 your health. 187 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:30,120 So the Environmental Protection Agency has said environmental hazards, they encompass 188 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:35,680 our physical, biological, chemical, cultural, and social aspects, and all of them can be 189 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:40,960 associated with adverse outcomes like cancers and cardiovascular disease. 190 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,200 That's straight from the EPA in 2022. 191 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:49,840 So when you think about the fact that we are changing our locations, we're changing our 192 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:54,080 environments every four to six years. 193 00:14:54,080 --> 00:15:00,120 And then couple that with for one of the mill, a few handfuls or so deployments for each 194 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,480 person, you've changed your environment so many times. 195 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:09,120 And in each of those places, you're going to live in a circumstance or a surrounding 196 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:14,760 area to a base that may or may not have the same situation as the base, you're going to 197 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:21,600 be moving potentially to a different country that has completely different rules of engagement 198 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,400 when it comes to what you're doing. 199 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,640 And then you throw in the deployment hazards. 200 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:32,240 So it's very important to look at the environment in a holistic sense. 201 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:39,080 So not just, oh, well, people lived someplace, but where did you live and how did you live 202 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:44,320 and how do we really kind of look at that? 203 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:50,800 How does a private doctor, medical doctor, when looking at a veteran even sort out what 204 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,800 those exposures, cumulative exposures might have been? 205 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:59,360 And I guess that leads to is like there are a test for this. 206 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,640 So that is a very, very good question. 207 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,240 And it was one of the questions that I had myself. 208 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:09,920 So when you're looking at it and you think you go to the doctor, the first thing the 209 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,360 doctor is going to ask you is about your health history. 210 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:20,480 But they're going to ask specifically about have you smoked, do you drink, has your dad 211 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,960 had the photo, that's a vascular issue. 212 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:27,480 They don't ask you where you've been and what you've been exposed to. 213 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:35,800 But we know that the environment really adds to your health as a holistic health. 214 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:41,840 So no, there isn't a way right now for that to be part of it. 215 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:46,520 But if you go and you research, which I did, and there's a thing it's called precision 216 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:54,160 medicine and precision medicine is all about really understanding a person as a whole and 217 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,120 not just a sum of symptoms. 218 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:03,080 So understanding where have you been, what have you been exposed to, you know, what not 219 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:09,440 just what your health history is in your family health history, like looking at the total 220 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:16,720 big picture, because each person is a puzzle and we are all very unique, especially when 221 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:18,040 it comes to exposures. 222 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:25,520 So we're talking veteran radio listeners to Dr. Brandy Hill, who has her PhD in public 223 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:26,600 health. 224 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:33,440 She studied and wrote on the cumulative exposure of PFASs impacting veteran diagnosis. 225 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:39,240 And we are not going to ask her about the tools she used, such as Pearson correlations 226 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:45,600 and multiple linear regression, because I don't even know how to ask those questions 227 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,680 and I wouldn't understand the answers. 228 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:54,280 But I think it's important for our veteran radio listeners to understand the complexity 229 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:59,120 of how PFAS exposure may be impacting them. 230 00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:05,600 And I want to use this point to jump in and say, VA has recently announced that it's going 231 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:13,040 to do more research in the area of linking kidney cancer and exposure to PFASs on military 232 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:14,040 bases. 233 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:21,160 And if they make that link, it could be very beneficial for veterans if that becomes a 234 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,520 presumptive and it's much easier to get VA benefits. 235 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:28,720 But I want to make the point, it's only kidney cancer they're looking at. 236 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:33,040 And you just gave me a whole list of things that you looked at. 237 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:38,400 So is kidney cancer just too small of a universe to be looking at, Dr. Hill? 238 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:42,280 Well, so you've got to start somewhere, right? 239 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:46,760 And when it comes to the VA, especially when they're looking at the presumptive, they've 240 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:48,760 got to start somewhere. 241 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,880 There is so many things that are listed. 242 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:58,840 I mean, even testicular cancer is listed as a possible problem, a possible health implication 243 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:00,240 of PFAS. 244 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,600 And that actually came out like many years ago. 245 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:09,520 I mean, this was researched on in 2018 by a colleague. 246 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:13,760 So this information is out there, but you have to start somewhere. 247 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,360 And we're just starting to scratch the surface. 248 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:23,360 So I think that's really important because if you look at what's really happened over 249 00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:29,920 the last couple of years and look at the past that, they're starting to really go back to 250 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:35,120 something that was in the military when I first came in back in 1995. 251 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:37,400 So that's a long, long time ago. 252 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:42,600 But we had what was called PPIP, which is put prevention and practice. 253 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,680 That was a whole military medical solution set. 254 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:49,600 And we're starting to go back to that. 255 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:54,080 We're starting to look at what are the things that impact our health. 256 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:59,120 And we're scratching the surface to see if we can provide those linkages so that we can 257 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,240 get after our future health. 258 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:07,160 Because if we can identify things, even if it's just starting with kidney cancer and 259 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:14,280 then moving on to other cancers such as testicular, prostate, liver damage, thyroid disease, we'll 260 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:20,960 be able to scratch the surface more and try and hopefully get more and more of these things 261 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,480 connected and get the veterans the care that they deserve. 262 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:25,480 Yeah. 263 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:26,480 And you have to bring it. 264 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:27,480 I agree with you. 265 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,680 You got to start somewhere and you have to bring it to attention of people, including 266 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:35,040 those private doctors I was mentioning that may not, you know, so few people serve in 267 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,240 the military, so few medical people serve in the military, wouldn't even know how to 268 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:40,960 ask maybe the right questions. 269 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:48,200 And even today, I saw an article that came out where out of the University of Southern 270 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:55,200 California looking at PFAS levels in the blood of young adults, 19 to 24, they found those 271 00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:04,040 in the highest levels of PFAS in their blood had a sleep problem, a sleep deprivation problem, 272 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:10,760 sleep disorder and we know in the military, sleep is critical and often interrupted in 273 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:15,040 a lot of different ways, but you also have to wonder like, hmm, I wonder if any of it's 274 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,320 environmental. 275 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,560 So there's a lot of room for more research, isn't there, Dr. Hill? 276 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,800 Yes, there really is. 277 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:27,960 And, you know, like I said before, we're just starting to scratch the surface into, you 278 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:33,440 know, these things and the problems that they've caused and how we can get around them. 279 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:38,000 I mean, if you think about it, like you said earlier, you know, the 1960s really wasn't 280 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,720 that long ago, you know, in the grand scheme of things. 281 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:47,360 And so we're just now starting to see these implications and being able to really put 282 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:54,960 together that picture because it takes time, you know, exposure to, to answers, it takes 283 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:01,840 time and you have to get enough people, unfortunately, to participate in the studies in order to 284 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:07,280 get the information and really uncover where those connective tissues are. 285 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,880 Because without enough people, you know, like you said, the military members are, it's a 286 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:15,160 very small amount of the population. 287 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,200 And so we have to get more data. 288 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:23,720 Well that's answered like a true doctorate in public health and research. 289 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:25,560 You always need more data. 290 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:30,880 But again, I think it's great that you can explain this in layman's terms to our veteran 291 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:31,880 radio listeners. 292 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:39,000 And I often get to ask those we interview about, you know, their, their experiences in the 293 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:45,200 military and if they would still recommend to sons and daughters and nieces and nephews 294 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:46,960 going in the military. 295 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:51,560 I do this because we have such a recruiting crisis going on. 296 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,040 But you've kind of already answered that. 297 00:22:54,040 --> 00:23:04,040 I take it you were very supportive of your son and his wife being in the military. 298 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:05,720 Oh, for sure. 299 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:06,720 Yes. 300 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,960 I'm, I'm a huge supporter of military service. 301 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:15,560 I think that everybody could really get some valuable lessons, whether it's four years 302 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,240 or 25 years. 303 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,280 You can really learn a lot about yourself. 304 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,800 I can really grow as a person and understand the systems of our country. 305 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:27,640 I, you know, I couldn't recommend it more. 306 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:35,120 Additionally, it gives you so much if you give it to the service because I learned a whole 307 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,200 lot of different locations. 308 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,760 I was able to see things from a different point of view. 309 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:49,160 I really kind of grow my goals and not to mention I got all the way through my master's 310 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,800 degree and never paid for school. 311 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:58,680 I mean, that to me is a huge thing because there's so many people in debt for education. 312 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:03,000 Yeah, there's great opportunities there and we shouldn't scare people off. 313 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:04,600 They should really explore it. 314 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,640 And once you get in, as you saw, you don't know where your career is going to take you, 315 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,680 but it may take you somewhere where you're really happy you ended up. 316 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,120 So it's, it's a great opportunity. 317 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:21,720 Brandy Hill, thank you for taking some time to us to explain PFAS and cumulative exposure 318 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:27,000 and the research that's being going on to make sure we understand how that exposure 319 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,000 is impacting veterans. 320 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:30,000 Fantastic. 321 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,000 Thank you so much. 322 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:38,560 And just to kind of give you a preview of what my next study is, not that you, you may 323 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,720 or may not want it to know this, but my next study is again, specifically pointing out 324 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:47,400 the veterans because they're again my population of choice. 325 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:53,840 But I'm going to be looking into Parkinson's and occupational hazards. 326 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:54,840 Very interesting. 327 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:56,240 Well, we look forward to when that's done. 328 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,800 Maybe we can talk again. 329 00:24:58,800 --> 00:24:59,800 Sounds great. 330 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:00,800 Thank you so much, Jim. 331 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,080 And again, thank you so much to your listeners for letting me spend the last couple of minutes 332 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:06,080 with you. 333 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,800 And I want to thank everybody for listening to Veterans Radio today. 334 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,320 I am Jim Fossone. 335 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:13,680 It's been a pleasure to be your host. 336 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:17,560 I'm a Veterans Disability Lawyer at Legal Help for Veterans. 337 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:25,960 And you can reach us at 800-693-4800 or legalhelpforveterans.com on the web. 338 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:30,880 You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet radio 339 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:35,480 shows by visiting us at veteransradio.org. 340 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,200 That's veteransradio.org. 341 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,480 And until next time, you are dismissed. 342 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,840 If you have a VA claim denied by the Board of Veterans Appeals, contact Legal Help for 343 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:50,080 Veterans at 1-800-693-4800. 344 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:54,080 They're experts in handling cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 345 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,040 Their number again, 1-800-693-4800. 346 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:03,640 We again want to thank our national sponsors, the National Veterans Business Development 347 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:12,840 Council, 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