Levels of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in 1,302 unexposed Air Force Vietnam-era veterans

We summarize the distribution of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (dioxin) in 1,302 Air Force veterans who serve as controls in a 20-year prospective epidemiologic study of health and exposure to herbicides and their dioxin contaminant in Air Force veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the unit responsible for aerial spraying of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam. We present statistics summarizing the dioxin distribution overall and by stratum of age and body mass index of these veterans. The average dioxin measurement was 4.23 and the standard deviation was 2.53 parts per trillion. With 95% confidence, 99% of the distribution is less than or equal to 10.4 parts per trillion.