Military chemical and toxic exposures: what VA says

Presumptive or case by case

VA's hazardous-materials hub, last updated July 24, 2026

• VA calls a condition presumptive when it assumes your service caused it, if you served where and when VA lists. For these, you do not have to prove the link yourself. Burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune water and some radiation exposures work this way.
• For other exposures, VA says on its own pages that it decides claims case by case. You must show the link between the exposure and your condition. See The Nexus Letter and What Good Claim Evidence Looks Like.
• VA does not rate a chemical. It rates the diagnosed condition, using that condition's own rating rules. The ratings pages for each condition are linked in the sections below.
• Start with Conditions VA Presumes Are Service Connected, By When You Served and TERA: What Toxic Exposure Risk Activity Means.

Burn pits and other airborne hazards

VA's PACT Act page, last updated June 2, 2026

VA lists these as presumptive if you served in a listed place and time. VA also says its lists are not complete.

Where and when:

• On or after September 11, 2001: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and the airspace above them.
• On or after August 2, 1990: Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, and the airspace above them.

Cancers: brain cancer; gastrointestinal cancer of any type; glioblastoma; head cancer of any type; kidney cancer; lymphoma of any type; melanoma; neck cancer of any type; pancreatic cancer; reproductive cancer of any type; respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type.

Illnesses: asthma that was diagnosed after service; chronic bronchitis; COPD; chronic rhinitis; chronic sinusitis; constrictive or obliterative bronchiolitis; emphysema; granulomatous disease; interstitial lung disease; pleuritis; pulmonary fibrosis; sarcoidosis.

Related ratings: Asthma, COPD and lung ratings, kidney ratings and sinusitis and rhinitis.

Agent Orange and other herbicides

VA's Agent Orange page, last updated September 16, 2025

Cancers: bladder cancer; chronic B-cell leukemia; Hodgkin's disease; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; prostate cancer; respiratory cancers (including lung cancer); some soft tissue sarcomas.

Other illnesses: AL amyloidosis; chloracne (or similar acneiform disease); type 2 diabetes; high blood pressure; hypothyroidism; ischemic heart disease; monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS); parkinsonism; Parkinson's disease; early-onset peripheral neuropathy; porphyria cutanea tarda.

Where and when:

• January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975: in the Republic of Vietnam, or aboard a U.S. military vessel that operated in the inland waterways of Vietnam, or on a vessel within 12 nautical miles of the Vietnam–Cambodia waters boundary (VA's wording is longer, so read the page).
• Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand, January 9, 1962 to June 30, 1976.
• Laos, December 1, 1965 to September 30, 1969.
• Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province, April 16, 1969 to April 30, 1969.
• Guam or American Samoa, or their territorial waters, January 9, 1962 to July 31, 1980.
• Johnston Atoll, or a ship that called there, January 1, 1972 to September 30, 1977.
• The Korean DMZ, September 1, 1967 to August 31, 1971.
• Air Force unit locations where a C-123 aircraft with Agent Orange traces was assigned, with repeated contact through your duties; and involvement in transporting, testing or storing Agent Orange.

Related ratings: Diabetes and thyroid ratings, heart condition ratings and nerve damage ratings.

Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River water

VA's Camp Lejeune page, last updated July 28, 2025

• Service: at least 30 days total at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.
• Conditions: adult leukemia; aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; liver cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Parkinson's disease.
• VA says to state on your claim that you are applying for one or more of the presumptive conditions for Camp Lejeune, and to include records showing 30 days of service there and records showing the condition.

Radiation

38 CFR 3.309(d), eCFR current as of October 16, 2026

The regulation presumes these diseases for a “radiation-exposed veteran,” one who took part in a radiation-risk activity while on active duty (or on reserve duty training):

Diseases: leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia); cancer of the thyroid, breast, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary tract (the regulation says this covers the kidneys, renal pelves, ureters, bladder and urethra), bone, brain, colon, lung and ovary; multiple myeloma; lymphomas (except Hodgkin's disease); primary liver cancer (except if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated); and bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma.

Radiation-risk activities:

• Onsite participation in an atmospheric nuclear detonation test.
• U.S. forces occupying Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan, August 6, 1945 to July 1, 1946.
• Internment as a World War II prisoner of war in Japan, or active duty in Japan immediately afterward with comparable radiation exposure, in that same period.
• At least 250 days of official duty before February 1, 1992 at the Paducah, Kentucky or Portsmouth, Ohio gaseous diffusion plants, or K-25 at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with dosimetry monitoring or a comparable position.
• Service before January 1, 1974 on Amchitka Island, Alaska, with exposure from the Long Shot, Milrow or Cannikin tests.
• Service that would qualify for the Special Exposure Cohort under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000.
• Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, January 1, 1977 to December 31, 1980.
• Onsite response to the B-52 collision near Palomares, Spain, January 17, 1966 to March 31, 1967.
• Onsite response to the B-52 fire and crash near Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, January 21 to September 25, 1968.

VA's hazardous-materials hub also lists mustard gas or lewisite exposure (the German bombing of Bari, Italy in World War II, or certain other jobs) and Project 112 / Project SHAD testing from 1962 to 1974.

Gulf War illnesses

38 CFR 3.317, eCFR current as of October 16, 2026

• Covered: a chronic disability that results from an undiagnosed illness, or from a medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness defined by a cluster of signs or symptoms, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or functional gastrointestinal disorders (excluding structural gastrointestinal diseases).
• Signs and symptoms the regulation lists (not limited to these): fatigue; skin; headache; muscle pain; joint pain; neurological; neuropsychological; respiratory (upper or lower); sleep disturbances; gastrointestinal; cardiovascular; abnormal weight loss; menstrual disorders.
• Where: the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the airspace above these locations.
• Watch the date: the regulation requires the illness to have become manifest during service in that theater, or to a degree of 10 percent or more not later than December 31, 2026. That is the text in the eCFR as of October 16, 2026. Check VA for any change before you rely on it.

PFAS and firefighting foam (AFFF)

VA Public Health, PFAS page, last updated April 16, 2026

• VA says PFAS are in fire-fighting foams used by civilian and military firefighters, and that releases during training and emergency response are a major source of groundwater contamination on military bases. It lists the exposure period as 1970 to present, at all locations.
• VA says the overall scientific and medical evidence is currently inconclusive, and that more research is needed.
• VA states: “there are no presumptions related to PFAS exposure in the military.” You can still file a claim for a health problem you believe is related, and VA decides it case by case.
• VA published a notice on September 26, 2024 that it plans to assess PFAS exposure and kidney cancer, saying a working group found “sufficient evidence exists to justify the evaluation of kidney cancer through the new presumptive decision process.” A second notice, published December 18, 2025, says VA will look only at kidney cancer in this review, that an expert panel will advise VA leadership, and that the notice itself creates no presumption. VA says it will decide claims case by case and publish its findings in the Federal Register.

Jet fuel and other fuels (JP-8, JP-5)

VA Public Health, fuels page, last updated August 13, 2025

• VA says some service members may have been exposed to fuels such as JP-8 and JP-5 used to operate vehicles, and that the military uses petroleum products as accelerants in burn pit fires.
• Short-term effects VA lists: skin, eye and upper respiratory irritation, fatigue, breathing difficulty, headaches, dizziness and sleep disturbances. VA says research on long-term effects is inconclusive.
• VA's fuels page does not mention disability compensation or any presumptive condition. It points to a registry evaluation through your local Environmental Health Coordinator, the OEF/OIF/OND team or your VA Primary Care Team.

Solvents, heavy metals and pesticides

Three VA Public Health pages

• Industrial solvents (page updated August 25, 2026): VA says many service members use solvents for cleaning, degreasing, paint stripping and thinning oil-based paints. It names benzene, acetone, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, xylenes, methylene chloride and toluene. VA lists no presumption, and decides claims case by case.
• Heavy metals (updated August 25, 2026): VA's page covers aluminum, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and silver, with exposure through maintenance of aircraft and vehicles, munitions, welding, soldering and other tasks. VA names no presumptive condition and decides claims case by case.
• Pesticides (Gulf War page, updated July 28, 2026): VA says service members used lindane and DEET as insect repellents. VA says research does not currently support an association with Gulf War chronic multisymptom illnesses. It lists no presumption for pesticides, but points to the free Gulf War Registry exam.

Lead and depleted uranium

VA Public Health pages: lead (updated April 16, 2026), depleted uranium (updated October 8, 2026)

• Lead: VA says veterans may be at risk if they spent many days at indoor firing ranges, had contact with deteriorating lead-based paint, or drank water from old lead pipes. Lead was used in batteries, solder, pipes, X-ray shielding, explosives, artillery and ammunition. VA names no presumption and decides claims case by case.
• Depleted uranium: VA's follow-up program is aimed at veterans on, in or near vehicles hit by friendly fire, and others near DU fires or damaged vehicles. VA says DU is less radioactive than natural uranium and that there is no evidence of long-term health effects from embedded DU fragments, while kidney effects are still being studied. VA's page states no presumption and points to a registry evaluation and its screening program. Benefits questions: 800-827-1000.

Asbestos

VA's asbestos page, last updated July 18, 2023

• VA lists these areas and products: mining, milling, shipyards, construction, carpentry and demolition; and flooring, roofing, cement sheet, pipes, insulation and friction products such as clutch facings and brake linings.
• VA's page does not mention a presumption. It says you need medical records showing the condition, service records showing your job or specialty, and a doctor's statement connecting the asbestos contact in service to the condition.

How to file for any of these

VA's exposure pages

• VA says you can file online, by mail, in person, or with help from a trained professional.
• Plain steps: Plan Your VA Claim and Upload Photos and Evidence for Your VA Claim.
• If your condition came from a rated condition, see Secondary Conditions.
• VA's burn-pit and Gulf War pages describe a free registry exam. VA's fuels page points to your local Environmental Health Coordinator.

What I could not verify

• Burn pit, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, PFAS, fuel, solvent, heavy metal, pesticide, lead, depleted uranium and asbestos statements come from VA's own pages, read October 20, 2026, on the dates shown. VA changes these lists, so check the VA page for yours before you file.
• Radiation and Gulf War illness come from 38 CFR 3.309(d) and 3.317 as the eCFR showed them on October 16, 2026. eCFR is unofficial, and the official text wins over me. I could not open VA's own radiation and Gulf War benefits pages, so I did not check them against the regulation.
• I read VA's pages through text summaries, not the page layout. The Agent Orange vessel-location wording is longer on VA's page than here.
• "VA rates the condition, not the chemical" describes how the rating schedule is organized. I did not find a single VA page that says it in those words.
• I did not list any rating percentages. They depend on the diagnosed condition, not on the chemical.