Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
After learning of a Long Island Vietnam vet battling a rare cancer that could be linked to his military service, Senator Schumer today called for an immediate scientific investigation into the potential causality of bile duct cancer and whether it has been linked to parasites present in Southeast Asia’s waterways at the time of the Vietnam War. Schumer stood alongside Jerry Chiano, a Vietnam Veteran from Long Island, who was recently diagnosed with bile duct cancer. Schumer explained that Mr. Chiano does not receive service-related compensation for his cancer because it is not recognized as a service-connected illness by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to Mr. Chiano, those serving in the Vietnam War often swam and bathed in the rivers and ate local fish. The Cancer Treatments of America has said that water-borne parasites, called liver flukes, are common in Asian countries and can infect the bile duct. Moreover, the CDC says that individuals can become infected by accidentally swallowing the parasite when ingesting contaminated water. Schumer said that the first step in establishing a presumption of service connection is for the VA to determine a causal relationship between these parasites and this cancer. Therefore, Schumer is urging the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to launch a study examining whether a correlation exists between bile duct cancer and these water-borne parasites. Schumer is also calling for a study examining whether a correlation exists between bile duct cancer and the range of chemicals known to be used during the Vietnam War.