One exposure. Three generations. One foundation fighting for all of them.
The wounds of war don’t end when the orders do. They were inherited
About IWF
The Inherited Wounds Foundation exists to ensure that every veteran, child, and grandchild affected by Agent Orange — and every family now facing the same questions about burn pits, Gulf War Syndrome, and modern toxic exposures — has access to the science, the resources, and the community they deserve.
I am a:
Vietnam Veteran
Agent Orange, dioxin exposure, VA presumptives, and the science of what happened to your body and your family.
Gulf War, Iraq or
Afghanistan Veteran
Burn pits, PACT Act benefits, toxic exposure, and the emerging research on what it means for your family.
Child of a Veteran
The science is clear. Your health history starts with your parent’s service — from any era.
Grandchild of a Veteran
What was passed down. What you can do. What we’re fighting to change.
Our Mission Statement
Between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed more than 20 million gallons of herbicides across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia as part of Operation Ranch Hand. The most notorious of these was Agent Orange — a compound contaminated with dioxin (specifically TCDD), now classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known human carcinogen.
Decades later, those veterans began showing patterns of illness that science is only now fully explaining. The health consequences of dioxin exposure did not stay with the veteran. Through epigenetic inheritance, they were passed to the next generation — and in some cases, the generation after that.
And the story didn’t end in Vietnam. From Gulf War Syndrome to burn pit smoke, from contaminated bases to toxic training environments, generations of veterans have carried invisible wounds home. The Inherited Wounds Foundation exists because every one of their families deserves to know.
“I am not a veteran. I am a spouse. And I believe that perspective may be exactly what gives this work its urgency.”
— Dana Fox, Founder & Executive Director, Inherited Wounds Foundation
Research Snapshot
2024 Study
Sperm Epigenome — Vietnam Veterans
437 epigenetically altered genes found in Agent Orange-exposed veterans’ sperm vs. unexposed controls. (Greco et al.)
2012 Study — DOD Funded
Dioxin & Transgenerational Inheritance
Disease documented in 1st AND 3rd generation offspring of TCDD-exposed rats. (Skinner et al., PLOS ONE)
Propublica 2016
Children of Agent Orange
30% higher birth defect rate in children of veterans with confirmed Agent Orange exposure.
Legislation 2024
Molly R. Loomis Research Act
Bipartisan bill: $15M to study health effects in children & grandchildren of ALL toxic-exposed veterans.
