Heart & blood vessels
Organ / systemThe pump and the pipes — sensitive to inflammation, metals, and chronic stress.
What toxicants do here
Lead and chronic inflammation raise blood pressure and stress the blood vessels; some metals (cobalt, antimony) can directly affect heart muscle.
What targets it — tap to learn each one
Hypertension and ischemic heart disease are Agent Orange presumptives; lead and inflammation are studied cardiovascular contributors.
High blood pressure and vascular strain drive heart, kidney, and stroke risk over time. Home blood-pressure tracking and a clinician's review matter.
Bring this to your clinician and your VSO — they decide what testing and care, if any, is right for you. For general, whole-person ways to support your body, see Whole health.
Drafted from the government's and science's own record — VA presumptive lists (PACT Act, 38 CFR, Camp Lejeune), ATSDR ToxFAQs, IARC, and NTP. Sources are cited on every page, and this library has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician or toxicologist. This is documentation to bring to your clinician and VSO — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a determination of service connection. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.