At 1 p.m. Monday at the American Legion Post 96 in West Hartford, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal will convene a roundtable discussion with veterans from all service eras on exposures to toxic substances during military service and the long-term health effects on veterans and their descendants, which can include birth defects, learning disabilities, and cancer. The discussion follows passage of legislation authored by Blumenthal to enhance research into the impacts of toxic exposure, “Veterans and their families have made extraordinary sacrifices, and yet decades later, can still feel the devastating, debilitating effects of exposure to toxic chemicals,” Blumenthal said in a news release.