Gulf War illness not tied to radioactive materials

["Frederic Dawson" <ydc90@dial.pipex.com>]

An independent report released by the Pentagon indicates that exposure to a
radioactive material used in the Gulf War is unlikely to have caused the
health complaints from veterans whose illnesses remain unexplained eight
years after the war.
The Rand Corp., a Santa Monica, California, think tank, reviewed scientific
literature and found no evidence of harmful health effects directly linked
to exposure to depleted uranium, which coats U.S. artillery shells and bombs
designed to penetrate tank armor. On impact, the shells create an airborne
dust.
An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Gulf War veterans have complained of chronic
maladies such as fatigue, joint pain and memory loss, but no official cause
has been found.
Bernard Rostker, a defense official in charge of Gulf War Syndrome issues,
said the Rand study supports a Pentagon conclusion that while depleted
uranium "can pose a chemical toxicity and radiological hazard under specific
conditions, the available evidence does not support claims that DU caused or
is causing the undiagnosed illness some Gulf War veterans are experiencing."
In March 1998, a group of U.S. veterans said at least 400,000 of the 700,000
men and women who served in the war had come in contact with depleted
uranium. Some claimed to suffer from unexplained illnesses or increased
cancer rates.
The Pentagon believes that figure is exaggerated. Rostker estimated "several
hundred" American soldiers were exposed, primarily through friendly fire
incidents in which military vehicles accidentally came under U.S. attack or
during cleanup and investigation efforts.
Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore are
following 33 Gulf War veterans with the greatest exposure to depleted
uranium, including 17 with embedded fragments from shrapnel.
The veterans have an array of health problems related to combat injuries,
the researchers said. But researchers have not found signs of radiation
illness or "manifestations of kidney disease attributable to the chemical
toxicity of depleted uranium."
Overall, the Rand literature review found, exposure to depleted uranium at
levels similar to during the Gulf War has not caused increased cancer rates,
kidney disease or other illnesses, mostly because the body is very effective
at eliminating ingested and inhaled uranium.
Separately, the Pentagon released a case study concluding that Gulf War
veterans likely were not exposed to chemical warfare agents at a cement
factory outside Kuwait City.
But the Pentagon could not rule out the presence of such agents, saying it
lacked all the evidence for a definite ruling. For example, soil samples
were not properly packed to guarantee against evaporation and a tape from a
special military vehicle that can detect the agents is missing, he said.
The case showed the need to handle evidence more carefully and to inform
soldiers on the scene about whether they had been exposed. In this case, he
said the Marines operating the vehicles "were told they didn't have a need
to know."
"That's very unfortunate," Rostker said. "It's resulted in suspicions."
The Pentagon has been fighting a climate of mistrust regarding Gulf War
Syndrome since the end of the 1991 war.
Defense officials initially downplayed veterans' complaints and did not
fully investigate the possibilities of exposure to chemical and biological
weapons.
In a third report, a policy review by Rand found U.S. officials poorly
handled a program to use experimental drugs on American troops to protect
soldiers from biological and chemical warfare.
Many Gulf War veterans blame illnesses on the drugs, including
pyridostigmine bromide and botulinum toxoid, which they were not told were
still being investigated for human use.
The Food and Drug Administration had authorized an exception to an
informed-consent requirement. The president now has sole waiver authority
under a 1997 law Congress passed.

Fred Dawson
3 Barnsbury Close, New Malden
Surrey. KT3 5BP
England
44(181) 287 2176
Personal webb page : http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/drive/ydc90/
Work Email : modsafety@gtnet.gov.uk


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