Sick Gulf vets get aid; chemical arms link probed
1
THE "OTHER" SOURCE FOR BTDA & PMDA IS ALSO THE SOURCE FOR OTHER HIGH QUALITY MONOMERS— <c©@c> II Ο II Ο s-BPDA Ο II <g§rST§i> II ο DSDA II Ο <0gr o t§Q> 4,4'-ODPA H 2 N-<^-0^>-NH 2 4,4'-ODA H 2 N ^>O^NH 2 3,4'-ODA H 2 N H 2 N TABE NH 2 NH 2 Call or FAX for a FREE catalog containing additional monomers. CHRISKEV COMPANY, INC. 5109 W. 111th Terrace Leawood, Kansas 66211-1742 ^ (913) 491-4911 FAX: (913) 491-9451 CIRCLE 29 ON READER SERVICE CARD GOVERNMENT Sick Gulf vets get aid; chemical arms link probed After much heated debate between the House and Senate, a bill authorizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to compensate Persian Gulf War veterans for mysterious ills that physicians have been unable to diagnose was approved in the waning hours of the 103rd Con- gress. President Bill Clinton is expected to sign the measure into law. The law will allow VA to compensate veterans who are at least 10% disabled from an array of symptoms dubbed the Gulf War syndrome. According to VA Secretary Jesse Brown, the measure is unprecedented. For the first time, his de- partment will be able to pay compensa- tion for ailments that physicians are un- able to define medically and whose cause or causes are unknown. About 20,000 of the approximately 700,000 troops sent to the Persian Gulf in 1991 have complained to VA of a variety of unrelated symptoms. These include fatigue, rashes, gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and muscle pain. Both the Pentagon and the Na- tional Institutes of Health have con- cluded that the ailments are real, but they are unable to pinpoint causes. Retiring Sen. Donald W. Riegle Jr. (D.- Mich.) has been investigating the causes of the syndrome and believes that some symptoms exhibited by some veterans can be attributed to exposure to chemi- cal and biological weapons. In a series of three reports, Riegle has revealed what he claims is solid evidence for the pres- ence of such weapons in Kuwait during the 1991 conflict. And as a departing gesture, he has accused the Defense De partment of covering up this evidence. The Pentagon has repeatedly denied that chemical or biological weapons were used by Iraq. Pentagon spokes- woman Stephanie Hoehne tells C&EN that "It is still DOEKs position that it has no confirmable evidence that chemical weapons were used in the Gulf War. "We are still considering all possibili- ties in trying to determine the cause of the Gulf War syndrome," Hoehne adds. "We are using scientific measures to confirm or not whether anything in the war caused the syndrome." Riegle concludes in his latest report that U.S. and British chemical specialists detected and identified mustard gas and another blister agent, phosgene oxime, with several different detectors, includ- ing mass spectrometers on mobile Fox vehicles (C&EN, Aug. 1, page 26). The agents were found in a storage tank on the grounds of a high school located within the Kuwaiti theater of operations. The Senator also cites the experience of a former Army sergeant who, while searching an Iraqi ammunition bunker near the Kuwaiti border, brushed up against some wooden crates. Hours later he noticed painful blisters on his upper arm. Hoehne tells C&EN that "There was nothing in this incident to indicate that chemical weapons were used." She notes that blister agents are persistent chemi- cals that were probably "stored in this bunker since the [earlier] Iran-Iraq War." In addition, Riegle reports the detec- tion of biological warfare agents Q-fever and Brucella inside a gas mask, carrying case, and gas mask filter. These items were given to Riegle's staff by Gulf War veterans who brought them back as sou- venirs, and were analyzed by several labs, including Lawrence Livermore Na- tional Laboratory's Forensic Science Center. Riegle notes that the results are preliminary, and he urges further study. "The evidence available continues to mount, indicating that exposure to bio- logical and chemical weapons is one cause of these illnesses," Riegle insists. DOD's blanket denials are not credi- ble." He terms these heartless and irre- sponsible, the signs of a military bureau- cracy "wanting to protect itself more than the health and well-being of our servicemen and women To my mind, there is no more serious crime than an of- ficial military coverup of facts that could prevent more effective diagnosis and treatment of sick U.S. veterans." If chemical and biological weapons were used in the 1991 conflict, the Pen- tagon would have to explain how well it prepared the troops to fight in a chemical and biological warfare envi- ronment, as well as the effectiveness of the protective gear the troops carried. These issues have resurfaced with the recent deployment of U.S. troops to the Gulf region to counter Iraqi troop move- ment southward to the Kuwaiti border. In fact, the Pentagon has sent military medical specialists to the area to investi- gate suspicious incidents, monitor for chemical and biological agents, and doc- ument troop medical treatment. Lois Ember 22 OCTOBER 24,1994 C&EN GOVERNMENT
Transcript of Sick Gulf vets get aid; chemical arms link probed
THE "OTHER" SOURCE FOR
BTDA & PMDA IS
ALSO THE SOURCE FOR OTHER HIGH
QUALITY MONOMERS—
<c©@c> II Ο
II Ο
s-BPDA
Ο II
<g§rST§i> II ο
DSDA
II Ο
<0grot§Q> 4,4'-ODPA
H 2 N - < ^ - 0 ^ > - N H 2
4,4'-ODA
H2N
^ > O ^ N H 2
3,4'-ODA
H2N
H2N
TABE
NH2
NH2
Call or FAX for a FREE catalog
containing additional monomers.
C H R I S K E V COMPANY, INC. 5109 W. 111th Terrace Leawood, Kansas 66211-1742
^ (913) 491-4911 FAX: (913) 491-9451
CIRCLE 29 ON READER SERVICE CARD
GOVERNMENT
Sick Gulf vets get aid; chemical arms link probed After much heated debate between the House and Senate, a bill authorizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to compensate Persian Gulf War veterans for mysterious ills that physicians have been unable to diagnose was approved in the waning hours of the 103rd Congress. President Bill Clinton is expected to sign the measure into law.
The law will allow VA to compensate veterans who are at least 10% disabled from an array of symptoms dubbed the Gulf War syndrome. According to VA Secretary Jesse Brown, the measure is unprecedented. For the first time, his department will be able to pay compensation for ailments that physicians are unable to define medically and whose cause or causes are unknown.
About 20,000 of the approximately 700,000 troops sent to the Persian Gulf in 1991 have complained to VA of a variety of unrelated symptoms. These include fatigue, rashes, gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and muscle pain. Both the Pentagon and the National Institutes of Health have concluded that the ailments are real, but they are unable to pinpoint causes.
Retiring Sen. Donald W. Riegle Jr. (D.Mich.) has been investigating the causes of the syndrome and believes that some symptoms exhibited by some veterans can be attributed to exposure to chemical and biological weapons. In a series of three reports, Riegle has revealed what he claims is solid evidence for the presence of such weapons in Kuwait during the 1991 conflict. And as a departing gesture, he has accused the Defense D e partment of covering up this evidence.
The Pentagon has repeatedly denied that chemical or biological weapons were used by Iraq. Pentagon spokeswoman Stephanie Hoehne tells C&EN that "It is still DOEKs position that it has no confirmable evidence that chemical weapons were used in the Gulf War.
"We are still considering all possibilities in trying to determine the cause of the Gulf War syndrome," Hoehne adds. "We are using scientific measures to confirm or not whether anything in the war caused the syndrome."
Riegle concludes in his latest report that U.S. and British chemical specialists detected and identified mustard gas and another blister agent, phosgene oxime, with several different detectors, includ
ing mass spectrometers on mobile Fox vehicles (C&EN, Aug. 1, page 26). The agents were found in a storage tank on the grounds of a high school located within the Kuwaiti theater of operations.
The Senator also cites the experience of a former Army sergeant who, while searching an Iraqi ammunition bunker near the Kuwaiti border, brushed up against some wooden crates. Hours later he noticed painful blisters on his upper arm. Hoehne tells C&EN that "There was nothing in this incident to indicate that chemical weapons were used." She notes that blister agents are persistent chemicals that were probably "stored in this bunker since the [earlier] Iran-Iraq War."
In addition, Riegle reports the detection of biological warfare agents Q-fever and Brucella inside a gas mask, carrying case, and gas mask filter. These items were given to Riegle's staff by Gulf War veterans who brought them back as souvenirs, and were analyzed by several labs, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Forensic Science Center. Riegle notes that the results are preliminary, and he urges further study.
"The evidence available continues to mount, indicating that exposure to biological and chemical weapons is one cause of these illnesses," Riegle insists. DOD's blanket denials are not credible." He terms these heartless and irresponsible, the signs of a military bureaucracy "wanting to protect itself more than the health and well-being of our servicemen and women To my mind, there is no more serious crime than an official military coverup of facts that could prevent more effective diagnosis and treatment of sick U.S. veterans."
If chemical and biological weapons were used in the 1991 conflict, the Pentagon would have to explain how well it prepared the troops to fight in a chemical and biological warfare environment, as well as the effectiveness of the protective gear the troops carried.
These issues have resurfaced with the recent deployment of U.S. troops to the Gulf region to counter Iraqi troop movement southward to the Kuwaiti border. In fact, the Pentagon has sent military medical specialists to the area to investigate suspicious incidents, monitor for chemical and biological agents, and document troop medical treatment.
Lois Ember
22 OCTOBER 24,1994 C&EN
GOVERNMENT
