New research to be released today shows that veterans with Gulf War illness faced different toxins depending on where they served: anti-nerve-agent pills and Scud missiles for forward-deployed troops and pesticides for support personnel in the rear.
There's also no correlation between anthrax shots, depleted uranium, psychological issues and Gulf War illness, according to the study by the Midwest Research Institute to appear in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal. That supports earlier research on those topics.
"Already, the evidence was mounting for these two exposures," said Lea Steele, lead author and director of Baylor University's Research Initiative on Complex Illness.
About one-fourth of the 700,000 veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War developed symptoms that include chronic headaches, widespread pain, memory and concentration problems, persistent fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, skin abnormalities and mood disturbances.
Steele and her co-authors surveyed 144 veterans with Gulf War illness and 160 Gulf War veterans with no symptoms.
They found Gulf War illness was most prevalent in the veterans who served in Iraq or Kuwait -- or the combat zones -- who took pyridostigmine bromide pills, which were small doses of nerve agent meant to help troops build up a resistance in case of a chemical attack. These servicemembers also reported being within 1 mile of an exploding Scud missile.
In support areas, such as on a ship or in Saudi Arabia, Gulf War illness was most prevalent in personnel who used pesticides on their uniforms or skin, the researchers found.
Insecticides used in rear areas are only considered potential causes. Only Army support troops used a 70% DEET insecticide and lindane powder, which is no longer used in the Army. Insecticides now contain only 30% DEET.
Soldiers also used the insecticide permethrin on their clothing. It's designed to last through six months' worth of washings, but the researchers found that improperly trained soldiers applied the solution once a week or even, in some cases, daily.
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