Toxic Chemicals Blamed for Gulf War Illness

Toxic Chemicals Blamed for Gulf War Illness

www.washingtonpost.com

MONDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Gulf War illness, dismissed by some as a psychosomatic disorder, is a very real illness that affects at least 25 percent of the 700,000 U.S. veterans who took part in the 1991 Gulf War.

Its likely cause was exposure to toxic chemicals that included pesticides that were often overused during the war, as well as a drug given to U.S. troops to protect them from nerve gas, a frequent weapon of choice of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So Gulf War Syndrome is admitted to be real and soon after that it is revealed that toxic chemicals may be to blame.

What is shocking is the fact that many are so fixated upon the fact that Gulf War Syndrome didn't manifest in soldiers because of PTSD.

The article also talks about how the syndrome may be a side effect of the "drug" given to the troops to protect them from nerve gas.

Well nerve gas works by causing the the build up of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that is used by the body in muscles contractions. When acetylcholine is released onto the synaptic cleft it will cause depolarization of the nerves thus causing muscle contraction. The build up caused by nerve gas causes uncontrollable muscles contractions. This is done by blocking the activity of acetylcholine esterase which would usually breakdown acetylcholine immediately after the depolarization of the nerve cells.

Now the only way you could combat this would be to administer a drug that replaces the activity of the blocked acetylcholine esterase. The problem is drugs that block receptor activity of acetylcholine are very poisonous to the human body.

Medications like Atropine, Benztropine fall under the category of Anticholinergics which are very harmful to the body if the dose is to large.

"It is very clear that Gulf War illness is a real condition that was not caused by combat stress or other psychological factors," said Lea Steele, scientific director of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, which issued the report, and an associate professor at Kansas State University.

Its likely cause was exposure to toxic chemicals that included pesticides that were often overused during the war, as well as a drug given to U.S. troops to protect them from nerve gas, a frequent weapon of choice of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein

Now I am only a student attending a university studying pharmacy. The scientists and pharmacists working for the United States Government must have known the adverse effects to these drugs right?
New Risk Score Predicts Risk for Anticholinergic Adverse Effects

Toxic Psychosis Following Atropine Eye-Drops
-Ign0RanT

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 18-11-2008 by Ign0rant]

reply to post by Ign0rant


When I was in the military in the late 90's, I served with a lot of gulf war vets. I was ASTONISHED at how many birth defects I saw in their children. I have talked to other vets about this as well and many have noticed this too.

It is good to see that they are FINALLY admitting to Gulf War Syndrome being real, but I see no mention of what this has done to the offspring of the vets. I am curious if anyone else served in the 90's that can comment on this?

Many of the kids I saw were born with deformities such as missing ears or problems with their ears. Things that I rarely ever saw as a civilian. Is there anyone else out there that has noticed this?


[edit = I wonder if I should make a thread about it?]

[edit on 18-11-2008 by Karlhungis]

reply to post by Karlhungis


You should definitely make a thread about it. I will scour the internet to find anything prevalent about your topic.

-Ign0ranT

Sounds good. I just googled "birth defects desert storm" and it looks like there is a lot out there, although most of it so far has been inconclusive.

Maybe it was just me and my paranoia. I will try to research further tonight. Hopefully some other vets will chime in with what they have seen.

[edit on 18-11-2008 by Karlhungis]

I have read some interesting article about how aspartame might be to blame for Gulf War syndrome:

During the Gulf war several major soft drink companies shipped free expired diet sodas to the Desert Storm troops. The artificial sweeteners broke down in the desert heat forming highly toxic substances. The symptoms reported by sufferers of "Gulf War Syndrome" mimic many of the symptoms being reported and associated with aspartame use.

Aspartame

Link 2

My immediate thought about this new development is that it could be a "false flag" - something to draw peoples attention away from the real reason.

And this post, for the record, is my first indication that I have been infected by the conspiracy theory bug.

Carl, in the link I mentioned above, they have the following to say:

The Association of Birth Defect Children says it has found the first cluster of defects in the offspring of U.S Gulf veterans-10 babies with severe Goldenhar's syndrome, a malformation of the face and body that usually strikes one in 26,000 according to ABDC executive director, Betty Mekdeci.

Of 400 sick vets who answered Defense Department committee inquiries, a disproportionate 65% reported birth defects of immune-system problems in children conceived after the war.

Whatever the truth of Gulf War Syndrome is, the end result is that it is always the babies that suffer the most.

Thanks for the link. I found another one that mentions specifically the defects that I noticed. Children born without ears (My OIC had a son with one ear) and disfigured limbs. I saw too much of that for it to just be normal.

Now how long before the Depleted uranium people get the word.

They never did understand that DU could not have caused the symptoms they claimed without causing the same symptoms in workers that made the DU projectiles or uranium miners.

They were just like the global warmers in attacking anyone that disbelieved.

I always believed they were just anti nuke disinformantists.
Also i believe most had never served in the military and were frauds. and agents of foreign governments trying to get DU banned to protect there troops not ours.

I expect to hear about the DU issue in 20 - 30 years. I just don't see how we can dump so much of it in Iraq without them having severe consequences going forward.

Originally posted by deltaalphanovember
I have read some interesting article about how aspartame might be to blame for Gulf War syndrome:

During the Gulf war several major soft drink companies shipped free expired diet sodas to the Desert Storm troops. The artificial sweeteners broke down in the desert heat forming highly toxic substances. The symptoms reported by sufferers of "Gulf War Syndrome" mimic many of the symptoms being reported and associated with aspartame use.

Aspartame

Link 2

My immediate thought about this new development is that it could be a "false flag" - something to draw peoples attention away from the real reason.

And this post, for the record, is my first indication that I have been infected by the conspiracy theory bug.

Excellent link, we be reading this now. Some studies also show Aspartame linked with Alzheimers.

-Ign0rant

reply to post by deltaalphanovember

First I want to thank you all not only for addressing this, but for caring.

I have suffered from GWS for many years. My son was born so prematurely it was technically considered spontaneous abortion. My wife was extraordinarily healthy and health conscience through her pregnancy. No one has ever offered an explanation.

I also received the full 6 shot course of the Anthrax vaccine. I'm very curious to see how the DOD moves forward with all of these issues. I suppose I can only hope for 'Agent Orange' type awareness.

reply to post by ObamasLoveChild


Wow truly sorry for your loss mate. When the spontaneous abortion occurred what did the doctor say as the reason, to you and your wife?

-Ign0RanT



[edit on 18-11-2008 by Ign0rant]

Research which was done in 2000 that proved that toxic chemicals were behind GWS.

Chemically Induced Diseases: Synergistic Effects and Cumulative Injuries caused by Toxic Chemicals -- Understanding the Gulf War Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity [MCS]

How could this be ignored?

-Ign0RanT

My brother and I also received the anthrax vaccines. His wife had a few miscarriages and then their first son was born with some kidney problems. Their second son had downs syndrome and a hole in his heart.

I was very worried about my own daughter. She turned out fine. We have a son due in a few months and so far all tests look good but I still worry quite a bit.

A co worker of mine is retired Army. His wife had a very late miscarriage as well with no explanation. His daughter that he had after that has had severe learning disabilities her entire life.

I know that a lot of this stuff doesn't get reported or is written off as a coincidence but I think it is connected.

japanese tick borne encephalitis vaccine. the mycoplasms weren't dead. manifestations similar to LYMES disease. degradation of the nervous system. mycoplasms having no cell wall, commandeer the nucleus of the nerve cell taking on the cell wall as its protection. thereafter, it takes over functions, typically giving faulty instructions. this manifests as a generally debilitating breakdown of various body systems, especially those involving the brain (pituitary takes a hit). it might appear as if the person has diabetes, for example, when in fact, it's the nerves involved with pancreatic and pituitary function that are degrading.

Originally posted by undo
japanese tick borne encephalitis vaccine. the mycoplasms weren't dead. manifestations similar to LYMES disease. degradation of the nervous system. mycoplasms having no cell wall, commandeer the nucleus of the nerve cell taking on the cell wall as its protection. thereafter, it takes over functions, typically giving faulty instructions. this manifests as a generally debilitating breakdown of various body systems, especially those involving the brain (pituitary takes a hit). it might appear as if the person has diabetes, for example, when in fact, it's the nerves involved with pancreatic and pituitary function that are degrading.

I don't quite get what you are saying.

Are you trying to insinuate that the troops were pumped with "japanese tick borne encephalitis vaccine" and that caused GWS?

-Ign0RanT

yep.

it's in their medical records. it's a chameleon. since it attacks nerves that control every organ in the body... the biggest complaints are similar to chronic arthritis and it goes downhill from there. i developed brain stem encephalitis and went in a coma on total life support from it, and i wasn't even there. i was the military spouse. before it's treated, it's contagious via intimate contact. i remember the neurologist telling me that they have no idea what caused my coma. they said that it manifested all the symptoms of encephalitis but they weren't able to isolate out the cause... no virus or bacteria were apparent. that's because mycoplasms are disguised by your own cell wall. they can't tell it's there unless they know what to look for, and back then, they didn't know what to look for.

How is this breaking news? Like, duh, my cat knows this.

One line for rhetorical zang.

Originally posted by pluckynoonez
How is this breaking news? Like, duh, my cat knows this.

One line for rhetorical zang.

Well it is considered breaking news because just recently the government officially announced the existence of GWS. Now the are releasing a statement how it may not have been combat induced stress but may be caused by drugs they administered to the troops.

You must have a psychic cat......


-Ign0RanT