Gulf War Syndrome Researchers Blame Sarin Gas and Toxic Exposures
Lourdes Salvador August 26, 2009Toomey and colleagues, researchers at the Boston Veterans Administration Healthcare System, confirmed that Gulf War deployment is associated with subtle declines of motor speed and sustained attention as influenced by exposure to toxicants during deployment.
Toomey found that exposure to sarin gas released during the Khamisiyah destruction is correlated with long-term reduced motor speed in veterans that has not resolved after 10 years. Self-reported exposure to these toxicants is also significantly associated with attention deficits.
Ten years after the war, deployed veterans are still in poor health and perform significantly worse on cognitive tests than non-deployed veterans. Gulf War veterans complaints include:
Poor cognition.
Slowed motor function.
Memory Loss
Chronic Fatigue
Skin Rash
Hair Loss
Headache
Muscle pain
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Cardiovascular Changes
Chemical Sensitivity
These health alterations point to potential long-term, permanent impairment from toxicant exposure.
The symptoms of Gulf War veterans are analogous to a group of multi-system illnesses increasingly seen in the general population, notably: multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and fibromyalgia (FM). These illnesses all share a common pattern of initiation and, thus, they may share a common etiology (cause) in long-term, permanent impairment from toxic exposure.
Reference
Toomey R, Alpern R, Vasterling JJ, Baker DG, Reda DJ, Lyons MJ, Henderson WG, Kang HK, Eisen SA, Murphy FM. Neuropsychological functioning of U.S. Gulf War veterans 10 years after the war. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2009 Jul 29:1-13. [Epub ahead of print] Print Email
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Lourdes Salvador
Lourdes Salvador is the founder of MCS America, a science writer, and a social advocate for the greater awareness of environmental contamination, human toxicology, and propagation of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults.
The mission of MCS America (MCSA) is:
1. To propagate medical, legal, and social recognition for multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults.
2. To provide support and referral services to the individuals with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), electrosensitivity, Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), autism, and other illnesses of environmental origin.
3. To ensure that environmental toxicants are identified, reduced, regulated, and enforced through lobbying for effective legislation.
MCS America serves as a partner for Environmental Education Week, a partner for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), and a supporter for the American Cancer Society: Campaign for Smokefree Air.
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Monday, August 31, 2009
Gulf War Syndrome Researchers Blame Sarin Gas and Toxic Exposures
