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I wish
to share this information with you
regarding the harm of the 'gulf war
syndrome' vet being the same as the
general public's AND other military
time periods. You can't compare to
other groups, as other groups are
equally harmed; however, you can
compare the fatigue - which should
be the SAME, but right now is
'hiding out'
I
would very much like to know why the
DoD put these 2 chemicals on 'the
list' of solvents and pesticides the
gulf war troops were exposed to
2-butoxyethanol and diethylene
glycol monobutyl ether. I can
think of a few sources of exposure,
but it would be very helpful if we
could know what they think the
exposure is. I have written to
them; I have asked my US Senator &
have been waiting for 10 months.
These chemicals are listed because
they are considered solvents;
however, they are also pesticides,
poisons, and neurotoxins. I do not
believe sarin gas, vaccinations or
DU are the real cause of 'gulf war
syndrome' symptoms. But these
chemicals, yes. AND for other
military periods as well; AND for
the public since 1930.
Dioxin may be harmful; however,
one of the mixes with Dioxin had
99.9% toluene which is also a
teratogen BAD news I'm looking
into this, as it may be the jet fuel
(with 2-butoxyethanol) that was
mixed with the Dioxin mix ... that
is the primary source of harm.
Sometimes
the flu is not the flu, but a
sign of too much of a chemical
exposure. AND this should be
considered FIRST before looking for
another vaccine for the troops
There is also another chemical that
would be harmful for them and that
is ethylene oxide.
The
reason you can't compare to the
civilians or even other military
wars, is that these are very much
harmed also, from the same
chemicals. The CDC started
cataloging brain tumors in 1977 &
many times it can take 25 years or
more for a brain tumor to show up
(If you are talking about exposure
or teratogen effects from a parent's
exposure) However, people get their
own exposures throughout life... SO
... things considered hereditary may
simply be parents and children alike
are getting the same chemical
exposures.
The
fatigue that those of CFS and CFIDS
and I also believe that of 'gulf war
syndrome' is autoimmune hemolytic
anemia. However, it fools the first
blood work as after 4 months there
are few mature red blood cells.
Find this, and you will find
the common
denominator It
isn't found because doctors mostly
stop after the initial blood work
(which immature red blood cells
fool). WBC, and liver counts will
be elevated until readjusted
manually
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Dr. Lea Steele
believes that ALS has more prevalence among
the gulf war troops:
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Ms. Hursh,
There
really is not an "established" list of
symptoms associated with service in the
Gulf War. Information on the main
symptoms summarized by different groups
is provided in our 2004 Committee report
(available on our website). But there
are numerous articles and papers that
provide very long and detailed lists.
For example, a fairly extensive list is
provided in a paper I wrote a few years
back
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
But we
really can't answer your question about
diagnosed conditions and Gulf War
syndrome, which is different than the
question about symptoms Gulf
veterans are experiencing. ALS,
or Lou Gehrig's disease, is the
only diagnosed disease recognized as
having been found at an excessively high
rate in Gulf War veterans. But one of
the difficulties in addressing Gulf War
illnesses is that they usually are
represented by some combination of the
many symptoms I mentioned, which differ
in different people, and are not
connected to any diagnosed condition.
I'm sure you've found similar issues in
your review of health issues relating to
2-butoxyethanol.
Regards,
Dr. Lea
Steele
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War
Veterans' Illnesses
U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs
2200
S.W. Gage Blvd (T-GW)
Topeka,
KS 66622
Tel:
785-350-4617
website:
www.va.gov/RAC-GWVI
email:
RAC@med.va.gov
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-
Prevalence and patterns
of Gulf War illness in
Kansas veterans:
association of symptoms
with characteristics of
person, place, and time
of military service.
Steele L.
Kansas Commission on
Veterans Affairs, Topeka
66603, USA. kspgwvets@cjnetworks.com
Gulf War veterans have
reported health problems
that they attribute to
their military service,
but little is understood
about the nature or
extent of these
conditions. To determine
whether Kansas Gulf War
veterans are affected by
excess health problems,
a population-based
survey of 1,548 veterans
who served in the
Persian Gulf War (PGW)
and 482 veterans who
served elsewhere (non-PGW)
was conducted in 1998.
Gulf War illness,
defined as having
chronic symptoms in
three of six domains,
occurred in 34% of PGW
veterans, 12% of non-PGW
veterans who reported
receiving vaccines
during the war, and 4%
of non-PGW veterans who
did not receive
vaccines. The prevalence
of Gulf War illness was
lowest among PGW
veterans who served on
board ship (21%) and
highest among those who
were in Iraq and/or
Kuwait (42%). Among PGW
veterans who served away
from battlefield areas,
Gulf War illness was
least prevalent among
those who departed the
region prior to the war
(9%) and most prevalent
among those who departed
in June or July of 1991
(41%). Observed patterns
suggest that excess
morbidity among Gulf War
veterans is associated
with characteristics of
their wartime service,
and that vaccines used
during the war may be a
contributing factor.
PMID: 11092441 [PubMed -
indexed for MEDLINE]
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and it
shows up differently. I suspect
this is the fatigue doctors are
looking for in
CFS, CFIDS and that these and
military since 1930's are at risk
for harm from this family of
chemicals; possibly including trace
ethylene oxide that is with it in
Corexit and scuds and
Patriot Missiles
The
other wars show as much probability
for harm of these chemicals, such as
jet fuel mixed with Dioxin, more
than Dioxin itself, etc ..
Margaret
Thoughts shared with Dr. Steele
for 10-15-04 Govt Research committee
meeting
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Civilians are equally harmed?
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Health
Checklist
Civilians are Equally Harmed |