European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Were . Troops exposed to chemical warfare in the persian Gulf War some experts insist they were. On the Trail of persian Gulf syndrome by Cindy Killion Washington Bureau be of the military s highest ranking physicians is convinced that a Little known culprit is a key to the mysterious illness that has struck hundreds of persian Gulf War veterans since returning Home. Army maj. Gen. Ronald Blanck commander of Walter Reed army medical Center has stirred controversy with his assertion that multiple exposures to Low chemical concentrations Are a cause of the fatigue memory loss headaches rashes wild mood swings and muscle cramps that some veterans have. Reported. About 2,000 veterans to Date have been evaluated for these symptoms he said. Of that number we have so far two to three Hundred confirmed the others he said were found to have something else such As hepatitis arthritis asthma or parasitic infections but in no greater frequency than the general these others however have no conventional medical explanation for their illness he said. He theorizes that storage tanks for chemical compounds such As tuesday january 25, 1994 insecticides chlorine ammonia and agents used in Oil ref inning weakened and eventually started to leak their contents As a result of tremors from the heavy armoured and wheeled vehicles that travelled near the tanks. Dozens of the Industrial Sites Are located along the Gulf coast in saudi Arabia he said. Many times these locations or areas close to them were used As organizational bases for units maj. Gen. Ronald Blanck before they moved into the desert. Blanck was slow to Point to multiple chemical sensitivity pcs or chemical poisoning As it s commonly known most physicians and i was one of them Don t believe it exists he said. In fact the idea is so new he said that specialists who Deal with this illness have come Forth Only in the past five to eight years. There Are two types of chemical poisoning. The first is one where an individual is exposed to a single High concentration of a particular substance such As gasoline fumes. We doctors Are comfortable with that since there is a single cause we can Point to and it usually produces the same but the second Type the poisoning that the military and veterans administration is struggling with now is caused from multiple exposures to various compounds he said. The controversy stems from unique individual reactions. These reactions can be very mild like a Chest cold or so severe that one becomes bedridden. For example he said three people can be exposed to the same insecticide for the same length of time yet have three very different reactions. As scientists Blanck said physicians learn to Only believe in things they can test for and measure. But As yet there s no conclusive test to diagnosis this illness. Therefore most doctors continued on Page 17 Short subject agent Orange remains a confusing divisive Issue by George Esper the associated press. The tragedy for Keith Mino or. Is the death of his son. He was born healthy wonderful and Beautiful his father says but 216 years later a non malignant tumor overpowered his tiny liver. George Claxton does t have children. He is 50 but has never married. I Don t think i m stable enough to have a wife he says. He is unable to escape his past the nagging nightmares of More than 20 years. Both Mino and Claxton Are Vietnam War veterans. Both were exposed to agent Orange a herbicide that the . National Academy of sciences has concluded is linked to some types of cancers. I m very much concerned about birth defects said Mino How 45 years old and superintendent of the Richmond Mich Community schools. I want to know what they re learning in Vietnam. This is a Laboratory. We need to perform research /here,".". ". /. Mino is not sure if agent Orange is related to his son s death. I d like to know. There Are problems. Vietnam veterans Are concerned. They know there Are major health Mino recalled a Vietnam War Veteran limping Forward at a meeting of the Michigan agent Orange committee. One of his legs was missing. He explained the other leg and his body were filled with tutors and he knew he was going to die. His children had birth defects. Some had deformities and learning disorders. He asked can you people provide me with some information can somebody help me i / -. Claxton is the service director for Vietnam veterans of America in Michigan and handles their claims against the veterans administration he is also chairman of the agent Orange committee of the Vietnam veterans of America. He has bleeding colitis is unable to concentrate and sleep and suffers Post traumatic stress disorder that has haunted him with a recurring Nightmare of his combat for More than 20 years. Repent research has shown that some american veterans have elevated blood and fat dioxin Levels from agent Orange even 26 years after leaving Vietnam. The United states sprayed an estimated 12 million Gallons of agent Orange Over an area the size of the state of Connecticut Between 1962 and 1970. Based on the National Academy of sciences findings in a report commissioned by Congress the Federal government last August began compensating veterans for nine diseases including seven types of cancer and two skin and liver diseases. But the Academy said insufficient evidence was found for other types of cancer birth defects infant deaths and stillbirths. The stars and stripes 15
