European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Birth defects could be next Hildren of persian Gulf War veterans could face the same types of neurological problems experienced by Many children of Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins such As agent Orange it Quot the chemical compounds both groups were sex posed to Are very is Miniar a said Betty Mekdeci director of the association of birth defects a private group based in Orlando Fla. Although the group s recently completed research on the children of Vietnam veterans has been dubbed the a Hagen t Orange study a Mekdeci said the study took into account More than just exposure to that pesticide \ a a we also asked about the fathers exposures to Lead solvents insecticides and a wide variety of Industrial agents while he served in Vietnam a she said. A a a v v Mekdeci said this study which was coordinated with the new Jersey agent Orange commission was the first to look at birth defects when the father was exposed to chemical agents before Conception. A in the past maternal exposure was always the focus and it was usually the mothers exposure during gestation a Mekdeci said. Although her study was the first to focus on a military population Mekdeci said a other research has been done in civilian populations and has had Simi a a a a a a a a a a. A amps Ron Reisert this 24th in div Soldier runs through a decontamination Drill in saudi Arabia in october 90. Lar  v. Mainstream physicians have in recent years become More aware of the effects of environmental hazards on the Heath of newborns. The National research Council estimates that 25 percent of new birth defects Are caused by environmental hazards. Mekdeci called the findings of her Vietnam veterans study Quot very provocative. We thought wed find major structural defects a missing fingers physical deformities things like that but what we discovered were neurological problems like hyperactivity memory and learning problems mood swings arid the attention deficit  a statistically higher percentage of skin rashes benign tutors allergies respiratory infections fatigue and muscle weakness was also reported in these children. A a a a a a a a a a a Tiv a the hypothesis and that a with a capital his that the sperm is altered after exposure to chemical hazards which in turn interferes with the Devil of mint of the child a immune system a Mekdeci said a a a a a. The study looked at 1,200 children of Vietnam veterans a but about 65,000 cases were reported to the court during agent Orange litigation so i suspect our numbers will continue to grow a she said. The children in the study had no other chemical exposures. Quot they did no to live near an Industrial Plant their water Wasny to contaminated and the Mother had no prenatal exposures a Mekdeci said. A similar study could easily be done by her association with children of Gulf War veterans if the funding we re available Mekdeci said. Quot i know con Gross could mandate the funds if they so choose but i done to think it will. The chemical lobby is a powerful group and i know they done to want to face the lawsuits and All  she added Quot i will not go into another study like. This without having the funds to do it right. Without a solid data base the results wont do anyone any Good. We need Concrete numbers gathered from a 1 Large  through personal testimony Mekdeci has urged Congress to fund a study via any Independent act. Search organization a not just hers. She will add any child born to a Gulf War vet to her unofficial registry which she Hopes will Lead to a full fledged study. A this head in the Sand business has got to Stop a she said. A we certainly know what a wrong with these children arid their fathers. The Long term Cost oif whats Down the Road for them is going to be a lot More than getting them the right treatment  she said she can identify with the fears people feel when they grasp the enormity of this birth defect trend. A a v a a a a a a a a i think if i had known before we started what we were going to discover i would have run the other Way a Mekdeci said. Quot this is our next generation we re talking about a and its looking real real  a. A a a a a a. A a a a a a a. A Cindy Killion veterans afflicted with the a persian Gulf syndrome could be treated in civilian hospitals if Congress or the department of veterans affairs would free up the Money to pay for the care claims one of the vans most knowledgeable physicians on the mysterious illness. A a or. Victor Gordon of the vans Manchester n.h., medical Center has treated More than 20.0 persian Gulf War veterans. He says he a Quot absolutely convinced that the ailment is a physical reaction to exposure to chemicals that americans faced in the War. A officials say their department will pay for civil Iai Varc under certain circumstances a primarily when the care is not available within tire a system the a is at least two years away from having the right facilities to treat or cure the illness Gordon said a a a a. A a. A. Yet he said such treatment facilities exist in civilian hospitals and Are ready for use. A effective treatment he said rests in detoxifying the patients in an Quot environmental chamber Quot which tillers out chemicals from the air during the treatment patients drink Only purified water and eat food with no preservatives or chemical additives. This isolation allows the patients body to naturally eliminate chemical compounds Gordon said. A people with this syndrome have a tremendous Load of chemicals in their bodies a he said. A by staying in an environmental unit they can rid their bodies of the chemicals without being re exposed to environmental impurities. Detoxification has to be the first step in any treatment. Anything Short of that has very very poor results. In effect we be got to rebuild their machinery. A i know some of my colleges will say its not Nee Essary to detoxify a patient a that vitamins diet and exercise will do the Job. But As i said before the results Are poor because we re Only treating the symptoms and not getting to the. Root of the  the a has been Given $1,2 million to build such a unit Gordon said. Quot but even if they Start building it today it will be at least a year and a half before it s ready. And to my knowledge the plans Arentt even done yet a a a a. A a a a a a a a. 1 a a a a a a a a. The largest environmental detoxification unit on the civilian Side has existed 20 years and is operated by or. Bill Rea in Dallas Gordon said. A a Dot Rea has told me a number of times that he is More than willing to make his facility available to us a a along with his technical support staff a Gordon said. A and i recommended to Congress last summer that we Start right now to get these people into the civilian medical  Kim Rice spokesperson for reads environmental training in december �?T90 in saudi Arabia. Health Center said the treatment Cost is $3,500 a month which includes lab fees and physician expenses. The average patient spends four to six weeks in the Center Rice said. Quot but that time can be More or less depending on How ill the individual  Gordon said the time and Cost Are Worth it. Quot As a physician who sees the pain these people Are going through its disheartening that my advice Wasny to  he wrote a proposal that spelled out the benefits of sending persian Gulf syndrome patients to facilities like that in Dallas. A a whenever a a physician thinks a new treatment for any illness should be explored he or she must write such a proposal Gordon explained. The idea is first presented to the local Hospital chief and if approved it goes to a regional committee. Gordon said a proposal must go through Quot several layers of approval bureaucracy it gets to the vans Headquarters. A in my Case the idea was rejected right away. The people who looked at it either can to or wont understand the Issue of chemical poisoning because it Isnit yet considered an exact medical science a a he said. A spokesperson Linda Stalvey said civilian i health care is provided to veterans through a contract with a particular physician in some cases. The most common contract we have is for mammograms since some of our centers done to have mammography equipment a she said. Quot but in any Case a patients primary a physician has to recommend private sector care and then it has to be what a  an acceptable medical procedure.�?�. Since chemical poisoning also known As multiple chemical sensitivity Isnit yet an accepted diagnosis in the mainstream medical Community Gordon a proposed treatment would t qualify she said. Medical centers at Johns Hopkins Yale Stanford and George Washington University in Washington d c., recognize and treat the illness said or. Myra Shayevitz of the a Hospital Center at Northampton mass. A a. A these institutions acknowledge that this is a real illness Shyavitz said at an april 28 conference at the National institutes of health Cindy Killion Page 6 sunday May 22, 1994