Gulf War Syndrome

Aftermath of a Toxic Battlefield

Designed and hosted by conceptmed.com

Back to
Conceptmed.com home page

Persian Gulf War Theater

Large numbers of soldiers who risked their lives in the Persian Gulf have developed Gulf War syndrome. Some must use canes or wheelchairs, others are struggling with devastating illnesses like lupus or Lou Gehrig's disease. Veterans' symptoms include severe and frequent headaches, debilitating fatigue, muscle and joint pains, memory problems, asthma, chronic diarrhea, and loss of bladder and rectal control. Their chronic health problems and the extreme sensitivity they have developed to common, everyday chemicals make it difficult or impossible for many of them to work. Life is now a nightmare for these veterans. They cannot support their families and find it almost impossible to get disability payments or health care from the Veterans' Administration because they are unable to prove that their chronic health problems are linked to their service in the Gulf.

"Toxic Cocktail," Discussion by
James J. Tuite, III
Chronic Illness Research Foundation

This video explores the principal toxic exposures soldiers faced:

Low levels of sarin and other nerve gases released from the bombing of Iraqi chemical weapons factories and the destruction of bunkers like Khamisiyah where these weapons were stored.
PB pills, themselves quite toxic, given to soldiers in an effort to protect them from nerve gas attacks.
Smoke and soot from hundreds of oil well fires.
Excessive use of pesticides to control disease-carrying insects.
Radioactive dust from depleted uranium munitions.
Anthrax and other vaccines given in a compressed time frame.