Quote:The bombing of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapon arsenal could be to blame for tens of thousands of British and US soldiers being struck down with the mysterious Gulf War syndrome, scientists say.

Puzzled researchers have spent decades searching for the root cause of the illness, which has left veterans battling fatigue, memory problems and chronic pain.

Now, a US Government-funded study claims to offer the 'most definitive' proof that the destruction of Iraq's cache of chemical weapons is responsible.

January 1991's explosions, centered around cities Muthanna and Fallujah, released sarin — a lethal nerve-agent — into the air.

Original theories over the cause of the illness centred around debris from depleted uranium munitions, but evidence has since built up to suggest sarin is to blame.

Dr Haley and colleagues examined 1,016 American soldiers who served during the conflict.

Half the participants had Gulf War syndrome symptoms — which can also include difficulty finding words, diarrhoea and sexual dysfunction. The others did not.

They had blood and DNA samples taken and were quizzed about whether they had heard chemical nerve gas alarms during their deployment.

Soldiers' samples were tested for a gene called PON1, which break down chemicals in the body.

One variant — called PON1Q — generates an enzyme that breaks down sarin.

Another variant — called PON1R — helps the body break down other chemicals but is not efficient at destroying sarin.

Everyone carries two copies of PON1, giving them either a QQ, RR or QR genotype.

The findings, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, show Gulf War veterans with the QQ genotype who heard nerve agent alarms – a proxy for chemical exposure – were 3.75-times more likely to have the syndrome than those who had not heard the alarm.

For those who had a QR genotype, hearing the alarms raised their chance of having Gulf War syndrome by 4.43 times.

And for those with two copies of the R gene — which is inefficient at breaking down sarin — the chance of the condition increased by 8.91 times.

The researchers said the gene data provides a 'high degree' of confidence that sarin causes the condition.

Dr Haley said: 'Your risk is going up step by step depending on your genotype, because those genes are mediating how well your body inactivates sarin.

'It doesn't mean you can't get Gulf War illness if you have the QQ genotype, because even the highest-level genetic protection can be overwhelmed by higher intensity exposure.'

The strong 'gene-environment interaction is considered a gold standard for showing that an illness' is caused by a particular environmental toxic exposure, he added.

Dr Hayley noted the finding 'doesn't rule out' that other chemical exposures could be responsible for some ill soldiers.

But he said the team's extensive genetic analysis did not appear to identify any other contributing chemicals.

Sarin, which can be a colourless liquid or gas, was first developed as a pesticide by Nazi Germany.

It was banned from production in 1997 but has since been used in chemical warfare, including in Syria and during a terror attack in Japan.

The research was funded by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The US military has confirmed sarin was detected in Iraq during the Gulf War, which lasted for six months.

Dr Haley said: 'As far back as 1995, when we first defined Gulf War illness, the evidence was pointing toward nerve agent exposure, but it has taken many years to build an irrefutable case.'

Daily Mail

(05-16-2022, 09:13 AM)727Sky Wrote: It was agent orange that the government fought against admitting any cause of the troops sickness for many years avoiding any money for the sick.  A friend by the name of Bickel whom we helped get a job with the Airline died at age 43 after his nails turned to mush and his liver failed.. That was another low point in my life when I once again realized troops fight for their fellow troops and units while all are just useful pawns to those who control the money and send young people to fight their wars with empty promises.

(05-16-2022, 09:13 AM)727Sky Wrote: It was agent orange that the government fought against admitting any cause of the troops sickness for many years avoiding any money for the sick.  A friend by the name of Bickel whom we helped get a job with the Airline died at age 43 after his nails turned to mush and his liver failed.. That was another low point in my life when I once again realized troops fight for their fellow troops and units while all are just useful pawns to those who control the money and send young people to fight their wars with empty promises.