Exposure to chemicals, radiation, and other toxic substances have left Gulf War soldi

[Peter1469]

Exposure to chemicals, radiation, and other toxic substances have left Gulf War soldiers and their kin with debilitating diseases.

This article is over a year old, but worth the read.

I believe the chemical rounds that were blown up (mentioned in the article) were the ones I captured in a bunker as my unit fought north on the far western hook of the US attack into Iraq. Our unit was told to blow that bunker and we politely declined. Combat engineers behind us did blow it. Stupid $#@!s.

After their service in the Gulf War conflict from 1990-1991, hundreds of thousands of our country's veterans began suffering from multiple and diverse debilitating symptoms including neurological and respiratory disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, psychological problems, skin conditions and gastrointestinal issues. This cluster of symptoms came to be known as Gulf War syndrome. Independent investigations, including those conducted by many of the Gulf War veterans themselves, showed multiple causes behind Gulf War syndrome, including experimental vaccines and medications; exposure to depleted uranium (DU); toxicity from biological and chemical weapons, oil fires, and other environmental contaminants.


Yet for nearly two decades, the official word from the Veterans Administration (VA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the White House was that Gulf War syndrome did not exist. The result? Countless returning military personnel struggled for years to have their physical illnesses recognized as something other than psychological.



The latest official statistics compiled by the VA show that 25%-30%, or as many as 250,000 Gulf War veterans have suffered from this life-threatening spectrum of illnesses. (1) The number of deaths attributable to Gulf War syndrome remains elusive, however, the US government has failed to address this critical matter. A VA report released in 2014 weighs in on the disturbing oversight:

No comprehensive information has been published on the mortality experience of U.S. Gulf War era veterans after the year 2000. The 14 years for which no mortality figures are available represent more than half of the 23 years since Desert Storm. Mortality information from the last decade is particularly crucial for understanding the health consequences of the Gulf War, given the Epidemiological Research latency periods associated with many chronic diseases of interest. Despite specific recommendations over many years from both the current Committee and Institute of Medicine panels, federal research efforts to monitor the mortality experience of 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans remain seriously inadequate. (2)

How has the federal government managed to avoid taking responsibility on an issue that profoundly impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of our veterans? Such is the power of the military-industrial complex and the political machine in Washington DC. It seems that as long as the government can deny its role in exposing our soldiers to unproven and toxic vaccines, medications, biological and chemical weapons and depleted uranium, it wouldn’t have to provide medical care to the victims of Gulf War illness. This is, quite simply, one of the largest medical scandals and coverups in American history. For nearly two decades, the American media supported the official position that Gulf War Syndrome was only in the heads of our veterans, while legions of vets and their families were hung out to dry and die. The administrations of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have been complicit in the plot, and therefore stand accused of massive human rights violations. Yet American media denies it completely.

Read the rest at the link.

[Peter1469]

Here is a new article: Gulf War veterans show signs of permanently damaged DNA

Researchers say they have found the “first direct biological evidence” of damage in Veterans with Gulf War illness to DNA within cellular structures that produce energy in the body.”

…
In blood tests, researchers observed more lesions and more mitochondrial DNA—that is, extra copies of genes—in Veterans with Gulf War illness, relative to controls without the illness, suggesting excess DNA damage. Lesion frequency gives a direct measure of DNA damage, while the increased number of mtDNA copies reflects a response to the damage. Both lesion frequency and the number of mtDNA copies vary in response to environmental toxins and together provide a reading of overall mitochondrial health.


…
[Dr. Mike Falvo] notes that everyone experiences some level of mtDNA damage, perhaps due to aging and environmental exposures, such as air pollution. In the study, the mtDNA damage was 20 percent greater in the Veteran group, compared with a control group that included three Veterans without GWI and four non-Veterans.


…
“Mitochondrial dysfunction among Veterans with GWI may help explain, in part, the persistence of this illness for over 25 years,” the researchers on Falvo’s study write. “For example, chemical and environmental exposures during deployment may have provided the initial [harm] to mtDNA and accumulation of damage.”

There is a link to the study on the webpage.

[waltky]

Radiation scare traced back to Russia...

Nuclear authorities: Traces of radioactivity in Europe traced to Russia
Nov. 10, 2017 -- Traces of nonharmful radioactive pollution that appeared weeks ago over Europe likely originated from Russia or Kazakhstan -- but not a nuclear reactor, French and German authorities said.

The French Institute of Radioactive Protection said Thursday the cloud likely resulted from an accident between the Volga river and the Ural Mountains in late September. It released a map showing the probable location of the release. Involved in the release was ruthenium-106, a radioactive isotope. Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection said the cloud likely originated from the southern Urals in Russia, though "other regions in the South of Russia must still be considered." "Ruthenium-106 is used as a radiation source in cancer therapy for the treatment of ocular tumors," the German agency said. "Ruthenium can also occur during the reprocessing of nuclear fuel elements."

Air testing stations throughout Europe detected radioactive ruthenium-106 in September, which nuclear agencies said likely originated in Russia.

The IRSN said nonharmful particles were detected in France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland starting Sept. 27. They had disappeared by Oct. 13. "The concentration levels of ruthenium-106 in the air that have been recorded in Europe and especially in France are of no consequence for human health and for the environment," the IRSN said. The institute said it's extremely unlikely any food products in France were contaminated. "The matter is closed as far as France is concerned. It's not a problem," IRSN Health director Jean-Christophe Gariel told The Guardian. "What is not satisfactory is that ruthenium-106 has been detected across Europe and that poses a question."

If this type of accident of this magnitude had occurred in France, people would need to be evacuated several miles from the site, he added. A representative for the Russian emergencies ministry did not immediately comment.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...&utm_medium=10

[barb012]

Are you aware that those gulf war soldiers were exposed to chemicals that the corporations were testing on them to get their products sold on the market?