[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H11359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONTINUE FUNDING FOR PERSIAN GULF WAR SYNDROME

  (Mrs. THURMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, 5 years and $80 million later our Nation's 
gulf war veterans still do not have the answer to their most pressing 
question. What caused Persian Gulf war syndrome?
  For nearly a year, my office has been working with Dr. James Moss, a 
researcher in my district who may have found an explanation.
  Dr. Moss found that when common pesticides--for example, Deet--were 
combined with drugs used by our soldiers to limit the effects of 
biological and chemical weapons, Deet became seven times as toxic as 
when used alone.
  Congress needs to support continued research based on Dr. Moss' 
studies. To that end, I have asked the chairman of the Appropriations 
Committee to earmark $3 million to simply continue this research at a 
civilian research facility. While this session is quickly ending, the 
needs of our servicemen are not based on Congress's fiscal year.
  Unfortunately, our Nation's troops may be needed again in a region 
where chemical warfare is a possibility. When they put their lives on 
the line to protect our freedoms, we should hold nothing back to ensure 
their safety.
  We owe our veterans, present and future, this investment.

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