[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 14, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2618-H2619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PERSIAN GULF WAR SYNDROME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Sanders] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I briefly wanted to discuss an amendment 
which I will be introducing as soon as the rule on the supplementary 
appropriation is fixed, which deals with an emergency situation for 
gulf war veterans who are really not getting the attention and the 
understanding that they need in

[[Page H2619]]

order to deal with the very serious crisis of Persian Gulf war 
syndrome.
  As we know, Persian Gulf war syndrome is right now affecting some 
70,000 of the brave men and women who served this country in the gulf. 
Mr. Speaker, I am a member of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, 
which is chaired by the gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Shays], who has 
done an outstanding job in bringing before the subcommittee some of the 
leading researchers in this country who are searching for an 
understanding of Persian Gulf war syndrome.
  We have also heard testimony from the Pentagon and the Veterans' 
Administration. I must say, Mr. Speaker, that the conclusion that I 
have reached is that, for whatever reason, and I say this unhappily, it 
is my view that neither the Pentagon nor the Veterans' Administration 
is going to come up with a solution regarding the problems and the 
cause of the problems that our Persian Gulf war veterans are suffering 
from. Nor in my view are they going to come up with an effective 
treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, there is some good news. The good news is that there 
have been some major scientific breakthroughs in allowing us a better 
understanding of Persian Gulf war syndrome. Mr. Speaker, the military 
theater in the Persian Gulf was a horrendous chemical cesspool. Nobody 
denies that. It is now acknowledged that our troops there were exposed 
to chemical warfare agents that had been denied for a while, but it is 
now acknowledged by all.
  In addition, they were exposed to leaded petroleum, a widespread use 
of pesticides, depleted uranium and the dense smoke from burning oil 
wells. In other words, all around them were very dangerous and toxic 
chemicals. In addition they were given various vaccines. Perhaps, most 
importantly, as a result of a waiver from the FDA, they were given 
pyridostigmine bromide for antinerve gas protection.
  Mr. Speaker, an increasing number of scientists now believe that the 
synergistic effects of these chemical exposures plus the pyridostigmine 
bromide may well be the major cause of the health problems affecting 
our soldiers.
  The truth is that after 5 years, there has not yet been, to the best 
of my knowledge, one significant study coming out of the Pentagon or 
the VA which shows the relationship between chemical exposure in the 
Persian Gulf and the Persian Gulf syndrome.
  On the other hand, and this is where the good news is, there have 
been a number of important studies done outside of the Pentagon and the 
VA which makes this important link. I will be introducing these studies 
into the record so that interested Members can study them. But let me 
just very briefly mention a few of them.
  Dr. Robert Haley of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical 
Center, based on studies that he has done, believes the syndromes are 
due to subtle brain, spinal cord and nerve damage caused by exposure to 
combinations of low level chemical nerve agents and other chemicals, 
including pyridostigmine bromide in antinerve gas tablets, DEET in a 
highly concentrated insect repellant, and pesticides in flea collars 
that some of the troops wore.
  And Doctors Mohammed Abou-Donia and Tom Kurt, of Duke University 
Medical Center, found in studies that used chickens that two pesticides 
used in the gulf war, DEET and permethrin, and the antinerve gas agent 
pyridostigmine bromide, which was given to all troops, were harmless 
when used alone. However, when used in combination, these chemicals 
caused neurological deficits in the test animals similar to those 
reported by some gulf war veterans.

                              {time}  1330

  Dr. Satu Somani of the Southern Illinois University School of 
Medicine states that based on recent experimental proof and historical 
evidence of symptoms, such as impaired concentration and memory, 
headache, fatigue and depression of workers in the organophosphate 
industry, he considers that gulf war syndrome may be due to low dose 
sarin exposure and the intake of pyridostigmine and exposure to 
pesticides and other chemicals.
  Drs. Garth and Nancy Nicolson of the University of Texas, Houston, 
found that gulf war veterans who are ill may eventually have their 
diagnoses linked to chemical exposures in the Persian Gulf, such as oil 
spills and fires, smoke in military operations, chemicals on clothing, 
pesticides, chemoprophylactic agents, chemical weapons, and others.
  Dr. Claudia Miller and Dr. William Rea of Texas also see a connection 
between the chemicals that our soldiers were exposed to and gulf war 
syndrome.
  Mr. Chairman, this is an important breakthrough. This research 
provides an important breakthrough which, in my view, may finally give 
us the information that we need to understand Persian Gulf war 
syndrome, which is affecting 70,000 veterans. This is why later this 
afternoon I will be bringing forward an amendment which asks for $10 
million to go to the National Institute of Health and Environmental 
Science so that they can pursue this important area of research.

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