[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     GAO CONCLUSION ON PERSIAN GULF WAR ILLNESS NEEDS REASSESSMENT

  (Mr. SANDERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, according to the New York Times, a GAO 
report to be released later this week ``harshly criticized the Pentagon 
and a special White House panel over their investigation of the 
illnesses reported by veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and has 
found that there is substantial evidence linking nerve gas and other 
chemical weapons to the sorts of health problems seen among the 
veterans.''
  Frankly, as a member of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the 
gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Chris Shays, which has been studying 
this issue for several years, the GAO conclusion is no surprise to me. 
Our committee has heard time and time again from scientists and 
scholars who believe very strongly that a major cause of Persian Gulf 
war ills is the synergistic effects of chemicals that our soldiers were 
exposed to, as well as drugs they were given as preventative measures, 
such as pyridostigmine bromide.
  Mr. Speaker, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War 
Illnesses was wrong when it concluded in December 1996 that chemical 
exposure was not a cause of Persian Gulf illness, and that stress was 
the major factor. That error has delayed and deflected necessary 
research and treatment for tens of thousands of veterans who are 
suffering today.
  Mr. Speaker, I am circulating a letter that I hope my colleagues will 
sign, asking the Presidential Advisory Committee to reassess its 
findings.

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