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CHEMICAL WARFARE ALARMS RELATED TO SOME GULF WAR VETERANS' SYMPTOMS | |
| Contact: Noel Brewer, Cook College, Food Policy Institute Phone: 732-932-1966 x3112 Email: brewer@aesop.rutgers.edu Michele Hujber, Public Relations Specialist Phone: 732-932-9559 Email: hujber@aesop.rutgers.edu Embargoed until: March 6, 2004 |
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Orlando, FL - Medical tests can offer useful information that prompts appropriate care. But they can also offer advice that is incorrect and worrisome. This is the main finding of a study on chemical warfare alarms used in the Gulf War conducted by Drs. Noel Brewer and William Hallman, two researchers at Rutgers' Cook College. They presented these findings at the American Psychosomatic Society Meeting, held March 3-6 in Orlando, FL. Almost 700,000 soldiers went to the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War. After returning, thousands complained of health problems that they attributed to the war. Many Gulf War veterans believed that chemical warfare caused the health problems that surfaced after their service. At the same time, the Department of Defense (DoD) said that there was no evidence that chemical warfare was used in the Gulf War. According to DoD, chemical warfare alarms were used in the Gulf as a way to protect the troops from harm, but they often malfunctioned by sounding alarms when there were no chemicals present. The Rutgers study tested whether malfunctioning alarms might explain why veterans associate chemical warfare with their health problems. "We wanted to find an explanation for why so many veterans think they were exposed to chemical warfare, and the alarms were a natural place to look. The study confirmed that many veterans think that some of the alarms accurately warned of chemical warfare," said Brewer. The researchers interviewed 620 Gulf War veterans about their experiences during the war and documented their perceptions of physical symptoms. Veterans reported how many of the days they were in the Gulf that chemical warfare alarms went off, and how many days they believed they were exposed to chemical warfare. They also reported which of 48 health symptoms they had for the last six months that were persistent and recurring. Results show that 74 percent of veterans recall having experienced an alarm and 78 percent believe they were exposed to chemical warfare. The veterans believe they were exposed to chemical warfare for 19 days on average, and that only about two thirds of the exposures were "alarmed." Most importantly, the veterans who have more symptoms also report more alarms and recall more exposures that were not alarmed. The results suggest that the alarms may be the source of the common belief among veterans that exposure to chemical warfare is the reason they are sick. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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