Study Finds No Single Cause for Gulf War Ailments

A Pentagon-commissioned panel that undertook the most exhaustive study to date of illnesses plaguing Persian Gulf War veterans uncovered no single cause for their ailments.

The panel, led by Nobel-laureate Joshua Lederberg, found no conclusive evidence that Iraqi forces deployed toxic agents on the battlefield or that bombing of Iraqi storage facilities by allied forces released biological or chemical agents into the air that affected U.S. troops.

“We could find no persuasive evidence of the use of chemicals in that theater,” Lederberg said at a news conference Thursday.

But the Pentagon has established a toll-free number for veterans who believe they are suffering ailments as a result of their military service and launched a program to diagnose the ailments.

Deputy Defense Secretary John M. Deutch said he believes “there are servicemen and -women who are ill as a result of this Gulf War experience. . . . Responding compassionately and effectively are our principal priority.”

He said the Pentagon will declassify previously secret intelligence reports and medical documents dealing with possible use of chemical agents, but acknowledged the information would have little bearing on the illness veterans and physicians have come to call “Gulf War Syndrome.” Chest pain, dizziness and skin irritation are among the symptoms reported.

The Pentagon has come under fire from veterans and lawmakers who have charged the military has been ignoring evidence that U.S. troops were exposed to chemical or biological contaminants. The study, conducted by the Defense Science Board Task Force on Persian Gulf War Health Effects, is the latest in a string of inconclusive scientific investigations.

Panel scientists said the syndrome may be a group of diseases caused by wartime stress, inhaling fine Kuwaiti sand or alcohol deprivation, among other causes.

Some lawmakers privately dismissed the report Thursday, saying that the panel only examined evidence provided by the Pentagon.