Pentagon Raises Estimate of Troops Exposed to Iraqi Chemical Fallout
The Pentagon has revised sharply upward its estimate of American troops exposed to fallout from exploded Iraqi chemical weapons in 1991, defense officials said Wednesday.
At the same time, officials have concluded that the low-level exposures probably are unrelated to mysterious maladies reported by some Gulf War veterans.
The Defense Department said it planned to release details of its findings today.
Officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the number of troops exposed was tens of thousands more than the 20,000 previously estimated, but they were uncertain of the exact figure. CBS News reported Wednesday that the new estimate is 100,000.
The Pentagon, working with the CIA, found no clear link between the chemical exposures and the unexplained illnesses, known collectively as Gulf War syndrome, but many veterans still believe that chemical or possibly biological weapons are to blame.
In June 1996, the Pentagon acknowledged that the demolition of the Khamisiyah ammunition depot in southern Iraq in March 1991 had resulted in the release of toxic chemical agents in the vicinity of American troops.
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