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At about 3:00 AM on the morning of January 19, a brilliant flash of red light appeared in the cloud-covered sky over the port of Al Jubayl. The flash was followed by a loud double-explosion and a shockwave powerful enough to knock over tents at Camp 13 and awaken the sleeping troops. According to one eyewitness, "The concussion was so strong that it knocked me to my knees." [1]
Almost immediately, the general-quarters alarm began to sound. Thomas Harper, communications chief for the Air Detachment, heard a warning message come over the camp radio net: "Alpha 6 Bravo (the unit�s call sign), we have a confirmed chemical agent." The radio then broadcast a message to all stations ordering the troops to don their gas masks and chemical-protective suits and proceed to bunkers. There was also a call for chemical decontamination teams. [2]
Near-panic broke out as the Seabees struggled to pull on their masks and rubberized suits. As the troops emerged from their tents and ran to the bunkers, they smelled a sharp, acrid odor and saw a dense yellowish mist floating over the camp. Many individuals did not mask in time or failed to achieve a good seal. They began to choke, and a few had profuse nasal secretions that fouled (clogged) their masks. Fred Willoughby felt his mouth, lips, and face go numb, a sensation similar to Novocain at a dentist�s office. Roy Morrow and Nick Roberts experienced a burning sensation on their exposed skin and a strange metallic taste, "like sucking on a penny." [3]
When the sun rose later that morning, Nick Roberts observed a thin coating of yellow powder on tents and vehicles. Other Seabees noticed that an area near the entrance to the commercial port of Jubayl had been cordoned off with yellow hazard tape, and that a fenced-in herd of animals nearby had died. Later that day, the battalion�s chemical officers collected each soldier�s chemical-protective suit and replaced it with a new one, the only time such a gear exchange took place during the war. Because of a shortage of equipment, routine replacement of chemical suits was extremely rare during the Gulf War, if it occurred at all.
Within a few days after the mysterious double-explosion, those Seabees who had experienced burning skin, facial numbness, and choking began to suffer from flu-like symptoms, including fever, sweating, diarrhea, and muscle cramps and spasms. Areas of skin that had been exposed during the incident broke out in rashes, welts, and small blisters, which eventually burst and turned into ulcerating sores that scabbed over and healed but later recurred. The Seabees� joints also began to ache, and the pain became progressively worse. Several developed painfully swollen lymph nodes.
Mycotoxins are diverse secondary metabolites produced by fungi growing on a variety of foodstuffs consumed by both animals and humans (Table 2) (76). Clinical toxicological syndromes caused by ingestion of large amounts of mycotoxins have been well characterized in animals and range from acute mortality to slow growth and reduced reproductive efficiency. The effects on humans are much less well characterized
Mycotoxins are probably responsible for a range of acute and chronic effects that cannot be attributed to fungal growth within the host (301) or allergic reactions to foreign proteins (370).
The most notorious and best described of the mycotoxins are the aflatoxins... The aflatoxins are toxic, immunosuppressive, mutogenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic, and their main target is the liver. Most have been classified as type 1 carcinogens
In the Ukraine in the early 1930s, a unique disease of horses was recognized that was characterized by lip edema, stomatitis, oral necrosis... neurologic compromise (irritability, gait disturbance, and blindness), superinfections, and finally death (133). There was also a rare "atypical" form, which was primarily neurological and highly fatal, with areflexia (loss of sensorimotor reflexes), hyperesthesia (hypersensitivity to pain), hyperirritability, blindness, and stupor.
Sites of action include initiation of protein synthesis (scirpentriol, 15-acetoxyscirpendiol, DAS, verucarin A, and T-2 toxin) and elongation or termination (trichodermin, trichodermol, crotocol, trichothecolone, trichothecin, and verrucarol) (187, 258). Because of their potency in affecting protein synthesis, they may cause a predilection to other diseases, masking the underlying toxicosis
While S. chartarum produces several very toxic macrocyclic trichothecenes (32, 150-152, 183, 188), the levels at which these toxins are produced in laboratory cultures have never appeared sufficient to cause such profound toxic effects as have been observed in animals (188). Levels are also low in environmental samples. Chemical analysis of such samples is difficult due to intrinsic compound properties and secondary metabolite production; despite much work, most potential products are uncharacterized
The most famous purported case of mass human trichothecene toxicity was in fact due to Fusarium. The illness was initially dubbed "septic sore throat" and subsequently called alimentary toxic aleukia (ATA) (7, 193-195, 252, 253, 274, 369, 380, 408, 429). It occurred in Russia in the early 20th century, most notably prior to and during World War II, and was characterized by several stages. Initially, there was oral mucosal ulceration and gastroenteritis. Subsequently, there was pancytopenia accompanied by fatigue, vertigo, and hypotension. The illness had a substantial mortality rate, at least in part due to opportunistic bacterial infections developing in the later stages of the disease (53, 69, 370). One-third of family members who ate contaminated grain became ill, and one-third of those died; this was responsible for thousands of deaths. Where nutrition was good, morbidity and mortality were much lower
Verruculogens and penitrem A may be "tremorgenic mycotoxins," responsible for tremors, ataxia, weakness, and convulsions in animals
Friday September 13, 2002
What has happened?
Doctors at the Gulf war illness research unit at Guy's, King's and St
Thomas's School of Medicine in London have today published research in the
British Medical Journal which indicates that self-reported ill-health among
veterans of the conflict cannot be fully explained by mental illness.
The five-year-long research involved questioning 12,000 British veterans
from the 1990-91 Gulf war and the 1992-97 Bosnian peace mission and
comparing results.
...
In June, National Gulf Veterans Family Association gave evidence at a US congressional subcommittee... saying that tests on veterans have found traces of depleted and enriched uranium in their blood and urine.
Illnesses among more than 5,000 British veterans have
also been linked to powerful immunisation tablets given to soldiers... and the use of corrosive organophosphates...
MoD doctors have denied in the past that there is any Gulf
war disease, and no government has acknowledged it exists.
Gulf war inquiry checks evidence for libel
James Meikle, health correspondent
Tuesday August 17, 2004
The Guardian
The independent inquiry investigating whether illnesses among veterans of the first Gulf war were related to their service is taking legal advice about whether it should publish claims from a doctor who said many veterans he examined on behalf of the Ministry of Defence were liars.
Tony Hall, employed for a year on the MoD's medical assessment programme, said many veterans were obese, smoked nicotine or were alcoholic when he presented evidence to Lord Lloyd's inquiry. Others smoked cannabis, had criminal records for violence after drinking or had difficulty keeping jobs.
He named individuals, prompting the inquiry secretariat to examine whether he had committed libel in his written statement and slander in his oral evidence last week.
The MoD, which has refused to allow any serving ministers, officials or service personnel to give oral evidence, said it had contacted the inquiry and "discussed" Dr Hall's evidence.
"Our interest stems from a complaint received from a veteran who is named in Dr Hall's evidence who was concerned about medical confidentiality."
A spokeswoman added: "We would not want to influence Lord Lloyd in any way."
She said Dr Hall's views were "not the views of the MoD".
The inquiry is being held in public and journalists have been regularly handed copies of written evidence, although the Guardian and other media did not attend the session at which Dr Hall spoke. He sent his evidence to the Daily Telegraph. The Guardian has also seen a copy.
Dr Hall trained in London but moved to the US and was drafted into the army. When he returned to Britain he joined the MoD's medical assessment programme to investigate whether there were Gulf-related illnesses at St Thomas' hospital in London.
In his evidence he said he had taken detailed histories of 460 veterans and measured the height, weight and body mass of 222 of them. Of these, 60% were overweight "and indeed 20% were obese".
He called for a ban on contact sports, "smoking nicotine, cannabis, coc aine, magic mushrooms and the use of any other recreational drugs" and alcohol on military premises.
He continued: "The Gulf war syndrome ... is not due to physical disease. A few individuals may have developed a disease due to such factors as vaccinations, depleted uranium, etc, but the plight of Iraqi civilians is much more acute than that of soldiers who spent four days in a war zone. The Gulf war veterans who have complained to the press, thereby breaching their own right to confidentiality, are liars."
Dr Hall told the Guardian he had been suspended half way through his year's contract on December 10 1997, and was sent on "gardening leave" by the MoD after complaints about him. But the MoD had continued to pay him �1,000 a week until his contract ended.
His allegations were condemned as "unprofessional" by the medical adviser to veterans who believe their illnesses are war-related.
Malcolm Hooper, who was at the hearing, said: "He exposed the medical assessment programme as the sham it was."
now i know you are thinking what does this have to do with Gulf War Syndrome but bear with me.
1987
Department of Defense admits that, despite a treaty banning research and development of biological agents, it continues to operate research facilities at 127 facilities and universities around the nation.
1994With a technique called "gene tracking," Dr. Garth Nicolson at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX discovers that many returning Desert Storm veterans are infected with an altered strain of Mycoplasma incognitus, a microbe commonly used in the production of biological weapons. Incorporated into its molecular structure is 40 percent of the HIV protein coat, indicating that it had been man-made.
1994 Senator John D. Rockefeller issues a report revealing that for at least 50 years the Department of Defense has used hundreds of thousands of military personnel in human experiments and for intentional exposure to dangerous substances. Materials included mustard and nerve gas, ionizing radiation, psychochemicals, hallucinogens, and drugs used during the Gulf War.
Now i thought experimentation was limited to animals which is still evil but it doesnt surprise me that they use prisoners, and it wouldnt surprise me if soldiers are used. which is really evil.
1995 Dr. Garth Nicolson, uncovers evidence that the biological agents used during the Gulf War had been manufactured in Houston, TX and Boca Raton, Fl and tested on prisoners in the Texas Department of Corrections.
1996 Department of Defense admits that Desert Storm soldiers were exposed to chemical agents.
1997 Eighty-eight members of Congress sign a letter demanding an investigation into bioweapons use & Gulf War Syndrome.
1996Under pressure from Congress and the public, after
a 60 Minutes segment, the U.S. Department of Defense
finally admits that at least 20,000 U.S. servicemen "may"
have been exposed to chemical weapons during
operation 'Desert Storm'.
This exposure came as a result of the destruction of a
weapons bunker. Causes of the similar illnesses of other
troops, who were not in this area, have not yet been
explained, other than as post traumatic stress syndromes.
Veterans groups have released information that many
of the problems may be a result of experimental vaccines
and inoculations which were provided troops during
the military buildup. [Reportedly, the Bush family
have or had shares in the vaccine company]
PERSIAN GULF VETERANS COORDINATING BOARD
RESEARCH WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
Department of Defense:
Robert E. Foster, Ph.D.
John Mazzuchi, Ph.D.
Lt. Col. James R. Riddle, USAF, BSC
CAPT Michael E. Kilpatrick, MC, USN
Department of Veterans Affairs:
John R. Feussner, M.D. (Chair)
Timothy Gerrity, Ph.D.
Han Kang, Dr. P.H.
Frances Murphy, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Health and Human Services:
CDR Drue Barrett, USPHS
CDR Patrick McNeilly, USPHS
M. Moiz Mumtaz, Ph.D.
Sheila Newton, Ph.D.
Environmental Protection Agency:
Robert McGaughy, Ph.D.
S.1005
Title: An original bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1998, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Stevens, Ted [AK] (introduced 7/10/1997) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.R.2266
Latest Major Action: 7/15/1997 Passed/agreed to in Senate. Status: Passed Senate with amendments by Yea-Nay Vote. 94-4. Record Vote No: 176.
Senate Reports: 105-45