Gulf War Syndrome
The use of chemical weapons in warfare is currently being debated. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) create a set of rules for international countries to follow for the development, production, selling, and usage of chemical weapons. The WHO created a manual that helps prepare countries for terrorist attacks with chemical warfare. They investigate areas exposed to chemical attacks, such as the Gulf War Syndrome, also known as the Gulf War Illness (GWI) (Smylie, Page 1). The symptoms reported from the GWI are currently being studied and researchers have determined that it kills brain cells and nerve cells, symptoms that can lead to a person committing actions without their awareness.
The Gulf War Illness is a chronic symptomatic
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Mar. 2014. Web. 1 May 2014. http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/publications/newsletter.asp
• Patrick, Kirsten, Matthew Stanbrook, and Ken Flegel. "Lest We Forget: Why the Use of Chemical Weapons Must Not Go Unchallenged." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 15 Oct. 2013: 1299. Science in Context. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
• "Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Persian Gulf War Health Effects." Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Persian Gulf War Health Effects. Gulf Link, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/dsbrpt/
• Scott, Alan. "Gulf War Illness, Real or Myth." Skeptic [Altadena, CA] 15.1 (2009): 22+.Science in Context. Web. 13 May 2014
• Smylie, Anne Liese, Et Al. "A Comparison of Sex-specific Immune Signatures in Gulf War Illness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." BMC Immunology 14 (2013): 29.Science in Context. Web. 13 May 2014.
• Vogel, Lauren. "WHO Releases Guidelines for Treating Chemical Warfare Victims after Possible Syria Attacks." CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 1 Oct. 2013: E665. Science in Context. Web. 3 Apr.
3Brophy, L. (1959). The Chemical Warfare Service (1st ed.). Washington: Office of the Chief of
Metaphoric Illness also contributes to our fears. One huge issue of the 1990's was GWS, Gulf War Syndrome. The media depicted sick veterans in wheel chairs or beside their deformed children (pg.156) to show us what effect GWS has on its victims. The New England Journal of Medicine did a study comparing 33,998 infants born to Gulf War veterans and 41,463 babies of other military personnel and finding no evidence of an increase in the risk of birth effects for children of Gulf War veterans (pg.157). This has been such an over exaggerated problem and because of this thousands of Gulf War veterans have undergone countless medical exams, rather than going to get the much needed counseling. The real illness is the fear, anxiety and hopelessness of the veterans; these may explain their "health" problems.
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Chemical warfare. New York [etc.] :. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.. Heller, C. E. (1985).
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), originally associated with combat, has always been around in some shape or form but it was not until 1980 that it was named Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and became an accredited diagnosis (Rothschild). The fact is PTSD is one of many names for an old problem; that war has always had a severe psychological impact on people in immediate and lasting ways. PTSD has a history that is as long and significant as the world’s war history - thousands of years. Although, the diagnosis has not been around for that long, different names and symptoms of PTSD always have been. Some physical symptoms include increased blood pressure, excessive heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, problems with vision, speech, walking disorders, convulsive vomiting, cardiac palpitations, twitching or spasms, weakness and severe muscular cramps. The individual may also suffer from psychological symptoms, such as violent nightmares, flashbacks, melancholy, disturbed sleep or insomnia, loss of appetite, and anxieties when certain things remind them such as the anniversary date of the event (Peterson, 2009).
...Journal." Canadian Medical Association Journal - March 8, 2011. 22 July 2003. Web. 08 Mar. 2011.
Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of possible preventative measures and treatment options. All of these findings are backed by extensive research through media, web, and journal references.
The Vietnam and other wars have mentally and sometimes physically dismembered many veterans. Another factor that plays a role in a war-related suicide is the addition of many on-site diseases such as defoliants, Agent Orange in particular. Made up of equal parts N-Butyl Ester 2,4,-D and N-Butyl Ester 2,4,5,-T, Agent Orange made many Vietnam soldiers go insane (Vietnam Veterans, 11-10-2000). This atrocious chemical lead and still today leads to death, deformation, and diabetes. Dr. Joel E. Michalek, who deals with statistics for the air force, was the first to notice a link between Agent Orange and diabetes. But the federal government was not willing “...to spend millions of dollars on such studies”. Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying “the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease”. Some say they will not do research because it is another thing “...that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans” (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange. Eventually, the government will fund more and more diseases for those who served in the war and were exposed to the substances.
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. The Web. The Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Health effects are prominent in Vietnam veterans but denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As reported in the American Legion Magazine, “The defoliant also is believed to have poisoned many people who handled it or passed through sprayed locations. After the war, a conspicuous percentage of veterans contracted various cancers or diabetes, and birth defects occurred at high rate among their children, VA compensation and care were denied (Carroll).” Denial of these severe diseases and unnatural occurrences by the VA could be construed as a cover-up for the government’s mistake or a truthful disconnect of Agent Orange and the diseases. Research has shown, “Dioxin has been found to be a carcinogen associated with Parkinson’s disease,
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Zumwalt, E. R., Jr. "Report to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs on the Association Between Adverse Health Effects and Exposure to Agent Orange." May 5, 1990. The edition used for this paper was published as an addendum to Admiral Zumwalt's testimony before the House Science Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, December, 13, 1995. Statement and addendum published by the Federal Information Systems Corporation Federal News Service and accessed through the LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe computer database.
Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2012). Article Title. In Veterans and agent orange: Update 2012 (pp. 1-1). National Academies Press.
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Ed. David Zieve. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.
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