Two Gulf War-related reports released

October 31, 2002 - WASHINGTON (DeploymentLINK) -- On October 31st, The Defense Department released its final environmental exposure report on particulate matter, a generic term applied to a broad class of chemically, physically and biologically diverse substances spanning a range of particle sizes. This report presents the results of an investigation into the possible health effects from such exposures and discusses what is currently known about U.S. personnel exposures to particulate matter during the Gulf War. No new information has been uncovered that would change the original findings of the investigation.

DoD also released was a laboratory assessment information paper with the results of a study to evaluate laboratories� capabilities for analyzing uranium in urine. by assessing the accuracy and reproducibility of measurements of total uranium and isotopic uranium, using American National Standards Institute/Health Physics Society standard criteria and statistical methods.

The assessment concluded that participating laboratories could accurately quantify total uranium at concentrations considered harmful to health or above exposure guidelines (1.0 microgram of uranium per liter or more). However, the assessment also revealed considerable difficulty in correctly reporting isotopic ratios for identifying whether the uranium was depleted, natural or enriched, when the urine uranium levels were in the normal range.

If you would like to comment on any of these reports, please call my staff at (800) 497-6261 or write to me at special-assistant@deploymenthealth.osd.mil.