|
Peter S. Spencer, W. Kent Anger, Linda A. McCauley,
Elizabeth Esseks
Portland Environmental Hazard Research Center (PEHRC)
and L
Umatilla-Area Health Research Planning Group
Belief of exposure to chemical weapons is a prominent and
persistent characteristic of a randomly sampled group of Northwestern
veterans who served in the Gulf War and who currently have unexplained
health symptoms. Not only is this belief reported by veterans who served
during or following Desert Storm -- when releases of mustard and nerve
agents are known to have occurred at Khamisiyah and elsewhere, but also
by approximately 30% of sampled veterans who served in Desert Shield and
who left Southwest Asia before the conflict began. In parallel fashion,
several symptomatic Japanese civilians who believed they had sustained
exposure to sarin following release of nerve agent in a Tokyo subway were
found on examination to have no overt evidence of exposure. A unique and
short-lived opportunity to examine this apparent paradox is provided by
the pending incineration of stockpiled nerve and mustard agents at the
U.S. Army Ordnance Depot, Umatilla, Oregon, and other U.S. weapons-incineration
sites with sizeable proximate communities. Study of these cohorts prior
to, during, and following weapons incineration allows prospective examination
of the health impact of proximity to this novel process. Under planned
operating conditions, populations would be exposed to undetectable concentrations
of nerve and mustard agents, with minimal exposure to the combustion products
thereof. Longitudinal comparison of the health of impacted populations
relative to that of equivalent rural populations without proximity to
weapons incineration offers an objective scientific method to assess the
evolution, temporal prevalence, and nature of the health phenomenon associated
with perceived exposures. It also provides an opportunity to develop and
implement chemical, biological, psychological, neurobehavioral and other
methods to measure potential exposures and health effects. Moreover, examination
of human populations close to weapon-incineration sites establishes a
foundation on which to assess health effects in the unlikely event of
an unplanned release of agents sufficient to cause exposures resulting
in short-term or delayed toxicity. In sum, there is an unparalleled opportunity
to develop and implement research-based health monitoring of military
and civilian populations at risk for illness associated with perceived
or actual exposures to chemical weapons.
"Keywords:" Chemical weapons Perceived risk
Health symptoms
This work was supported by a grant from the Department of
Veterans Affairs to the PEHRC, a joint project of the Portland Veterans
Affairs Medical Center and the Center for Research on Occupational and
Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health Sciences University. |
