>> taking care of our vets who served in the late 1990s is probably next to nothing. No, not really. Have you forgotten about the Gulf War Illness? In the 25

>> taking care of our vets who served in the late 1990s is probably next to nothing. No, not really. Have you forgotten about the Gulf War Illness? In the 25 years since Desert Storm, about 250,000 of the almost 700,000 involved in the Gulf War 1 theater have suffered from some version of the complex of symptoms now called Gulf War Illness. This illness was discussed in a recent symposium co-hosted by the Brookings Institution and Georgetown University Medical Center. While Desert Storm battle casualties were light, military personnel were exposed to various chemical and biological agents. These included Pyridostigmine Bromide, to prevent the effects of nerve gases which had been used previously by Iraq; organophosphate pesticides (such as DEET) which were embedded in clothing; particulate airborne matter from oil fires; and, possibly sarin exposure from a plume arising from an Iraqi munitions depot at Khamasiyah. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20160804.056038/full/ https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20160804.05603... There's also new studies claiming Gulf War vets are aging faster as well: “Gulf War veterans are showing accelerated aging patterns resulting in more and earlier chronic medical conditions than the general population of civilians,” says study senior author Kimberly Sullivan, research assistant professor of environmental health. “There is precedent for this type of toxicant-induced disorder in veterans from other wars. For instance, many Vietnam veterans developed chronic conditions of high blood pressure, diabetes, and many types of cancers that were related to exposure to Agent Orange.” https://www.bu.edu/sph/2019/03/18/gulf-war-veterans-aging-faster/ https://www.bu.edu/sph/2019/03/18/gulf-war-veterans-aging-fa...