tagged w/ Gulf War Syndrom
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EXPOSURE TO PYRIDOSTIGMINE BROMIDE
During the Gulf War of 1990-91 the United States Military conducted the largest experimental drug evaluation in its history. The compound Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB) was considered by the Pentagon as a possible prophylactic for a soldier's exposure to chemical warfare (CW) nerve agents. The Iraqi army's use of nerve agents during the 10 year war with Iran gave Pentagon planners reasonable cause to believe U.S. forces would be exposed to CW agents if war arose with Iraq.
The use of an experimental CW nerve agent prophylactic was and is controversial, but it's use in addition to the extensively tested gas mask and chemical protective over garment ensemble is unprecedented. With no particular definable deficit in the existing CW protection, the rational for conducting this large-scale experimental drug test on military personnel, without informed consent, is highly questionable.
Soldiers in the Gulf War theater of operations (South West Asia) were required to take PB on a constant schedule, several times a day, and the administration of the drug was closely supervised by the chain of command to insure all soldiers ingested it. Soldiers consumed PB upon arrival in theater, during the Desert Shield force buildup, and during the combat phase of Operation Desert Storm.EXPOSURE TO PYRIDOSTIGMINE BROMIDE
During the Gulf War of 1990-91 the United States... more
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Deputy Director of the Uranium Medical Research Centre, working with Dr. Asaf Durakovic, Tedd Weyman organized and led field studies in Afghanistan and Iraq to measure and analyse uranium contamination of radiotoxic and chemotoxic heavy metals from battlefield weapons. The use of uranium in non fissile-penetrating weapons and bunker busters are effectively nuclear weapons, Weyman reports. It is known world wide, he says, that DU weapons have long-term implications that, right now corporations and governments are hiding. But Weyman cautions,"If you don't have a moral objection [to using DU on another nation], you might have a pragmatic objection which might be the liabilities that a nation faces for permanently contaminating another nation's environment...Uranium contamination in Iraq will last for millions of years. So the liabilities are very significant when you have every nation that was on the receiving end and every soldier on the sending end is contaminated." Weyman spoke in Rochester, June 26, 2005 at an event hosted by a coalition of Rochester peace groups.Deputy Director of the Uranium Medical Research Centre, working with Dr. Asaf... more
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