Official volte face
at long last, the Pentagon has acknowledged the presence of the Gulf war syndrome, a result of exposure to chemical agents like nerve gas and other poisons. At a press conference, held recently, Pentagon officials, after denying the existence of the syndrome for years, admitted that they were wrong and pleaded guilty and also stated that they should have come out with the details much earlier. The us government believes that the exposure affecting about 5,000 soldiers could have possibly occurred from the destruction of arms depots and factories in Iraq by American planes.
Soldiers who served in the war which took place in 1991, have for long complained of wide-ranging illnesses which seemed to have no specific cause. These included fatigue, joint aches, abdominal ailments, rashes and other skin conditions, headaches, hair loss, memory and concentration problems, and breathing difficulties. Evidence of low-level exposure to the chemical agents is slowly coming in. War veterans, meanwhile, are demanding more inputs into the gulf war syndrome research.