Pesticide link with Gulf war syndrome

Birth defects in infants born in 1998–2004 to men and women serving in the U.S. military during the 1990–1991 Gulf War era

“…This study represents the first attempt to assess any long‐term impact of deployment‐specific exposures on the prevalence of birth defects in infants born to both female and male 1990–1991 Gulf War veterans. At least 21 potential reproductive hazards were confirmed as present during the 1990–1991 Gulf War, including agents present in smoke from the Kuwaiti oil well fires, soil samples, and pesticides (United States General Accounting Office, August 1994; Warden, 1996; Smith et al, 2002). Much of the research to date has reported deployment as the aggregated measure of exposure to these hazards, with the exception of a study by Verret et al (2008) which found no association between self‐reported exposures (sandstorms, smoke from oil well fires, chemical or bacteriologic alerts, vaccinations, medication, and pesticides) and the prevalence of birth defects in the children of male Gulf War veterans.…”

“…Of particular concern were adverse reproductive outcomes presumably caused by exposure to potentially hazardous substances encountered during deployment. In 1994, the U.S. General Accounting Office identified 21 possible reproductive toxicants and teratogens that were present during the 1990–1991 Gulf War, which included agents present in smoke from the Kuwaiti oil well fires, soil samples, and pesticides (United States General Accounting Office, August 1994; Warden, 1996; Smith et al, 2002). Most epidemiologic studies of this issue in the 1990s showed inconclusive or negative results (Penman et al, 1996; Cowan et al, 1997; Araneta et al, 2000; Ishøy et al, 2001; Doyle et al, 2004; Werler et al, 2005; Doyle et al, 2006; Wells et al, 2006) although some have suggested significantly more self‐reported ectopic pregnancies and spontaneous abortions in Gulf War veterans conceiving after but not during the war (Araneta et al, 2004).…”