Some quotes of interest follow. I will work them into an argument later.
"Available documents suggest that during the war, PB [Mestinon] pretreatment was directed in anticipation of nerve agent exposure."
They also acknowledge the "postwar disappearance of the U.S. Central Command’s records of reported chemical events during the Gulf War."
"The RAND report pointed out that symptoms of low level exposure to nerve agents are nonspecific and might, at the time of exposure, be attributed by a soldier to a common headache, gastrointestinal condition, or respiratory problem."
"Surveys of military personnel during the Gulf War indicated they experienced higher-than-expected rates of side effects from taking PB." They continue "Gastrointestinal effects were most common, but headaches were more problematic than had been expected."
"Epidemiologic studies have consistently identified two Gulf War-related exposures—PB and pesticides—to be significantly associated with Gulf War illness."
"Overall, the many different types and sources of evidence evaluated by the Committee—information on exposure patterns, toxicological and human population research, and studies of Gulf War veterans—most strongly and consistently implicate PB and pesticides as causal factors in Gulf War illness."
"Gulf War veterans in the U.S. and the U.K. who reported they had acute side effects from PB during the war have also been shown to have significantly higher rates of symptomatic illness, six to 10 years after the war. These findings are of particular interest, because both studies found an association of PB side effects with Gulf War illness, after controlling for effects of other exposures during the war. "
"Two U.S. studies have reported that taking less than 22 PB pills during the war was associated with a modestly increased risk for Gulf War illness, but that 22 or more PB pills was associated with a significantly increased risk for Gulf War illness, after controlling for effects of other exposures."
"Overall, the highly consistent association of PB with multisymptom illness in epidemiologic studies analyzed to minimize effects of confounding, as well as identified dose response effects of PB, provide compelling evidence that supports PB as a causal factor for Gulf War multisymptom illness."
"A large number of studies have evaluated associations between variables related to possible nerve agent exposure and the health of Gulf War veterans. Results of these studies are much less consistent and interpretable than findings related to PB and pesticides. Difficulties in determining who was exposed to low level nerve agents during deployment introduce major ambiguities into this research."
"It has generally been believed that few if any Gulf War veterans exhibited symptoms of exposure to chemical weapons during the war."
"Overall, an association between Gulf War illness and exposure to chemical warfare agents in theater is not clearly supported nor clearly refuted by results of Gulf War epidemiologic studies. "
