New Findings: Sarin Gas & Gulf war Syndrome.

[Abha]

Today I heard on Radio 4 (UK)that new research has found a link between Sarin Gas and Gulf war Syndrome.

"Sarin gas blamed for Gulf War syndrome"(By Caroline Hawley)

Caroline Hawley has written about it here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61398886BBC News

In the latest study - largely funded by the US government - involved more than 1,000 randomly-selected American Gulf War veterans.

Dr Haley, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said: "This is the most definitive study.

Dr Haley said the key to whether somebody fell ill was a gene known as PON1, which plays an important role in breaking down toxic chemicals in the body.

I wonder if this gene(PON1) also plays a part in ME/CFS and especially those who have been affected(still are?) by organophosphates(such as malathion) that has affected a number of people on these Health threads with ME/CFS like illnesses?

Chemicals like malathion should be completely banned but they are still being manufactured and used(my understanding).

(From web) Is sarin an organophosphate?
They are similar to certain kinds of insecticides (insect killers) called organophosphates in terms of how they work and what kind of harmful effects they cause. However, nerve agents are much more potent than organophosphate pesticides. Sarin originally was developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide.

(From web) How are organophosphates and nerve agents related?
Nerve agents are chemical warfare agents that have the same mechanism of action as OP organophosphate pesticides insecticides. They are potent inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase . Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase leads , thereby leading to an accumulation of acetylcholine in the central and peripheral nervous system.

 

[Diwi9]

I've only seen this article pointing to sarin gas exposure and the PON1 gene, not the actual published study. If anyone finds it, please post. The study involved ~1,000 veterans and claimed to be the most definitive finding yet.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61398886

 

[Diwi9]

Wikipedia's content on PON1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PON1

 

[Diwi9]

Two points on this. Some of you know I lived in Saudi Arabia throughout Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Many soldiers reported to us that their chemical sensors were going off in the desert, particularly after destruction of a major Iraqi weapons site...something the Pentagon denied for years stating that the plume did not reach troops. Also, I don't think this study excludes the culpability of pesticides used around troops and especially their uniforms being treated with such. We know that troops that have served in later theaters throughout the Middle East continue to develop GWS.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

content on PON1

fascinating..

so why would we have enzymes to break down organophosphate pesticides?

Must have some other purpose....?

I have an organophosphate connection as my repeated bouts of Mono took place while living in and around almond orchards, 1960s era. Plus smudge pots.

 

[Diwi9]

Here's a news clip from the BBC with a short interview of the lead researcher Dr. Haley:

 

[Diwi9]

Here is the paper, it is open-access: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP9009

 

[lenora]

Hello Everyone.....I've had direct experience with malathion poisoning. It almost killed my husband approx. 25 yrs. or so ago. He had two cardiac arrests, one in the ambulance before he even left the house (50 min. or so), and when we arrived at the hospital, a transplant team was awaiting us with their ice chests. Lots of problems with that, but I won't go into them now.

He was in a coma (not induced) for appox. one week. He did suffer another cardiac arrest in the hospital (very different than a heart attack...you're suddenly and without warning, dead). Recovery was long and hard and amazingly enough he recovered with his mind intact. But for at least a week, our every effort was just in keeping him alive. Even the doctors wouldn't go in for months to check the condition of his heart. Literally, a Dead Man Walking.

Please know that he did this to himself. We live in Dallas, TX, it was a hot, humid and windy day, he had golfed with our daughter in the a.m., and decided that he absolutely had to spray our crape myrtles for powdery mildew. No mask, no long sleeved shirt....nothing. This was also without water and food.

He had a shower, and suddenly said "Something's wrong." I was an R.N. many years ago, and my father had died at age 40 from a sudden heart condition. However, the surgeon finally operated and came running out (which terrified me) and said he couldn't understand it, but nothing was wrong.

Computers still weren't common, but I had to have an answer and thought about what he was doing that day. I started calling universities (research depts., great sources of help) and never hung up without another phone no. to try. I finally connected with probably 4-5 universities or landscape companies who knew of this problem and yes, it was commonly found to happen among gardeners. I then spent a considerable amount of time trying to have malathion (nerve gas...that's what it is) removed from the market. I see that it's still sold in large centers like Home Depot and I'm sure others.

He can't be exposed to chemicals, so our pool was removed (which no one used anyway), and he has been diligent about exercising each and every day. It was a scary time....and both of our children were living on their own, one in foreign countries b/c of her job.

So yes, I believe that many of us were exposed to other more potent poisons, DDT and asbestos to name just a few. Anesthesiologists are especially interested in this problem, as the chemical compounds are often similar to those used by them. He wears a medic bracelet at this time. So yes, these do damage the human body. Rod is now 78 and suffers from a blood disease that keeps changing. Yes,, from one diagnosis to another....and sees an oncologist for extensive testing regularly.

I believe those soldiers were exposed to dangerous chemicals...the same as my brothers in Vietnam.

Today, we run the risk of plastic exposure and so very little is being done about it. Most of us won't be affected, by another generation will face other woes. Just one more story. Be safe. Yours, Lenora.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

He was in a coma (not induced) for appox. one week. He did suffer another cardiac arrest in the hospital (very different than a heart attack...you're suddenly and without warning, dead). Recovery was long and hard and amazingly enough he recovered with his mind intact. But for at least a week, our every effort was just in keeping him alive. Even the doctors wouldn't go in for months to check the condition of his heart. Literally, a Dead Man Walking.

gosh how intensely terrifying. Its truly shocking these chemicals are sold to homeowners and just sit on shelves in everybody's garages. leaking, seeping.

Wonder what my Dad put in the Dandelion Killer. That was the funnest device, to inject the killing substance into a flower simply trying to look pretty on one's lawn.

Dandelions wild ones live in damp margins, hence like our lawns. (very few lawns are left here in Drought-Land)

 

[Abha]

Hello Everyone.....I've had direct experience with malathion poisoning. It almost killed my husband approx. 25 yrs. or so ago. He had two cardiac arrests, one in the ambulance before he even left the house (50 min. or so), and when we arrived at the hospital, a transplant team was awaiting us with their ice chests. Lots of problems with that, but I won't go into them now.

He was in a coma (not induced) for appox. one week. He did suffer another cardiac arrest in the hospital (very different than a heart attack...you're suddenly and without warning, dead). Recovery was long and hard and amazingly enough he recovered with his mind intact. But for at least a week, our every effort was just in keeping him alive. Even the doctors wouldn't go in for months to check the condition of his heart. Literally, a Dead Man Walking.

Hi Lenora,

Thank you for your frank account of your husband's illness and his exposure to malathion.I wish him well, as I know too how such chemicals affect one, and how they are overlooked by the Government and the Medical profession.

Back in 2008 Tim Farron,a UK MP commented....

"The uncovering of the Zuckerman report(1951) changes everything - it indicates that the government knew that OPs were dangerous and a risk to the health of farmers and their families before they chose to make them compulsory.

"The report made clear the dangers associated with OPs and the need for farmers to be adequately protected when coming into contact with the chemicals. But despite these warnings, no attempt was made to pass on this advice to doctors, vets and relevant consultants.

"Many GPs and hospitals have gone on to mistakenly diagnose symptoms we now believe to be connected with OP exposure as completely different conditions such as ME. The Government should conduct an accurate health assessment and they should also take responsibility for the damage caused to the health of hundreds of innocent people."

 

[lenora]

Hello & thanks for the replies. I do feel that chemical poisoning is seriously underrated and, yes, probably a great many soldiers were exposed to substances that the government probably lies about to this very day.

If it can happen with stored chemicals in one's garage, then it can happen anywhere. The body accumulates this matter, especially in fatty tissues, and different people can tolerate different levels of exposure. Still, there is seldom a person who hasn't been exposed to some poisonous substance (each body is different) in his/her lifetime.

Rufous is right....I could actually smell the stored chemicals when I was sitting in the kitchen! True, insect invasions have literally wiped out crops, trees and all greenery almost overnight....and these pesticides were thought to be the answer. Problems were caused in simply another direction. At least be careful if you are using these chemicals....read the directions carefully, please....your health and life may depend upon it.

Also, bear this in mind: If you do use these spray chemicals, or are exposed while in the military, DO NOT shower immediately afterwards. The poisonous substance is literally driven into your body. Is it any wonder I have a problem with anxiety? I live with a man who thinks he's the offspring of Superman. Yours, Lenora.