We Must Honour our Debt to Gulf Veterans

FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM 

Ministers have been urged to act on the findings of a report that suggests British troops in the first Gulf War fell ill because of the actions of the armed forces.

The comments come as a second study is published today into armed forces veterans used as human guinea-pigs at Porton Down.

A landmark US study into Gulf War Syndrome concluded the illness was caused by troops being given nerve gas pills and exposed to pesticides.

Colonel James Binns, the chairman of the Research Advisory Committee, (RAC) which produced the report, yesterday discussed its findings at Parliament.

Lord Morris of Manchester, who has campaigned for armed forces veterans, and RAF Marshall Lord Craig of Radley, Chief of Defence Staff during the conflict, urged Ministers to act.

"Further delay in applying the findings of the RAC’s report will compound the anguish of veterans now in broken health," said Lord Morris.
"There was no delay in their response to the call of duty in 1990-91. Nor should there be still further delay now, 18 years on, in discharging in full our debt of honour to them."

About 7,000 British veterans have claimed Gulf War-related health problems, typically including a combination of chronic headaches, widespread pain, unexplained fatigue, skin rashes and respiratory problems.

The RAC report found the most likely cause was the pyridostigmine bromide in pills given to British and US troops to counter nerve gas, while Americans were also affected by neurotoxins in pesticides.

The MoD has offered war pensions to members of the forces who became ill after serving in the conflict, but insists there is not enough medical evidence to prove the existence of Gulf War Syndrome.

The Western Daily Press has reported on a series of cases linked to the syndrome, including Bristol sailor Crispin Bartram, who died in Canada in 2006, aged 37.
His father Gerald said he believed anti-chemical warfare drugs given to him before the first Gulf War contributed to his death. Petty Officer Nigel Thompson, from Yeovil, died in 2002 from motor neurone disease, after playing a leading role in the campaign to draw attention to Gulf War Syndrome.

The British Medical Journal today publishes a study on the long-term health of veterans who took part in chemical warfare agent experiments at Porton Down.
It concludes those who took part on chemical tests at the base near Salisbury were at a slightly increased risk of death between 1941 and 2004, compared with other military personnel.

But they were not at increased risk of cancer, which the research team said was an important finding.

Between 1941 and 1989, more than 18,000 members of the armed forces took part in the Porton Down research programme, and this is the first study on the effects on their long- term health.

More than 7,000 Porton Down veterans had died by the end of 2004, an overall rate six per cent higher than those who did not take part in the tests.
There were more deaths among Porton Down veterans of infectious and parasitic diseases, genitourinary causes and circulatory diseases.
But there was no increase in cancer deaths, and no evidence of an excess of any specific, clearly defined, malignant cancer.

The authors had no data on lifestyle factors, especially smoking, and conclude: "It is not possible to attribute the small excess mortality to chemical exposures at Porton Down, or to other factors."

Researcher Dr Lucy Carpenter said: "What we have found is a small increase in overall death rates in the Porton Down veterans when compared with other veterans but no increase in overall cancer rates.

"Many of the Porton Down veterans have concerns about the effect that taking part in experimental tests will have had on their health.

"We hope the results of this independent study may help to answer some of their questions." Last year the Government announced it had paid £3 million to 360 forces veterans over the tests, and apologised for what had happened but without admitting any liability by the MoD.