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- Could a single disease or environmental exposure account for Gulf War Syndrome?
While Jim Tuite theorizes that a single chemical or biological agent affecting the body's central nervous or immune system might be at the root of Gulf War Syndrome, Jim Ware is doubtful.
Jim Ware begins.
- What about the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggesting that Gulf War veterans suffer from sharply higher rates of some symptoms like joint pain and diarrhea?
Jim Ware stresses that an epidemiological study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found a higher rate of certain symptoms in a group of veterans who went to the Gulf than in another group that stayed home, is limited because of self-reporting and a possible "cluster" phenomenon. Jim Tuite sees neither as a serious flaw.
Jim Ware begins.
- Did friendly fire (that is, US aerial bombings in the first days of the war) subject US troops to Iraqi chemical weapons fallout?
For Jim Tuite, symptoms experienced by U.S. troops and reports by Czech troops' chemical detection specialists in the early days of the Gulf War indicate that U.S. troops may have been exposed to nerve agents in the fall-out from aerial bombing. But Jim Ware believes the chain of events necessary to build that case is missing.
Jim Tuite begins.
- Is the Pentagon right that there were no confirmed reports during the war of acute, immediate symptoms caused by chemical weapons?
Although Jim Ware argues that the evidence does not point to a pattern of acute battlefield symptoms among U.S troops owing to possible chemical-weapons exposure, Jim Tuite cites possible examples to the contrary.
Jim Tuite begins.
- Is chemical weapons exposure a likely cause of Gulf War Illness?
Jim Tuite concludes that chemical-weapons exposure may be a principal cause of Gulf War Syndrome. Jim Ware, however, insists the evidence is lacking.
Jim Ware begins.
- Could battlefield stress be the explanation?
In Jim Ware's view battlefield stress is a plausible contributor to the poor health that many Gulf War veterans are suffering. Jim Tuite retorts that the theory carries a pejorative connotation.
Jim Ware begins.
- Is there a conspiracy in the Pentagon to withhold information?
Jim Tuite charges that the Defense Department, in its investigation of Gulf War Syndrome, has engaged in a cover-up (a contention that Jim Ware discounts as an over-used explanation.)
Jim Tuite begins.
- Is the government somehow responsible for more casualties than Saddam Hussein, as James Tuite alleges?
Jim Tuite blames the military for Gulf War Syndrome because of its alleged failure to recognize the risks of exposure to low levels of chemical weapons. But Jim Ware rejects this reasoning because he says it's unknown how many Gulf War veterans are sick and whether their sicknesses are related to the war.
Jim Tuite begins.
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