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Possible Exposure To Nerve Agents And Brain Cancer Deaths In Gulf War Veterans

Date:
July 26, 2005
Source:
The National Academies
Summary:
A new research paper to be published in the August 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health finds that Gulf War veterans who may have been exposed to nerve agents during the March 1991 weapons demolitions in Khamisiyah, Iraq, appear to have a higher risk for brain cancer death than veterans who were not exposed.
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A new research paper to be published in the August 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health finds that Gulf War veterans who may have been exposed to nerve agents during the March 1991 weapons demolitions in Khamisiyah, Iraq, appear to have a higher risk for brain cancer death than veterans who were not exposed.

Researchers compared the causes of death in a group of 100,487 possibly exposed U.S. Army Gulf War veterans with those among 224,980 Army Gulf War veterans who were not exposed to nerve agents released during the demolitions and found no difference in overall mortality or all cancer mortality.

However, exposed veterans were about twice as likely to have died from brain cancer as unexposed veterans, corresponding to roughly 12 excess deaths due to brain cancer among the 100,487 exposed veterans over a 9-year period.

The study's authors said additional research is needed to confirm their findings of a higher brain cancer death risk for some Gulf War veterans.

[From: "Mortality in US Army Gulf War Veterans Exposed to 1991 Khamisiyah Chemicals Munitions Destruction."]


Story Source:

Materials provided by The National Academies. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

The National Academies. "Possible Exposure To Nerve Agents And Brain Cancer Deaths In Gulf War Veterans." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 July 2005. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050725182718.htm>.
The National Academies. (2005, July 26). Possible Exposure To Nerve Agents And Brain Cancer Deaths In Gulf War Veterans. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050725182718.htm
The National Academies. "Possible Exposure To Nerve Agents And Brain Cancer Deaths In Gulf War Veterans." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050725182718.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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