NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

"This Final Report is not the final word on Gulf War illnesses," Congressman Lane Evans said today. Evans’ comment came in response to the Final Report (Report) issued this week by the Special Oversight Board for the Department of Defense Investigations of Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents. Evans is the Ranking Democratic Member on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Evans acknowledged the contribution made by the Department of Defense and the Office of Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI) in investigating the possible causes of Gulf War Illnesses, but said the Report’s focus on stress as "the primary cause of illness" in some Gulf veterans could distract researchers from needed additional epidemiological studies. "These studies are needed to determine whether and to what extent, veterans serving in specific locations and at specific times have similar manifestations of illness. The Gulf War resulted in numerous potential toxic exposures in varying and unknown combinations. I believe that research focused on specific groups of Gulf War veterans who have a prevalent pattern of illness is critically needed. With notable exceptions, such as the Kansas study, this area of research has been largely ignored," Evans continued.

Citing the recently published study, "Prevalence and Patterns of Gulf War Illness in Kansas Veterans: Association of Symptoms with Characteristics of Person, Place, and Time of Military Service", Evans called for further studies that focus on veterans’ symptoms and their location at a particular time during the Gulf War rather than trying to identify specific causes of illness. Research to identify patterns of symptoms may be more effective in associating specific medical problems with Gulf service. The "available data" generally relied upon by government agencies may never identify specific causes of illness or provide the answers sought by Gulf veterans.

The findings of the Kansas study, Evans said, are similar to those identified in reports compiled by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in 1998 and 1999. Those reports identified substantially greater percentages of undiagnosed illnesses being service-connected by the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who served in specific locations at specific times.

Despite the Report’s reassurance that government agencies are leaving "no stone unturned" to discover the causes of illnesses experienced by Gulf veterans, Evans said he believed major excavating is still needed. "For many years Vietnam veterans faced doubts about adverse health effects they experienced due to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides," Evans said. "Gulf War veterans experience very real illnesses and many Gulf War veterans may have been exposed to a wide array of toxic agents depending on their location at a particular time. The consequences of this multiplicity of exposures on the health of Gulf War veterans can’t be ignored and hasn’t been examined thoroughly, Evans said.