![]() Metals that dissolve from inhaled desert dust particles are then able to cross from the blood into the brain, an area where they are not normally found. As a result of earlier studies, we have hypothesized that exposure to PB, PM, and/or DEET (chemicals that military personnel were exposed to almost daily during the Persian Gulf War) causes changes in the blood-brain barrier. Disrupting the barrier could allow potentially toxic chemicals to enter the brain and cause damage. This cellular barrier prevents unwanted substances from leaving the circulatory system and entering the brain. These results indicate the ubiquitous nature of respirable particulates in the Middle East.Įarlier laboratory investigations with PB, PM, and DEET have shown that, in some cases, they have the ability to disrupt the blood-brain barrier. Army Public Health Command estimated that in the recent Middle East conflicts particulate levels exceeded the Military Exposure Guidelines over 97% of the time. It was found that these dust particles possessed a clay or quartz core surrounded by an inorganic layer of calcium carbonate containing a variety of potentially toxic metals. Outbreaks of respiratory ailments among personnel in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a more thorough investigation of desert dust. However, not all potential multi-exposures were investigated, and one ubiquitous exposure, desert dust particles, has received little attention. ![]() Over the years, despite promising results, there is currently insufficient evidence linking multi-exposure scenarios with Gulf War illness. However, not all reported symptoms corresponded to those observed in experimental models. As research on multiple exposures progressed, a combination of pyridostigmine bromide (PB), the insecticide N,N-diethyl-mtoluamide (DEET), and the pesticide permethrin (PM), showed some evidence of being causally associated with Gulf War illness. Because of the multi-symptomatic nature of the disease, it was clear that a single exposure was not likely the cause. A variety of exposures have been proposed as potential factors including nerve gas, vaccinations, depleted uranium, smoke from oil-well fires, stress, pyridostigmine bromide, pesticides, and insecticides. personnel were involved, and following the conflict many of these individuals reported suffering from a chronic multi-symptom disease eventually called "Gulf War Illness." For the past 25 years, investigators have searched for a cause for these ailments. The First Persian Gulf War was fought in 1990-1991 in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
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