Gulf War and Health Vol. 2: Volume 2: Insecticides and Solvents

Gulf War and Health, Volume 2, is the second in a series of congressionally-mandated studies by the Institute of Medicine that provides a comprehensive assessment of the available scientific literature on potential health effects of exposure to certain biological, chemical, and environmental agents associated with the Gulf War. In this second study, the committee evaluated the published, peer-reviewed literature on exposure to insecticides and solvents thought to have been present during the 1990-1991 war. Because little information exists on actual exposure levels ? a critical factor when assessing health effects ? the committee could not draw specific conclusions about the health problems of Gulf War veterans. However, the study found some evidence, although usually limited, to link specific long-term health outcomes with exposure to certain insecticides and solvents. The next phase of the series will examine the literature on potential health effects associated with exposure to selected environmental pollutants and particulates, such as oil-well fires and jet fuels. FRONT MATTER......Page 2 CONTENTS......Page 13 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......Page 18 1 INTRODUCTION......Page 27 2 IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING THE LITERATURE......Page 34 3 INSECTICIDE TOXICOLOGY......Page 56 4 SOLVENT TOXICOLOGY......Page 99 5 CANCER AND EXPOSURE TO INSECTICIDES......Page 115 6 CANCER AND EXPOSURE TO SOLVENTS......Page 173 7 NEUROLOGIC EFFECTS......Page 367 8 REPRODUCTIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS......Page 467 9 ADDITIONAL HEALTH EFFECTS......Page 501 APPENDICES......Page 548 A OVERVIEW OF ILLNESSES IN GULF WAR VETERANS......Page 550 B CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: GULF WAR AND HEALTH, VOLUME 1......Page 579 C IDENTIFYING THE LITERATURE......Page 582 D INSECTICIDES AND SOLVENTS SENT TO THE GULF WAR......Page 586 E RELATIVE RISKS FOR LUNG CANCER......Page 587 F NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION......Page 591 G CONSENSUS CONCLUSIONS ARRANGED BY HEALTH OUTCOME......Page 597 INDEX......Page 601 Although the Gulf War lasted but a few days, many combat troops have suffered lingering health problems that they attribute to their wartime service. In an effort to respond to the health concerns of veterans and their families, the Department of Veterans Affairs contracted with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the scientific evidence concerning associations between agents to which Gulf War veterans may have been exposed and adverse health effects. These are the reports from those studies v. 1. Depleted uranium, pyridostigmine bromide, sarin, vaccines