No subject

been expected. But by 1998, the number was almost three times greater than 
what was expected, Haley said.

Haley emphasized that not every Gulf War veteran will be stricken. 
Researchers believe that people who contract ALS are susceptible genetically to it, he 
said.

``A lifetime of environmental exposure will build up and give you this 
disease in your 60s and 70s,'' Haley said. ``What may have happened here is Gulf War 
veterans were exposed to some unusually toxic exposure that accelerated the 
process by 30 years.''

Almost 700,000 U.S. military personnel were deployed for the conflict, both 
in the Desert Shield buildup from August 1990 to January 1991 and Desert Storm 
combat in January-February 1991. Some returned with complaints of unusual 
illnesses, including fatigue, diarrhea, dizziness and muscle weakness, which have 
come to be known as Gulf War Syndrome.

No one has been able to pinpoint a cause for the chronic health problems. And 
while some veterans, advocacy groups and researchers suspect troops were 
exposed to an environmental toxin or infectious agent, other researchers blame 
stress.

^------

On the Net:

Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: 
http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/