THE mysterious Gulf War syndrome might have been caused by a combination of three chemicals used by US troops in the Gulf as protection against disease and poisoning.
Experiments at Duke University Medical Centre in the US found that although the chemicals were harmless when taken singly at certain doses, they became toxic when taken together, according to a study released yesterday in Washington.
Some 30,000 US troops complained of ailments described as Gulf War syndrome. The combination of the pesticides DEET and permethrin and the anti nerve gas agent pyridostigmine bromide (PB) caused neurological problems in chickens similar to those reported by some veterans.
"The decision to use these chemicals was made to protects soldiers from indigenous diseases in the Gulf, such as malaria and leishmaniasis," said Dr Mohamed Abou Donia, the lead investigator.
