GULF WAR SYNDROME: THE `AGENT ORANGE' OF THE NINETIES.

Introduction

In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, over 100,000 U.S. troops among the 700,000 who served in the region reported a mysterious cluster of severe health problems. Initially, the Pentagon dismissed the complaints and ruled out any kind of systematic investigation. However, due to the sheer number of cases, and because of pressure from veterans and their families who refused to be ignored, the government agreed to conduct preliminary studies. It concluded that most of the symptoms could be attributed to "stress," a finding that was quickly challenged.…