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Tests link to Gulf War symptoms

The UK Times
By Michael Evans

Servicemen who took part in the Porton Down chemical warfare experiments from 1939 to 1989 suffered from the same health problems as thousands of veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, an official study has discovered.


The five most prevalent symptoms, shared by both groups, were headaches, outbursts of anger, fatigue, feeling unrefreshed after sleep, and sleeping difficulties.

The similarity in health problems was uncovered by independent researchers at Oxford University who have been studying the long-term effects of the Porton Down experiments. The study is being co-ordinated by the Medical Research Council and funded by the Ministry of Defence.

Gulf War veterans complaining of ill health have blamed the vaccines they received to counter the threat of chemical and biological warfare. The preliminary findings on the Porton Down tests, published on the website of the journal, Occupational Medicine, said the symptoms among the volunteers became apparent within the first five years after they had taken part in the experiments.

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