What do we conclude about the risks of CW agents to Gulf War veterans?
Current scientific literature indicates that when exposure to OP CW agents results in immediate and severe poisoning, long-term, subtle neuropsychological and neurophysiological effects could occur. Available scientific evidence does not indicate that such long-term effects occur in humans following low-level exposures, but the amount of data from either human or animal research on low-level exposures is minimal. Long-term effects in humans exposed to mustard agents include an elevated risk of lung cancer beginning decades after exposure. Based on available data, it is unlikely the health effects reported by Gulf War veterans today are the result of exposure to OP or mustard CW agents during the Gulf War. Ongoing or planned federally-funded studies focused specifically on low-level exposures and delayed neurotoxicity of CW agents should elucidate gaps in knowledge and eliminate uncertainty and/or identify new directions for research.
