WSU to Study Iraq Toxins' Effect
Spokesman-Review
by Bert Caldwell
Research to examine how exposure might damage offspring of soldiers
Washington State University scientists will use a $1.7 million grant to study what multi-generation genetic damage might be done by toxins U.S. troops could encounter in Iraq.
The research using laboratory rats, not humans, will be the first for the military to examine the epigenetic effects of pesticides, herbicides and other compounds, said lead scientist Michael Skinner, director of the university's Center for Reproductive Biology.
Previous studies have looked at the health effects of other substances, notably the Agent Orange used to defoliate jungles in Vietnam, on the soldiers directly exposed, he said, not on their children or grandchildren.
"The science really had not caught up with the trans-generational stuff," said Skinner, one of several WSU pioneers in the field of epigenetic, or multi-generational, inheritance.
Besides herbicides and pesticides – which and in what combinations has not been determined – the study also will look at the effects of explosives residues, he said.
The four-year study will allow researchers to see how any changes in genetic chemistry that develop are passed along through two subsequent generations of rats, he said, noting that only the first two years of research have been funded.
Among the problems that might develop are kidney disease, or changes in the male and female reproductive organs, he said.
If any genetic markers are identified in rats, Skinner said, follow-up research could look at whether they might show up among members of the military as well.
That would be of particular interest to Dave Holmes, interim chief operating officer of the Institute for Systems Medicine, which was awarded the U.S. Department of Defense grant passed through to Skinner.
Holmes' son, Tim Hammond, did two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps.
"They sprayed all kinds of stuff on them," Holmes said.
Although the grant money, the first awarded ISM, will fund work in Pullman, he said the organization's supporters hope any subsequent clinical studies will be done in Spokane.
"There's a lot of excitement about making it happen," he said.
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Army sees sharp rise in unfit soldiers
Posted : Wednesday Mar 3, 2010 10:55:49 EST
WASHINGTON — The percentage of soldiers who are unavailable for combat has risen sharply during the past two years from 11 percent of each brigade in 2007 to 16 percent last year, Army records show.
Repeated deployments and health problems have driven much of the increase in soldiers listed as nondeployable, said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff.
A brigade has about 3,500 soldiers.
“These are folks who had a knee problem after the first [combat] rotation,” he said, “and then, finally, after the third one of humping a rucksack in Afghanistan at 10,000 feet, the doc says, ‘I don’t care if you’re going to deploy again, the fact of the matter is you’re going to [stay back until you] get your knee fixed.’ ”
Nearly 70 percent of the Army’s current roster of 460,000 enlisted soldiers have been to war — half of them once, nearly a third of them twice, 13 percent with three combat tours and 4 percent deployed four times.
Although the Army tries to make up for the missing soldiers by adding those from other units, Army records from 2008 show the shortages hurt overall readiness.
When Army brigades deploy, scores of soldiers remain back for many reasons, Army data show.
Some are assigned jobs back home, such as running motor pools or conducting training, while others require additional training and will deploy later. Some are held back to meet the Army’s goal of allowing soldiers at least 12 months at home before deploying.
The largest group are soldiers with health problems, Army data show. They are either temporarily sidelined for issues such as rehabilitation or surgery, or are awaiting medical review to determine fitness for remaining in the Army.
Precise numbers for the Army are not available, but between 2006 and 2008, bad backs, strained knees and other ailments increased from 1.4 million cases in the overall military to 1.9 million, according to Defense Department records.
Mental health disorders increased by 67 percent during that time from 657,144 cases to 1.1 million, those numbers show.
Longer recuperation times between deployments should help soldiers recover, Chiarelli said.
Recently, a brigade that had 28 months to rest had only 4 percent of its soldiers unable to deploy, he said.
At the peak of combat activity in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, soldiers had only about 12 months between deployments to train, spend time with their families and recuperate. That has increased to 14 to 15 months on average, with other brigades experiencing longer periods at home.
In addition, the Army is increasing its ranks from about 500,000 when the Iraq war began to about 570,000 next year.
“With the drawdown in Iraq and the growth that we’ve completed, we’re starting to see [time between deployments] stretch out and that’s only going to help us,” said Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff.
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