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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Fiduciary Program Shortchanging Vets
by Freddy Groves
Did you know that the Department of Veterans Affairs has a fiduciary program to help veterans handle their finances when they can't do it for themselves? No? Lots of people don't.
Fiduciary representatives can be a group such as a nursing home or law firm, or a family member or someone appointed by the VA. At present the fiduciaries are managing the financial affairs of more than 100,000 veterans with estate assets of more than $3 billion. Fiduciaries earn 4 percent of the amount they manage.
But there are problems. A VA Office of the Inspector General report says that the fiduciary program "is not effectively protecting the VA-derived income and estate of incompetent beneficiaries." A Government Accountability Office report said that "insufficient staff compliance ... hinder VA's ability to safeguard veterans' benefits." Lack of accountability, late or falsified reports, lack of training and outright theft are huge problems. One thieving fiduciary, responsible for the financial affairs of a whopping 33 veterans, went to prison for stealing $1 million from those veterans.
At a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, witnesses gave testimony about the VA Fiduciary Program. The speakers covered a wide range of titles and expertise, including the director of audits operation division, assistant director for program management, a field examiner, the director of compensation and pension service and even the chair of the government relations committee for the Gold Star Wives of America. Coming on the heels of the GAO and VAOIG reports, they paint an ugly picture about the program, but one with hope that changes can be made.
If you want to read the statements, go to veterans.house.gov and put "Examining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Fiduciary Program" in the search box.
Write to Freddy Groves in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.
(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.
