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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Recession spurs sharp increase in veterans going to college
OLYMPIA — With many veterans finding civilian jobs hard to find in the current economy, a growing number are enrolling in college to enhance their career prospects, statistics compiled by the Higher Education Coordinating Board show.
Since the recession began, the number of veterans enrolled at many of the state’s higher education institutions has grown substantially, the data shows.
For example, the University of Washington and its branch campuses in Bothell and Tacoma experienced an average 40 percent increase in veteran enrollment during spot checks conducted between December 2008 and February 2010. And veteran enrollment at 18 of the state’s 34 community and technical colleges rose even more, about 53 percent during the same period.
The additional schooling not only benefits college-going veterans, but also provides millions of dollars to institutions and the state economy in the form of federal education benefits. In the year ending Sept. 30, 2009, Washington veterans received $119.5 million from the U.S. Veterans Administration for education and vocational rehabilitation training—a 25 percent increase over the previous year, according to the VA.
The five Washington counties whose veterans together received the largest amount of education and vocational rehabilitation training funds were: Pierce ($24.7 million), King ($21.8 million), Spokane ($11.2 million), Snohomish ($10.5 million), and Thurston ($8.5 million)
“A large number of veterans in Washington, especially younger vets of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are rightfully using their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits that can be used for college or career training. Coupled with the discouraging job market, these benefits are enabling many more veterans to use this time to improve skills and increase their employability through additional college education,” said HECB Interim Executive Director Don Bennett.
HECB statistics also show that while the number of college enrollments among veterans has grown, the number participating in apprenticeship and on-the-job training (OJT) programs has declined. The numbers suggest that the recession has cut into the number of openings for such positions, especially in fields such as construction and public-sector jobs such as criminal justice.
Increasing college demand from veterans helps contribute to a widening gap between the number of enrolled students at public colleges and universities and the number of students funded in the state budget. This is commonly referred to as over-enrollment.
Preliminary figures from the state Office of Financial Management’s Education Research & Data Center (ERDC) show public four-year colleges and universities over-enrolled by nearly 11 percent between the summer of 2009 and spring 2010, up from just 3 percent in 2008-09. The final ERDC enrollment figures are expected in July.
The results of over-enrollment include increasingly crowded classrooms, greater difficulty registering for required classes, fewer teaching assistants, and reductions in the amount of laboratory time available to students.
Data on Washington veteran enrollments is compiled by the HECB based on enrollment spot checks at public and private colleges and universities, as well as apprenticeship and OJT programs approved for veterans who receive education benefits under the GI Bill.
The HECB collects the data as part of its responsibility to ensure that Washington education and training programs that serve veterans meet VA standards.
The HECB data includes veteran enrollment figures that initially were gathered from early 2007 through September 2009, and again during the period from October 2009 through April 2010. Those months generally cover the time when the national recession reduced the number of jobs in the economy and increased demand for college programs among unemployed or under-employed workers, including veterans.
Not all college and training programs reviewed by the HECB are included in the data because veteran enrollments in some institutions and programs have not yet been checked a second time. However, the partial data still show a strong trend toward increased veteran participation in college during the recession.
Among the highlights:
* The University of Washington’s campuses in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell together witnessed an approximately 40 percent increase in veteran enrollments between the first enrollment spot check and the second. Veteran enrollments at the UW Seattle campus grew from 371 in December 2008 to 504 in December 2009; from 153 to 211 at the Tacoma campus between October 2008 and November 2009; from 56 to 97 at the Bothell campus between February 2009 and February 2010.
* At many community colleges, the number of veteran students grew at an even faster pace. Among the 18 community colleges that were checked twice, there was a nearly 53 percent increase in veteran enrollments. Community colleges with the largest increases included Pierce College Puyallup, where veteran enrollments grew from 81 in October 2008 to 205 in October 2009, and Lower Columbia College in Longview, where veteran enrollments grew from 81 in March 2009 to 170 in April 2010.
* Veteran participation in 30 OJT programs declined over 57 percent during the two periods. Most of the programs were offered by police departments and other criminal justice agencies, suggesting that agency budget cuts may be responsible for OJT reductions in this career field, which is traditionally popular with veterans.
* Among 36 apprentice programs checked by the HECB, veteran enrollments dropped by nearly 9 percent. The largest reductions came in the construction field.
Additional information on the HECB’s approval efforts regarding educational programs that serve veterans is available on the agency website at www.hecb.wa.gov/autheval/saa/saaindex.asp.
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For more information: Gary Larson
(360) 753-7817 or garyl@hecb.wa.gov
