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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Tom Brannon-
Veteran's
Support Team
Member
I come from a long
line of Soldiers. I can
remember the pictures
of my dad in the Army
as a MP. That's how he met my mother, who came to visit her brother. They must have really been in love, because I am the youngest of nine kids.
I grew up in Arkansas. A few years before I graduated high school "Rambo" came out, so when it came time for me to enlist...I told him I wanted to be like Rambo. I will never forget the day I arrived at Ft.Benning, a nice Drill Instructor stepped on the bus and introduced himself, even welcomed us to Ft.Benning "Home of the Infantry". Then his once nice soft voice became loud and scary as he yelled for us to "GET OFF MY BUS...GET OFF MY BUS".
They must pay Drill Instructors alot of money because everything there was his! There where times I thought my arms would fall off and would have loved two more minutes of sleep. I was never as happy or proud as the day I became a United States Army Infantryman ( well, until later in life when my children were born ).
In 2003 we where told to get ready to deploy to Iraq. We went into Iraq in Feb 2004 to begin our tour. We started the right seat/left seat with the company we would replace. They showed us the routes to patrol and the local areas to be more cautious. Our first day out the local bad guys gave us a welcome party...We trained for years and yet to put into words what it's like to be fired upon is hard, yet we quickly returned party favors. I was glad they never got the morter thing down... they would fire two or three at our FOB( Forward Operating Base) and high tail it out of sight. In the beginning we would jump and run to the protective bunker...later on, we would just lay in our cots and quess where it landed.
I never knew a place could be so HOT, you would melt the tread off the bottom of your boots in a dismounted patrol in just a few months. I got to know my soldiers better than I knew my own brothers. We went through a rough time and held each other together.
In the end Three Brave Heros from my Company went to be with our Lord, a few have lifetime injuries, we all carried away scars that can not be seen, except by another Veteran who has the scars too. I'm no hero, I was just a Soldier who did what every Soldier, Marine, Sailer, Airman has done...stood up, and fought for those not strong enough to defend themselves. They award us with medals and ribbons for a job well done, but it's they pride we carry inside that shines the most.
Tom Brannon
1/9 Greywolf 1st Cav
O.I.F II
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