The federal government, primarily through DOD and VA, has sponsored a variety of research on Gulf War veterans’ illnesses. Government Was Not Proactive in Researching Causes of Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses

Although Gulf War veterans’ health problems began surfacing in the early 1990s, the vast majority of research was not initiated until 1994 or later. The government’s 3-year delay complicated the researchers’ tasks and limited the amount of completed research available. Private Sector Pursued Variety of Hypotheses

A substantial body of research suggests that low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents or chemically related compounds, such as certain pesticides, are associated with delayed or long-term health effects. Formidable Methodological Problems Have Hampered Research

Our review indicated that most of the epidemiological studies have been hampered by data problems and methodological limitations and consequently may not provide conclusive answers in response to their stated objectives, particularly in identifying risk factors or potential causes. also focused on identifying symptom clusters.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO discussed its evaluation of the federal strategy to research Gulf War illnesses.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) the government was not proactive in researching Gulf War illnesses; (2) the government's early research emphasized stress as a cause for Gulf War veterans' illnesses and gave other hypotheses, such as multiple chemical sensitivity, little attention; (3) in contrast, the private sector pursued research on the health effects of low-level exposures to certain chemical warfare agents or industrial chemical compounds; (4) government research used an epidemiological approach, but little research on treatment was funded; and (5) most of the ongoing epidemiological research focusing on the prevalence or causes of Gulf War-related illnesses will not provide conclusive answers, particularly in identifying risk factors or potential causes due to formidable methodological and data problems.