http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War_syndrome
Gulf War syndrome (GWS) or Gulf War illness (GWI) is an illness reported by combat veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War typified by symptoms including immune system disorders and birth defects. It has not always been clear whether these symptoms were related to Gulf War service or the occurrence of illnesses in Gulf War veterans is higher than comparable populations.
Symptoms attributed to this syndrome have been wide-ranging, including chronic fatigue, loss of muscle control, headaches, dizziness and loss of balance, memory problems, muscle and joint pain, indigestion, skin problems, shortness of breath, and even insulin resistance. Brain cancer deaths, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, or motoneurone disease) and fibromyalgia are now recognized by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments as potentially connected to service during the Gulf War.
Since the end of the Gulf War, the United States Veteran Administration and the British Ministry of Defense have conducted numerous studies on Gulf War Veterans. The latest studies have determined that while the physical health of deployed veterans is similar to that of non-deployed veterans, there is an increase in 4 out of the 12 medical conditions reportedly associated with Gulf War syndrome (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, eczema, and dyspepsia.) They have also concluded that while mortality was significantly higher in deployed veterans, most of the increase was due to automobile accidents.
A November 1996 article in the New England Journal of Medicine found no difference in death rates, hospitalization rates or self-reported symptoms between Persian Gulf veterans and non-Persian Gulf veterans. This article was a compilation of dozens of individual studies involving tens of thousands of veterans. The studies did find a statistically significant elevation in the number of traffic accidents suffered by Persian Gulf vets vs. non-Persian Gulf vets.
At the December 2005 Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses meeting the following potential causes were still being considered, others which have been suggested through the years having been ruled out:
combustion products from depleted uranium munitions,
side-effects from the early 1990s' anthrax vaccine,
infectious diseases from parasites,
chemical weapons such as nerve gas or mustard gas (usually acetylcholinesterase inhibitors),
and combinations of the above factors;
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image%3ABasrah_birth_defects.svg
Brain tumors in infants and children
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_cancer
In 1982 approximately 2.76 children per 100,000 were affected by a CNS tumor in the United States. This rate has been increasing and by 2005 was 3.0 children per 100,000.[citation needed] This is approximately 2,500-3,000 pediatric brain tumors occurring each year in the US. The tumor incidence is increasing by about 2.7% per year