Howard Fienberg of Washington DC's Statistical Assessment Service examines the evidence in the case of Gulf War Syndrome:

"Some Gulf War veterans are ill, but that is all we can say. Their illnesses are all too similar to those afflicting ordinary individuals over time--and usually at a lower rate"

"Most every scientific, epidemiological and medical study has found no evidence of an all-encompassing syndrome. These have included studies by the military, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the RAND Corporation, the Institute of Medicine, and countless prestigious universities."

"The US alone has dedicated over $120 million dollars to research of Gulf War illnesses - much of that going to fringe projects of dubious scientific value - which might have been better spent treating veterans (no matter where we think made them ill). We have looked under the rug a hundred times over and have found no evidence of an elephant hiding there. Rather then embarking on endless quests, perhaps it is time to consider that there is no elephant"

Howard Fienberg is available for further comment on this matter and related topics. The Statistical Assessment Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan thinktank that examines the intersection of research and reporting.

---Statistical Assessment Service

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