Media Advisory for 19 September 1998
CONTACT: Albert Donnay, MHS
MCS Referral & Resources
410-889-6666
donnaya@rtk.net
618 Wyndhurst Avenue #2, Baltimore, MD 21210

Albert Donnay, Executive Director of MCS Referral & Resources, http://www.mcsrr.org/, will speak on: Overlap of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia among Gulf War Veterans (along with Vicki Walker of the CFIDS Association of America)

8am, Saturday 9/19/98, National Gulf War Resource Center Conference Crystal City Marriott, 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington VA For more information, Mr. Donnay at 410-889-6666 or donnaya@rtk.net

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There IS a unique Gulf War Syndrome !!!
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Researchers at VA's NJ Environ. Hazards Research Center Report 35.7% of Veterans in the VA's Gulf War Registry Have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity !!!

This was reported on 26 August 1998 by Dr. Nancy Fiedler at the American Chemical Society's MCS Symposium, based on a survey of 1004 veterans randomly selected from the VA Registry. She also reported 15.7% with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and an additional 3.3% with both. Preliminary data from this study showing 26% with MCS (out of 229) were published as long ago as 1996 in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 2:136-137. Other researchers, at the VA's Oregon Environ. Hazards Research Center, report 28% with CFS and 18% with fibromyalgia.

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MCS is more common among Gulf War veterans than even the VA Registry's largest entire category of diagnoses !!!
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Compare 35.7% MCS to 27.7% in VA Registry with any and all kinds musculoskeletal disorders. The musculoskeletal category includes 25% of 52,835 screened with VA's original Gulf War Registry protocol and 36.7% of 15,891 screened with VA's revised protocol.

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But VA refuses to train its doctors to diagnose MCS and will not even code or track the diagnosis when reported !!!
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VA has failed to inform Congress, veterans, the Department of Defense, and even its own doctors of these findings !!!
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The predominance of MCS among Gulf War veterans has not been reported by the media or considered by any VA oversight committees, including those established by the administration, Congress, and the Institute of Medicine !!!
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Why?
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The Bottom Line for Veterans: Undiagnosed MCS = Untreated MCS
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Last Modified: 9/22/98