But on May 27, 2002 my search began in all seriousness after a reply from EPA, "If you want more information you will have to use the Freedom of Information Act & go to a higher authority than me."

Well, I started spending 5 hours + a day every day from then 'til now (should have quit a year ago, and plan to quit soon)

I talked to a lot of the workers as they were still in the the town I live in.  What is your headache like, etc ... Oh, your joints hurt, are falling apart? ... etc, etc

I never would have ever given any thought to the gulf war vets as all I remembered from the news in the early 90s was that they had health issues from their service then.  That's about it.

About 9 months later ... I had a divine appointment.  A mobile rental (that we had brand new renters in) had frozen water pipes (Never before ... & never since)  My husband spent several hours underneath which caused me to visit with the husband (I had only dealt with the wife).  He shared how he just got out of the military in Oregon and he started talking about the gulf war vets and how 150,000 had registered with the American Legion as they felt the USA govt did something and was covering it up.  That they wondered why the spouses and children born before they were deployed had come down with 'the syndrome' too when they came back from the gulf war.

That peaked my curiosity, and I looked up the symptoms of 'gulf war syndrome'

Goodness!  I recognize these symptoms:

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  Chronic Fatigue
   
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  Signs and symptoms involving skin (including skin rashes and unusual hair loss)
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  Headache
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  Muscle pain
   
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  Neurological signs or symptoms (nervous system disorders which could manifest themselves in numbness in one's arms or legs, for instance)
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  Neuropsychological signs or symptoms (including memory loss)
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  Signs or symptoms involving upper or lower respiratory system
   
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  Sleep disturbances
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  Gastrointestinal signs or symptoms (including recurrent diarrhea and constipation)
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  Cardiovascular signs or symptoms
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  Menstrual disorders 
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  & a lot more ... like depression; suicidal tendencies
   

It was not until about December, 2003 that I found 2-butoxyethanol and Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether on the list of solvents  & pesticides the gulf war troops were exposed to

I first started checking out how they cleaned up the oil spill in 1991.

What were the similarities between that oil spill cleanup and the Exxon Valdez of 1989? (Some military washed birds; a company was experimenting with cleanup chemicals, etc)

It must have been about Sept, 2003 to Jan 2004 that I spent all my time working with gulf war syndrome issues on the gulf war vets forum you shared.  Gale kicked me out then.  Sick 'n tired of hearing about how EGBE did all the things they were sharing on.

Doesn't matter, It's a bigger problem than just EVOS workers or GW Vets.

Still a problem for civilians and military alike today ... & for most of this past century.  What puzzled me most was why doctors do not find the fatigue of CFIDS (which I believe IS caused by 2-butoxyethanol exposure/s ... plus diabetes & a host of other things )

I have about 50 discussion forums of my own and go to about 300 others, so if I get kicked off one or another, it does not matter.  And I have written hundreds and hundreds of web pages.  I asked my pastor of that time .... "This is not good news, would it be best not to tell people?"  He said, "No people would want to know what they are dealing with ... & you never know who might find your information and be helped by it."

If anyone has an interest in this topic, please feel free to e-mail me as I will not be checking too often hereafter.  Which may mean I'll be dropped from other forums (?)  I have spent so much time on this that I recognize 'the pattern' of EGBE, that's all.  CFIDS, CFS, FM

mother_margaret@... or valdez@...

What do we need to know about 2-butoxyethanol