Topic: Hunger strike outside minister's office => study on DU health effects

[GAP]

'Poisoned' veteran begins hunger strike outside minister's office
By: The Canadian Press 11/4/2011
Article Link
 
LEVIS, Que. - Armed with little more than a sleeping bag and a few pillows, a former soldier who says he was poisoned while serving overseas has started a hunger strike outside the riding office of Canada's veterans affairs minister.

Pascal Lacoste blames his declining health, including chronic pain and a degenerative neurological disorder, on depleted-uranium poisoning he believes he contracted in Bosnia in the 1990s.

The 38-year-old Quebec City resident began fasting at noon Saturday and vowed not to eat again until Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney recognizes that he and other soldiers were contaminated with depleted uranium.

That would allow Lacoste to be covered for the decontamination treatment he requires at a U.S. hospital, he said.

"I had a big breakfast this morning and now I won't eat or drink water, and I'm waiting for the minister's decision," he said in a phone interview. "I'm ready to fight for justice."

The Veterans Affairs department maintains it's unlikely any Canadian soldiers were contaminated with depleted uranium because few, if any, ever came into contact with it while in service.

In a statement, Blaney's spokesman Jean-Christophe de le Rue said that specialists are available to help Lacoste.
More on link

- mod edit to bring headline in line with latest story developments -

[cdnleaf]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_skills

3-5 days without water, he will probably get formed under the Quebec MH Act before then; if he sticks it out.

[Nemo888]

Uranium is pretty easy to detect. It can be detected in blood, hair or urine. Why not throw a couple of tests at him and pick up the tab?

[aesop081]

Uranium is pretty easy to detect. It can be detected in blood, hair or urine. Why not throw a couple of tests at him and pick up the tab?

Reading the actual article is a good idea.....

His doctor said tests have shown he does have an unusually high level of uranium in his hair — but an independent radiation expert questions the reliability of the testing.

[Nemo888]

The test was positive. The "expert" can only argue about how much uranium he was dosed with. Considering you only absorb 0.5% of what passes through you it was probably significant. To say that uranium is not proven to cause health problems is a lie.

• Decreased performance on neurocognitive tests
• Increased reports of cancers
• Myocarditis
• Chronic fatigue, rash, ear and eye infections, hair and weight loss, cough. May be due to combined chemical exposure rather than DU alone

Kind of a no brainer for me. He's a Vet. Send him for the chelation or get someone to do it locally. Too much trouble? Can I use that excuse next time I'm given a difficult order? I thought unlimited liability was a two way street.

[milnews.ca]

Interesting - typically, ministers don't tend to meet with protesters.

A former soldier who is staging a hunger strike to protest the way the federal government has handled his case is expected to meet today with Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney.

Pascal Lacoste says he was poisoned while serving overseas and launched his hunger strike on Saturday outside Blaney's riding office in this community near Quebec City.

Lacoste blames his declining health, including chronic pain and a degenerative neurological disorder, on depleted-uranium poisoning he believes he contracted in Bosnia in the 1990s.

The 38-year-old Quebec City resident vowed not to eat again until Blaney recognizes that he and other soldiers were contaminated with depleted uranium ....

The Canadian Press, 6 Nov 11

[milnews.ca]

The latest:

A military vet who began a hunger strike on Saturday still hasn't had any food after rejecting an offer for treatment from Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney.

Pascal Lacoste said Sunday he won't have another bite to eat until the federal government recognizes that he and countless other soldiers were poisoned while serving overseas.

And he says he is prepared to die if that's what it takes.

Lacoste blames his own declining health, which includes chronic pain and a degenerative neurological disorder, on depleted-uranium poisoning he believes he contracted in Bosnia in the 1990s.

He started his hunger strike on Saturday at noon at Blaney's riding office in this community across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City.

Blaney met with Lacoste early Sunday and promised that medical specialists would provide him with the treatment he requires.

"The specialists contacted the veteran, Mr. Lacoste, to offer treatment to help respond to his personal and immediate needs," Blaney's spokesman Jean-Christophe de le Rue said in a statement.

"The minister implores the veteran not to endanger his health and to accept the treatments which have been offered to respond to his short- and medium-term needs."

After meeting with the specialists, however, Lacoste said he had decided to continue the hunger strike because he didn't only want treatment for himself.

He wants recognition that other soldiers have been poisoned with depleted uranium _ some of whom he says don't even know it ....

The Canadian Press, 7 Nov 11

[gun runner]

I wish him luck, he will need it. I also thought he was going to drink water with his meds/vitamin supplements as he stated in his earlier statements. I hope he gets all he wishes for! Ubique

[Pieman]

Was this the fellow who says he was poisoned by his own troops in Bosnia? Or is that another person?

[mariomike]

Was this the fellow who says he was poisoned by his own troops in Bosnia? Or is that another person?

http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=26348.0

[DoyleG]

The test was positive. The "expert" can only argue about how much uranium he was dosed with. Considering you only absorb 0.5% of what passes through you it was probably significant. To say that uranium is not proven to cause health problems is a lie.

• Decreased performance on neurocognitive tests
• Increased reports of cancers
• Myocarditis
• Chronic fatigue, rash, ear and eye infections, hair and weight loss, cough. May be due to combined chemical exposure rather than DU alone

Kind of a no brainer for me. He's a Vet. Send him for the chelation or get someone to do it locally. Too much trouble? Can I use that excuse next time I'm given a difficult order? I thought unlimited liability was a two way street.

The "test" came from the soldiers own personal doctor. Despite the attempts to the contrary, moves to link DU with long-term symptoms in soldiers hasn't gone anywhere.

As for DU exposure in the Balkans, its been far more linked to Kosovo than Bosnia as the former saw much large use of DU. Even then its still sketchy.

[milnews.ca]

One hopes this new committee will do more than just write a report that gathers dust somewhere - highlights mine. 

The federal government will create a new committee to study veterans' health in the wake of a hunger strike by an ex-soldier who insists he was contaminated by depleted uranium while serving in Bosnia.

Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney made the announcement in Levis, Que., after Pascal Lacoste ended his protest and allowed himself to be taken away in an ambulance Tuesday.

Lacoste, who battled to get Ottawa to recognize his uranium poisoning while serving overseas, flashed a two-fingered "victory" sign as he ended his hunger strike. 

He swigged grape juice as he was loaded into an ambulance that took him to hospital for treatment. Over four days, Lacoste had been depriving himself of all food and liquids except for capfuls of water to help him take prescription medication.

Lacoste said he wasn't just fighting for himself; he had refused an offer of medical treatment until Ottawa agreed to help any other veteran in his situation.

Further details of the board will be announced in the next 30 days, said Blaney. The minister said the body will comprise academics, medical researchers and soldiers.

"It's a committee that will have a broad mandate," Blaney said, adding that he wants to see Lacoste's health get better, along with the health of other veterans ....

The Canadian Press, 8 Nov 11

[prairefire]

Many of have and will serve all over the world in many varied environments. This is a given and is one of the aspects of the unlimited liability of service. Those members, current and past, of the Canadian Forces are often present in regions where the civilizing norms that we hold so dearly within most of Canada are no longer functioning. There are a range of societal and environmental hazards that result in severe degradation of the quality of life for those that are living in the area of operations. The members of the Canadian Forces who deploy to these areas are frequently exposed to Environmental contamination. Typically in combat zones and failed states chemical and industrial wastes are no longer disposed of in accordance with standard protocols. Biological waste is not properly disposed from both agricultural activities or the sanitary disposal of the civilian and military casualties of conflict. Many of us have obsserved and been exposed to what could euphemistically called unpleasant odours and and the relentless wind carrying contaminated dust. All of us at one time or another have noticed that the permanent residents of these conflict areas frequently have higher rates of mortality, illness, cancer and a wide range of disease and sickness that is not normally seen within most of North America.

After one tour or several deployments to conflict regions around the world it should be expected that our service men and women after such exposure many develop nonspecific illnesses that are not easily defined. It would seem that when an array of symptoms are found in a veteran seeking treatment and assistance DVA wishes to have the individual prove a causative link to a specific diagnosis. This does not give the veteran a chance in hell of proving the link. There have been many epidemiological studies around the world since the end of WW2 and they all show a direct relation to conflict and health issues. Some like Agent Orange took a long time get a response. Others are still being assessed by DVA and may never be accepted. What we do know is that damage to our bodies can be by a singular traumatic event or by small accretions of damage that by themself are not injurious or easily defined but in totality may cause the body to not function correctly.

I am frequently astounded by the approach that DVA takes to pensionable conditions and the lack of vision in their assessment of applicants. It is as if there is a large degree of wilful blindness to cause and effect backstopped by the bureaucratic norm that it is to say no, with no responsibility, than to say yes and take responsibility.

[Simian Turner]

Uranium is pretty easy to detect. It can be detected in blood, hair or urine. Why not throw a couple of tests at him and pick up the tab?

It can also be detected in bone but it is kind of painful, it is normally done post-mortem.  We all have levels of 'natural' uraniums in our bodies, it is whether it is of toxic levels that matters.

A good article relating to a study of CF soldiers:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11908516

A relevant symposium was held in 2002:

http://www.forces.gc.ca/health-sante/ps/oh-so/mcssp-sspcd/default-eng.asp

There is still voluntary, free DU testing policies in place for soldiers and veterans:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/health-sante/pub/fs-fd/fs-fd-du-ua-eng.asp
http://veterans.gc.ca/eng/department/facts-fait/depleted-uranium

[PMedMoe]

Looks like he ended the strike.

Ottawa agrees to study veterans' health after ex-soldier calls off hunger strike

The federal government will create a new committee to study veterans' health in the wake of a hunger strike by an ex-soldier who insists he was contaminated by depleted uranium while serving in Bosnia.

Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney made the announcement in Levis, Que., after Pascal Lacoste ended his protest and allowed himself to be taken away in an ambulance Tuesday.

Lacoste, who battled to get Ottawa to recognize his uranium poisoning while serving overseas, flashed a two-fingered "victory" sign as he ended his hunger strike.

He swigged grape juice as he was loaded into an ambulance that took him to hospital for treatment. Over four days, Lacoste had been depriving himself of all food and liquids except for capfuls of water to help him take prescription medication.

Lacoste said he wasn't just fighting for himself; he had refused an offer of medical treatment until Ottawa agreed to help any other veteran in his situation.

Further details of the board will be announced in the next 30 days, said Blaney. The minister said the body will comprise academics, medical researchers and soldiers.

"It's a committee that will have a broad mandate," Blaney said, adding that he wants to see Lacoste's health get better, along with the health of other veterans.

More at link

[Rifleman62]

Refer to committees rather than make a timely decision.

[gun runner]

Suprised...? I am not. This will be stuck up in red tape for the forseeable future now.

[milnews.ca]

Refer to committees rather than make a timely decision.

Suprised...? I am not. This will be stuck up in red tape for the forseeable future now.

You're not the only doubting Thomas' out there....

Veterans' advocates are skeptical of a federal government promise to study the effects of exposure to depleted uranium after years of ignoring their pleas to recognize the issue.

Louise Richard, a long-time critic who says she suffers from Gulf War illness, says Veterans Affairs has persistently refused to acknowledge the health hazards and doesn't even track suspected exposures.

An ex-soldier, Pascal Lacoste, ended a hunger strike Tuesday in Levis, Que., after the veterans minister and local MP, Steven Blaney, pledged to launch a review in the next 30 days.

The minister said academics, medical researchers and soldiers will make up the panel.

Richard, who has researched uranium exposure, wants to be on the committee and says she finds it criminal that a veteran had to resort to a hunger strike to get attention ....

The Canadian Press, 9 Nov 11

No details yet on the VAC news release page.  We'll just have to stay tuned to see if this was something to just get rid of a vet hunger striker before Remembrance Day.

Mod note:  Also changing the title of the thread so we can also track whatever happens with this committee here.

[milnews.ca]

Bump with the Scientific Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Health's findings - the nut graph highlighted in yellow from the news release....

.... The Scientific Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Health is an independent committee that comprises five experts with collective expertise in scientific, medical and military matters. Two of the members are Veterans, including the Committee Chairman, Major-General (ret’d) Pierre Morisset, MD.

"We are not suggesting that these concerned Veterans do not have health problems," said Dr. Morisset. "However, we firmly believe that whatever health problems they do have are unlikely related to depleted uranium."

"It is imperative that our approach to Veterans’ concerns be based on science to ensure our Veterans are receiving the best and most appropriate support and treatment," said Minister Blaney. "The work of these experts will add another layer of assurance that the Government of Canada is using the most up-to-date research and analysis in considering Veterans’ health issues." ....

From a summary of the report (report also available here if previous link doesn't work):

.... Having completed its thorough reviews, consultations and deliberations, the Committee arrived at the following conclusions:

    Depleted uranium (DU) is potentially harmful to human health by virtue of its chemical and radiological effects.
    Within a military setting, the highest risk of exposure to depleted uranium is in those who were: in, on or near vehicles hit with friendly fire; entering or near these burning vehicles; near fires involving DU munitions; salvaging damaged vehicles; or involved in clean up operations of contaminated sites.
    It is unlikely that Canadian soldiers have been exposed to levels of depleted uranium which could be harmful to their health.
    There is no consistent evidence from military cohort studies of adverse health effects that could be attributed to depleted uranium.
    There is no strong evidence of adverse health effects reported in larger civilian studies with longer follow-up periods of populations with increased exposure to uranium (e.g. uranium production and fabrication workers).
    Our finding that exposure to uranium is not associated with a large or frequent health effect is in agreement with the conclusions of other expert bodies.
    There are many Veterans suffering from persistent symptoms following deployment or military conflict which, although not linked to specific exposures such as DU, can cause considerable suffering and can be effectively treated.
 ....

[milnews.ca]

A couple of updates....

1)  What the vets' 'budman has to say - highlights mine....

.... My first impression is that the review has been conducted thoroughly and objectively. As some of you may know, the Committee has concluded that it is unlikely that Canadian Forces members have been exposed to levels of depleted uranium that could be harmful to their health. However, the committee has also acknowledged that “there are many Veterans suffering from persistent symptoms following deployment or military conflict which, although not linked to specific exposures such as DU, can cause considerable suffering.”

Annex F of the report, Chronic Symptom-based Illnesses Following Wars, starts with the sentence: “A condition frequently reported after military conflicts is characterized by persistent symptoms for which physical examination and laboratory testing is often unrevealing.” The acknowledgement that some Veterans are suffering from symptoms that science cannot currently explain is important.

What must not be forgotten here is that many CF members go on mission healthy but return from duty ill for unknown reasons. That is a fact that must be acknowledged by Veterans Affairs Canada. The needs of these suffering Veterans must be addressed even if science cannot explain the cause of their symptoms.

2)  According to this notice, the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Health - Dr. Pierre Morisset - is speaking to these folks tomorrow (14 Feb 13) about the report.