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In Indonesia, there is currently a hot discussion regarding chemtrails appearing in the skies in several cities. Many people attribute this to conspiracy theories, according to which these chemtrails cause the omicron-type of coronavirus disease 2019 (B.1.1.529). Through this paper, we hope that Indonesian citizens be able to think more positively and maintain their mental and physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The recent use of Chemical Weapons (CWs) in armed conflicts and terror attacks highlights the importance of understanding their full impact in order to inform an effective response. This article argues that while the consequences of CWs on individual health have dominated our understanding of the impact of these weapons, far less attention has been directed to their impact on public health. Methods A review of the literature on the health impact of CWs was conducted, and two case studies of their use in urban settings were explored - Halabja in northern Iraq in 1988 and throughout Syria's ongoing conflict. Results The importance of considering the long-term health consequences of CW use and their impact on healthcare and health systems was demonstrated. Conclusions This article highlights the importance of supporting future research on the topic and proposes a framework for assessing the public health impact of CW use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a well known chemical warfare agent that poses a major threat to military personnel and also populace. It targets multiple macromolecules, and its toxic effects are mediated by complex mechanisms. However, the sequence and manner of SM-induced cellular and molecular events underpinning the pathological processes are not fully elucidated. Effective therapeutic agents against SM poisoning are also lacking. The present study aimed to determine the dynamic cytotoxic profiles of SM in primary cultured human epidermal keratinocytes-fetal (HEK-f) and human dermal fibroblasts-adult (HDF-a) by establishing a high content analysis (HCA)-based multiparametric toxicity assay panel. SM was found to produce multiple, concentration-dependent cellular responses, including abnormal cellular morphology, cycle arrest, apoptosis, necrosis, mitochondrial membrane potential imbalance, increased membrane permeability, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and lysosome impairment. Time-course analysis indicated that the cellular and molecular responses related to the highly reactive targets of SM, such as glutathione depletion, reactive oxygen species release, DNA and lysosomal damage, and actin microfilament architecture modification, were congenerous initial events for SM injury. Moreover, this study demonstrated a novel finding that SM induced autophagy, and it was closely related to lysosome alterations in both cell types. Higher susceptibility of HEK-f cells to SM was associated with early lysosomal damage and decreased autophagy activity. Multiparametric HCA also revealed the concentration-dependent cytoprotective effect of hydroxychloroquine in HDF-a cells. The above results provided overall and objective evidence for elucidating the cytotoxic mechanism of SM, and also a good scientific base for further research on countermeasures against SM injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors conducted factor analysis on survey data from 1,779 Persian Gulf War veterans. Their purposes were to: 1) determine whether factor analysis identified a unique “Gulf War syndrome” among veterans potentially exposed to chemical warfare agents; 2) compare the findings of factor analysis with those from an epidemiologic analysis of symptom prevalence; and 3) observe the behavior of factor analysis when performed on dichotomous data. The factor analysis identified three factors, but they were not unique to any particular deployment group. A unique pattern of illness was not found for the larger group of veterans potentially exposed to chemical warfare agents; however, veterans who had witnessed the demolition of chemical warfare agents at the Khamisiyah site in Iraq had a greater prevalence of dysesthesia. An analysis of the performance of dichotomous variables in factor analysis showed that the standard criteria used to determine the number of relevant factors and the dominant variables within them may be inappropriate. While Gulf War veterans appear to suffer an increased burden of illness, there is insufficient evidence to identify a unique syndrome in this population of deployed servicemen and women. Furthermore, the results provide evidence that factor analysis may make a limited contribution in this area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines arguments over the use of poison gas during and after World War I. The use of poison gas in the war marked an important step in the evolution of the intimate relationship between science and military superiority; First use of chlorine gas by the Germans; Question whether the use of the gas was inhumane; Intense debates; U.S. involvement in the war and with gas; Poison gas as the focus of peace efforts after the war; Social effects of poison gas.

Two letters to the editor are presented, one in relation to symposias on the biological warfare research (BWR) for the development of microbial weaponry and for plant defoliation, and another concerning the morality of the present military posture.

Objectives: This study describes exposures to military veterans who participated between 1941 and 1989 in British research at Porton Down on the effects of exposure to chemical warfare agents and to defences against those agents. The study is part of a programme of epidemiological research initiated in response to service veterans concerns about possible long-term health effects of their participation. Methods: All entries in 97 books held in the Porton Down historical experimental archive covering the years 1939–1989 were reviewed. For tests between April 1941 and December 1989, data were abstracted on chemicals used, with additional detail abstracted for tests involving vesicants and nerve agents. For tests recorded during 1939–1941, similar data were abstracted for a representative sample of tests. Results: Historical data were abstracted for 17 303 veterans included in the cohort study of 18 276 servicemen who took part in tests at Porton Down between 1941 and 1989. The median number of days per veteran on which tests were carried out was 2 days. The median difference between the last and first day of testing was 4 days. A large number of chemicals were tested over this period (n = 492). The type of chemical tested varied over time. Exposures were often modified by respirator use or use of protective clothing or protective equipment. It was possible to assign a quantitative measure of cumulative exposure to 73% of veterans exposed to the vesicant sulphur mustard—3491 (34%) of exposed veterans had cumulative exposures ≥10.63 mg and for 70% of veterans exposed to the nerve agent sarin—658 (29%) of exposed veterans had cumulative exposures ≥15.0 mg min m−3. Ninety-three per cent of veterans exposed to sulphur mustard were classified to a semi-quantitative scale of dermal effect—3771 (37%) had a vesicle or necrosed area, and 69% of veterans exposed to sarin could be categorized by change in blood cholinesterase activity—1033 (31%) had a depression in cholinesterase activity of ≥30%. Conclusions: The experimental archive at Porton Down has proved to be a rich source of data on tests conducted between 1941 and 1989. It has been possible to categorize most veterans according to date of test, chemical group, chemical, type of protection and, for certain chemicals, level of exposure and/or degree of acute toxicity. These categorizations have been used to assign veterans to exposure groups for epidemiological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK government has carried out a research programme studying military capability under conditions of chemical warfare at a facility at Porton Down, Wiltshire, since World War I. In 2001 the Ministry of Defence commissioned a cohort study to investigate the long-term health effects on military veterans of their participation in this programme. We assessed the availability and quality of exposure assessment data held in the archive at Porton Down for the purpose of this study. This involved looking in detail at exposure data in a sample of 150 veterans and undertaking a general review of all available records held in the archive. These sources suggested that the Porton Down records were largely complete and included sufficient identifying information for linkage with service personnel data and with national mortality and cancer registration records. Servicemen usually had multiple tests so data were most readily available in a test-wise format, allowing subsequent aggregation of tests by individual. The name of the chemical used in each test could be determined for most tests and most of the named chemicals could be categorized into major groups for epidemiological analyses. For the major groups (vesicants and nerve agents), quantitative data were available on exposure and on acute toxicity. Standardization will be required of the several different units which were used. Based on this study, exposure assessment for the cohort study of Porton Down veterans will involve abstraction of the name of the chemical used in each test, with quantitative data on exposure and acute toxicity for vesicants and nerve agents. Our results here show that experimental records at Porton Down offer a unique and valuable resource for reconstructing the chemical exposures used in this research programme. The resulting cohort study has the potential to provide information which will assist in understanding the long-term health impact of chemical warfare agent exposure on these veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]