11
Nov
Toxic Chemical Exposure During Military Service Recognized as Threatening Veterans’ Health
(Beyond Pesticides, November 11, 2025) A study published in Cardiovascular Toxicology (July 2025) finds significant associations between Gulf War deployment-related toxic chemical exposure hazards and various adverse health outcomes, including heightened risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs), such as “heart attack, coronary heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and peripheral vascular disease.”
While there were no significant associations found directly between pesticide products and these adverse health effects, researchers attribute this to limited sample sizes and wide confidence intervals as part of the study methodology. Further research is necessary to build on this study, given the preponderance of scientific evidence linking pesticide exposure to heightened health risks to the cardiovascular system. On the issue of statistical significance, the authors state the following: “There may be difficulty [for survey respondents] remembering the[ir] military exposure history since the survey was completed nearly 25 years after the Gulf War.”
While it is difficult to pinpoint pesticide exposure as a cause of illness among the toxic mixtures to which service members are exposed, there has been recognition by the Veterans Administration (VA) of diseases that are directly related to military service. Beyond Pesticides previously reported that the VA has established 20 burn pit and other toxic exposure presumptive conditions under the PACT Act, The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022. Benefits established by the VA for Gulf War era and post-9/11 Veterans include the following (see Military.com for complete list here):
- Cancers of the brain, head, neck, and nervous system
- Brain and nervous system disorders (i.e., Parkinson’s Disease)
- Sarcomas
- Spinal cord cancers
- Gastrointestinal cancers
- Kidney cancers
- Lymphomas
- Melanomas
- Pancreatic cancers
- Reproductive cancers
- Respiratory cancers
- Various non-cancer conditions (High blood pressure/hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, among others)
Additionally, the following illnesses are now presumptive:
- Asthma that was diagnosed after service
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Chronic rhinitis
- Chronic sinusitis
- Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
- Emphysema
- Granulomatous lung disease
- Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
- Pleuritis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis
The VA identifies specific areas of military service with time periods that are covered by the PACT Act. The Act includes other presumptive conditions, including, for example, exposure to Agent Orange (the mixture of herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T), used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War. See also PACT Act Success and Reflection Ahead of Veterans’ Day, Charts Pathway for Organic.
Although the latest study findings are not statistically significant after adjusting for other clinical risk factors (hypertension/diabetes/high cholesterol), it is important to note that the effects of pyridostigmine bromide pills resemble organophosphate pesticides. (See Daily News here.) In addition, some nerve gas agents, such as Sarin and VX, that Gulf War veterans were exposed to are structurally related to organophosphorus compounds. For the purposes of this study, the authors do not consider these to be forms of “pesticide” exposure or that the underlying risk factors may be associated with endocrine-disrupting effects of pesticides and other chemical exposures during military service.
In recognition of Veterans’ Day, environmental and public health advocates continue to advocate for regulatory reform to protect service members from toxic exposures, both in the line of duty and at home.
Background and Methodology
“Our current study addresses these gaps in the literature by examining associations of GW [Gulf War]-related exposures with ASCVD [atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases] and established clinical risk factors for ASCVD,” say the authors in terms of their primary objective for this study.
The study’s methodology is based on survey data from VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) 585 Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository—consisting of 942 Gulf War veterans who deployed between August 1990 and July 1991 and completed surveys between 2014 and 2016. The exposure variables include the following:
- Smoke from oil well fires
- Chemical and biological warfare agents
- Pyridostigmine bromide pills
- Pesticide cream or liquid applied to the skin
- Uniform treated with pesticides
- Insect baits/no-pest strips in living areas
In the survey, veterans categorize their exposure as “no,” “not sure,” and “yes,” with duration subcategories including “1-6 days,” “7-30 days,” and “+31 days” for all “yes” responses. Meanwhile, the health outcomes are clinician-diagnosed cases. Adjustments were made for covariates, including age, sex, race and ethnicity, smoking history, and body mass index (BMI). To learn more about the statistical analysis, see pages 2-3 (1,264-1,265) of the study.
The researchers are based at Baylor College of Medicine (Texas), Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (Texas), Million Veteran Program (MVP) Coordinating Center at the VA Boston Healthcare System, and Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center-Durham at the Durham VA Medical Center (North Carolina).
Results
The researchers ran separate models to ascertain the duration and forms of toxic exposures and their potential significant associations with severe adverse health effects linked to the cardiovascular system. Another round of modeling was conducted to run exposures significantly associated with ASCVDs after adjusting for other clinical risk factors.
The study identifies a significant association between ASCVDs in surveyed veterans who reported over 31 days of exposure to chemical and biological agents. The authors also reference several notable limitations to their study:
- “There may be difficulty remembering the military exposure history since the survey was completed nearly 25 years after the Gulf War. Further, there may be selection bias since veterans with high disease burden may have been more motivated to participate in the CSP 585 survey compared to healthier veterans.”
- “Despite the large sample overall, the infrequency of some outcomes limited certain statistical testing, i.e., the association between uniform treated with pesticides and ASCVD and insect baits in living areas and any of the health outcomes could not be tested. These limitations may also explain the apparent inconsistencies of some findings, such as why only intermediate duration of exposure to smoke from oil well fires and PB pills were significantly associated with some health outcomes.”
Previous Coverage
The PACT Act and its successful rollout represent a model for addressing the needs of a systemically neglected subpopulation—veterans. (See Daily News here.)
The legacy of toxic burn pits (open air areas where the military has burned toxic waste) and other avenues of toxic exposure in military bases oversees, as well as within the United States in Hawai’i (see coverage on asbestos exposure continuously impacting veterans, as reported on by Honolulu Civil Beat) and Puerto Rico (see peer-reviewed literature review here on toxic heavy metals in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), among other areas, has been identified by social critics as integral to country’s history of imperialism. The law recognizes the toxic exposure from smoke and fumes generated from open burn pits. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of the Southwest Asia theater of military operations, open-air combustion of chemicals, tires, plastics, medical equipment, and human waste in burn pits was a common practice, according to VA. The Department of Defense says it has now closed most burn pits and is planning to close the remainder.
As of mid-August 2025, Department of Veterans Affairs approved 61.8 percent of disability claims to provide benefits to “nearly 1.3 million veterans or family members,” according to reporting by Military.com. 42 percent of approved claims in FY25 were related to the PACT Act. Claims as of late August amounted to approximately 675,319, down from 1.1 million in 2023—the first year after passage of PACT.
According to VA Pact Act Third Anniversary Performance Dashboard (see here), over 1.9 million claims have been approved since the passage of PACT Act in 2022. When conducting health screenings to confirm their eligibility to receive PACT benefits, 650,354 (10 percent) veterans experienced more than one potential toxic exposure, emphasizing the significance of the need to assess cumulative exposure.
There are numerous peer-reviewed studies associating pesticide exposure with adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, as compiled in the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database section on cardiovascular diseases. A study published earlier this year in Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology finds that “higher pesticide exposure was significantly associated with elevated blood pressure and greater risks of hypertension.” More specifically, “[t]he results indicated that exposure to PNP [para-nitrophenol/parathion] and 2,4-D may contribute to an increased risk of hypertension.” (See Daily News here.) In the same vein, an editorial in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy earlier this year finds that triazole fungicides, such as tebuconazole, propiconazole, and difenoconazole, pose a significant risk of cardiotoxicity with “growing concerns regarding their safety for human health, especially in long-term exposure,” the authors share. After analyzing the known mechanisms of cardiotoxicity of triazole pesticides in mammals, they conclude that “the most effective approach to mitigating triazole-induced cardiotoxicity lies in prevention.” (See Daily News here.)
Call to Action
You can take action today by learning more about nontoxic alternatives to pest management through Beyond Pesticides’ programs on Mosquito Management and Insect-Borne Diseases, Nontoxic Lawns and Landscapes, and other resources based on your interest.
See here to access additional Daily News and to learn more about the scientific literature on synthetic pesticides, as well as our What the Science Shows on Biodiversity webpage.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source: Cardiovascular Toxicology
