By Patricia Kime (April 3, 2019)

“…In 2005, Hopkins began experiencing wild swings in blood pressure. And he had other symptoms: crippling nausea, constant dizziness, a skyrocketing heart rate. He was given a diagnosis of common high blood pressure, and for a while he felt better by keeping himself on a high dose of a medication for that condition. He was on deployment in Afghanistan when the nausea returned, with migraine symptoms, abnormal thirst and muddled thinking. Medical tests were inconclusive, leading military doctors and commanders to suspect depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or, worse, “malingering” — the medical term for soldiers who feign sickness to shirk duty.”

“While the number of affected soldiers is small, the diagnosis can be life-changing to these troops, who for years have wrestled with unexplained symptoms that mimic traumatic brain injury or PTSD, including impaired concentration, anger, anxiety and impulsivity, as well as physical manifestations like tremors, high blood pressure, low sperm count and peripheral neuropathy.”

“Lead exposure is a known hazard of military service: The United States armed forces have fired billions of rounds of ammunition containing the toxic material since entering Afghanistan in October 2001. Troops are exposed to the metal while shooting indoors and outside; gathering shell casings; smoking, chewing tobacco or eating on ranges; cleaning their weapons; and living and fighting in polluted environments. But lead monitoring and testing programs at the Defense Department have focused primarily on service members who work on firing ranges and on the civilian staff at ranges, who are regulated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines. Defense Department policy requires service members who may be exposed to high levels of airborne lead for 30 or more days a year to get a blood test for lead, with follow-up tests at least annually.”

“After he diagnosed Hopkins and another service member with chronic lead poisoning, Dorrance contacted the office of the surgeon at Special Operations Command, the Environmental Health unit at Fort Bragg and officials at Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Command to request that more troops be tested and the problem be researched. But six years after the issue was first raised, little progress has been made. The Department of Defense, which until last year annually tested blood lead levels in just 1,200 out of almost three million troops and civilian employees, has found very few cases of lead poisoning, leading Army officials to believe that there isn’t a widespread problem.”

“Dorrance and Dr. Mark Hyman, director of the Center for Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, argue that this theory is wrong — and that they have the patients to prove it. Pointing to a growing body of research that suggests that lead in the bones may be more toxic than once thought, they say physicians should be considering lead poisoning as a possible cause for many unexplained symptoms in service members, especially uncontrolled hypertension, fatigue and brain fog. ‘These soldiers are breaking down, and they go to doctor after doctor after doctor, and every single one of them misses what is going on,’ Hyman said. ‘These soldiers aren’t getting the proper care. It’s a huge blind spot.'”

Read more from the NY Times here: The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning.

Lead Poisoning Symptoms:

1. Decreased cognitive abilities, especially reduced ability to focus on, learn, and remember new things
2. Fatigue
3. Irritability
4. Abdominal pain or “stomach aches” 
5. Headache
6. Constipation 
7. Loss of appetite
8. Tingling in the hands or feet

Learn more here: Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

Related Stories:
After Lead Poisoning Symptoms Dismissed by PTSD Diagnosis, It Results in Brain Inflammation, Fatigue, Muscle Weakness, Digestion Issues & Chronic Pain
I Watched My Father Die From a Brutal & Painful Battle with Terminal Bone Cancer… And My Toxic Military Leadership Kicked Me While I Was Down
NBC News: Veterans Wait 30 Years on Average for the U.S. to Acknowledge Toxic Exposures (September 18, 2024)
How Lead Poisoning Is Treated And How to Reduce Your Risk