Study: Canadian Persian Gulf cohort

A summary of a new report on the incidence of mortality and cancer among Canadian military personnel of the Gulf and Kuwait war is now available.

The summary is based on a detailed historical study of mortality rates and cancer incidence among veterans who were deployed to the Persian Gulf between August 1990 and October 1991. The health of these veterans was compared with a group of members of the military who were eligible for deployment, but who were not sent to the gulf. In this study, the term "veterans" refers to retired and currently serving members of the Canadian military.

The study also compares rates of mortality and cancer incidence in both groups of military personnel with rates in the general population.

Canadian veterans of the Gulf and Kuwait War did not appear to be at increased risk of either dying or developing cancer in the nine years following the end of the hostilities. These results were consistent with those of other larger studies on the health of Gulf War veterans of other countries.

Note: Statistics Canada's primary role in this study was to link the Gulf and Kuwait War veterans' demographic information and that of other Canadian military personnel to its Mortality and Cancer Incidence Databases.

A copy of Canadian Persian Gulf Cohort Study: Summary Report (82-580-XIE, free) is now available online. From Our Products and services page, under Browse our Internet publications, choose Free, then Health.

To enquire about the concepts, methods and data quality of the report, please contact Marie P. Beaudet (613-951-7025), Health Statistics Division. For comment on the report or to obtain a copy of the full report, contact the Media Liaison office (613-996-2353 or 613-996-2354), Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces.