Chemical warfare in the Middle East's recent conflicts has caused lung diseases in the regions that were exposed to the poisonous substances in the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere, a report said.

"The frequent wars in the Middle East have included chemical ammunitions that can cause immediate lung damage and have potential long-term effects, ranging from bronchiolitis to 'desert-storm pneumonitis,'" a paper in Respirology, a journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology said.

"The wealth of pulmonary pathologies encountered in the Middle East probably surpasses all other regions of the world," lead author Dr. Atul Mehta, chief medical officer at Sheik Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, said.

The journal study followed numerous research reports earlier that looked into the effects of chemicals ingested by civilians and soldiers, notably during the 1990-91 Gulf War.

The ongoing conflict in Libya led to calls to investigate reports of injuries caused by toxic elements used in the ordnance used during the fighting. No details of the alleged poisoning by spent ammunition have been available.

Respirology said effects of toxic residues from ammunition used on the battle field added to a number of diseases that hadn't been stamped out despite the region's relative prosperity.

The study cited tuberculosis, bronchial and pleural diseases, respiratory tract infections and neoplasms or tumors hadn't been eliminated in the region.

The World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Report said in its latest figures for 2008 that 114,000 people died of TB, another 407,000 perished as a result of respiratory infection, while 25,000 deaths were caused by lung, trachea and bronchus cancers and 160,000 succumbed to respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and asthma in the region.

The broad array of lung disorders could also be due to the large immigrant populations in the fast urbanizing centers and unique cultural and environmental conditions in the region, the report said. There has been frequent criticism of poor employment and housing conditions for non-Arab and non-European workers in the region, mostly those imported from South Asia.

Controversy still surrounds what the report termed "desert storm" syndrome and is better known as the Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness. Approximately 250,000 of the 697,000 fighters who served in the conflict were said to be affected by various toxic chemicals but the effect of the toxins on native or resident populations is less known or documented.

The report's authors called for comprehensive remedial action.

"An integrated approach that involves public health, primary care and pulmonary specialists is required to ensure effective management of the various lung diseases in the Persian Gulf," Mehta said.

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