'"The retreating Iraqi army ignited approximately 600 oil wells in February 1991 which burned for about 9 months. These fires produced massive amounts of thick smoke which sometimes drifted to ground level causing increased exposure to ground troops. When this occurred the air pollution was far greater than would be experienced in the average traffic congested western city. Questionnaires filled in by US troops indicated higher rates of eye and upper respiratory tract irritation, shortness of breath, cough, rashes, and fatigue than unexposed troops. The smoke from oil well fires contained a cocktail of chemicals, notably, benzene, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide as well as quantities of particulate matter. The latter two chemicals can cause eye and nose irritation, decreased pulmonary function, and increased airway reactivity. Particulate matter is associated with increased rates of asthma and can exacerbate other chronic respiratory conditions."
Mycoplasma is a terrible thing.Breathing those fumes has to also be terrible. '