'Sonic weapon': diplomats from the US and Canada could be hurt in Cuba due to pesticides
The so-called sound attacks, from which suffered almost 40 of American and Canadian diplomats in Cuba could have been caused by a neurotoxic substance used to kill mosquitoes.
Strange incidents began at the end of the 2016 year, when employees of the US and Canadian embassies started to seek medical help. They complained of hearing loss and ringing in the ears, which were ultimately associated with strange sounds or vibrations.
Investigators initially suspectedthat diplomats were victims of malicious sound attacks, although Cuba categorically rejected the allegations. Everything became so bad that the United States and Canada reduced the staff of the embassy, citing medical secrets, which are now called the Havana Syndrome.
In relation to the causes of headaches, dizziness and other similar symptoms were expressed various theories - from crickets to microwave weapons.
Global Affairs Canada commissioned a clinical trial to get the bottom line.
“The working hypothesis actually appeared only after we got most of the results,” said lead author Alon Friedman.
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Doctors, scientists, and researchers have carefully assessed Canadians' symptoms and studied numerous tests. They found brain damage in the area causing the symptoms reported by diplomats. The cholinesterase enzyme was found to be blocked. This is a key enzyme necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. This is the effect that some pesticides have on enzymes. Cuba, like many other tropical islands, regularly spray pesticides to kill insects that carry the disease.
Researchers then noted that in 2016, Cuba "launched an aggressive campaign against mosquitoes to stop the spread of the Zika virus."
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Embassy records showed that offices, as well as buildings inside and outside diplomatic residences, were sprayed five times more often than under normal circumstances. Toxicological reports of casualties in Canada confirmed the presence of pyrethroid and organophosphate, two substances commonly found in fumigation products.
“There are very specific types of toxins that affect the nervous system. And these are insecticides, pesticides and organophosphates, ”said Friedman.
Researchers were also able to find a correlation between the subjects, the most affected symptoms, and the number of fumigations performed at work and at home.
“We will continue to research in other ways to try to confirm which of the toxins is more toxic,” Friedman said.
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