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(07/09/2025) Researchers with the VA Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety led a team that linked toxic exposures during deployments to an increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) in Gulf War Veterans. ASCVD are a group of medical conditions caused by a buildup of plaque along artery walls. The researchers analyzed data from more than 900 Veterans who deployed to the Persian Gulf between August 1990 and July 1991. Eleven percent reported one or more ASCVD conditions. Exposure to oil well fire smoke increased the odds of ASCVD by 295%; pyridostigmine bromide pills, which were given to troops to protect against nerve agent attacks, increased the odds by 237%; and exposure to chemical/biological agents increased the odds by 418%. The data suggests clinicians should discuss these exposures, and the risk they carry for ASCVD, with their Gulf War Veteran patients. (Cardiovascular Toxicology, Jul. 5, 2025)