Washington, November 8 (RHC)-- A new probe finds the Pentagon has failed to act on claims by more than 600 U.S. soldiers who have reported being exposed to chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003.

The numbers came to light through an internal Pentagon review after a recent New York Times report found that the George W. Bush administration concealed the discovery of chemical weapons in Iraq that had been developed with U.S. support in the 1980s — and then denied medical care to the wounded U.S. soldiers involved.

The initial report put the number of injured soldiers at 17, but the Pentagon’s own records now reveal that 629 soldiers described suspected exposure to chemical agents on post-combat health surveys.

According to the Times, after years of failing to properly track or treat the victims, the Pentagon will now launch outreach efforts, including a hotline.