[The VA] has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances. The claims process has also been complicated by Department of Defense claims that it cannot find records to substantiate most of the veterans participation in the tests, causing the VA to summarily deny those claims, the lawsuit alleges. The documentary was produced by Zero Point Zero Production, the production company behind Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown," so there's more visual flash and on-camera time for reporters than PBS viewers might expect. However, much of that flash comes from recordings made during the actual experiments. Lieberman, while acknowledging that "most of the military data" on the research ongoing at the Army Chemical Center was "secret and unpublished", asserted that "There are moral imponderables, such as whether insanity, temporary or permanent, is a more 'humane' military threat than the usual afflictions of war. 2009), the plaintiffs did not seek monetary damages. While the soldiers were given the option to decline the drug testing, there were innuendos of bad punishments if they did not participate, the former soldier said, according to CNN. Other exposures included tear gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD. According to at least one class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Edgewood Arsenal veterans, other substances tested on soldiers there included mescaline, amphetamines, mustard gas, CS (riot control agent), a THC analog called red oil, anthrax, botulism, plague, tularemia, Q fever, and crop destruction agents such as dioxin, used in Agent Orange. Edgewood Arsenal MKULTRA Lawsuit Larry Scott has been all over this betrayal. These experiments were conducted primarily to learn how various agents would affect humans (NRC 1982). In the mid-1970s, in the wake of many health claims made regarding exposure to the agents, the U.S. Congress began investigations of possible abuse in experiments and of inadequate informed consent given to the soldiers and civilians involved. (N.D. Cal. By this logic, Edgewood was possibly the safest military place in the world to spend two months. In the 1990s, the law firm Morrison & Foerster agreed to take on a class-action lawsuit against the government related to the Edgewood volunteers. "But this is a bargain we made. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. APG-EA continued to hurt soldiers ways after the human experiments and should be considered also. NPR Investigations Research Librarian Barbara Van Woerkom contributed reporting and research to this investigation. A Nashville veteran discusses a top-secret military testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to dangerous chemicals. But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 3. A Defense Department Form 214 or War Department discharge/separation form or the functional equivalent. 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics", Vol. Brad Flohr, a VA senior adviser for benefits, says the agency couldn't find the rest, because military records of the experiments were incomplete. But now he just wants people to know what he and others endured. Dr. James Ketchum led the experiments, and we've got a clip in which he defends his methods. The plaintiffs collectively referred to themselves as the "Test Vets". But he's haunted by what happened to him at Edgewood. "Health Effects from Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Weapons", Vol. Other agencies including the CIA and the Special Operations Division of the Department of the Army were also reportedly involved in these studies (NAS 1993). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And this goes to the essence of 'Can you trust your government?' Medications cost $2,000 a month, which he was paying for out of pocket. The soldiers were induced to become part of the experiments by program representatives who said they were looking for soldiers to test Army gear, vehicles, and military combat equipment, CNN said. About 260 subjects were experimentally exposed to various psychochemicals including phencyclidine (PCP), and 10 related synthetic analogs of the active ingredient of cannabis (NRC 1984). Parker Waichman LLP is offering free lawsuit evaluations to any former soldier who was subjected to medical experimentation at Edgewood Arsenal between 1955 through 1975. VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. Schnurman and his. Your email will only be used if a response is needed. The whole thing stinks, and if the American people knew about it, they would not tolerate it. It was like a plum assignment, Josephs said. "[5] This was alarming enough to a Harvard psychiatrist, E. James Lieberman, that he published an article entitled "Psychochemicals as Weapons" in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1962. "This is not an easy, not a simple thing," Flohr says. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. including tests designed to look for racial difference. General William M. Creasy, former chief chemical officer, U.S. Army, testified to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1959 that "provided sufficient emphasis is put behind it, I think the future lies in the psychochemicals. As a result, at least one class action lawsuit has been filed against the Defense Department and Department of Veteran Affairs, with the hope of, at the very least, getting . Thus, between 1950 and 1975, about 6,720 soldiers took part in experiments involving exposures to 254 different chemicals, conducted at U.S. Army Laboratories at Edgewood Arsenal, MD (NRC 1982, NRC 1984, NAS 1993). . 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics" (1982). And you just wouldnt think they would give you something that would harm you intentionally.. In order to best serve veterans and their families, VA continues to study the possibility of long-term health effects associated with in-service exposure to chemical and biological weapons, the letter promised. Over a period of 20 years, more than 7,000 volunteers spent an estimated total of 14,000 months at Edgewood Arsenal. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. More than 20 years later, the VA has attempted to contact fewer than a quarter of the thousands it said it would. The IOM decided in the end there wasnt enough information to reach definitive conclusions.. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. My mom eventually transferred to Edgewood Arsenal shortly later. Ariel Zambelich/NPR. [13] Some additional information in the section cited from the Course was based on a 1993 IOM study, Veterans at Risk: Health Effects of Mustard Gas and Lewisite. CV-09-0037-CW, U.S.D.C. Did you encounter any technical issues? Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF), Read about an Edgewood volunteers widow who blames the VA for his death, Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. The first story in this report focused on race-based experiments done as part of the military's chemical warfare program: Cavell, now 88 years old, says the officer threatened him and the other test subjects: If they told anyone about their knowledge or participation in the experiments, they would receive a dishonorable discharge and be sent to military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. "They put the fear of God in just a bunch of young kids," he says. A third type of test exposed troops to gas outdoors in simulated combat settings. She says they didn't know that he was eligible for disability benefits when he died of a heart attack in 1995. Edgewood Arsenal was a classified US army facility in Maryland where recruits were subjected to sarin, VX, teargas, LSD and PCP. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. hide caption, Former CIA Director Porter Goss says the VA has mishandled these claims. Copyright 2023 Military.com. It is not known how many soldiers may be experiencing long-tem health problems because of their participation in the U.S. Army medical experiments at Edgewood Arsenal. After World War II, U.S. military researchers obtained formulas for the three nerve gases developed by the Nazistabun, soman, and sarinand conducted studies on them at the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. The experiments involved at least 254 chemical substances, but focused mainly on midspectrum incapacitants, such as LSD, THC derivatives, benzodiazepines, and BZ. These men aren't polished or rehearsed, and the filmmakers let them have their say, even when things veer into pure speculation. "We weren't told what it was," says Charlie Cavell, who was 19 when he volunteered for the program in exchange for two weeks' vacation. APG Transition: 1980s-1990s Lasting from 1950 to 1975, the experiments took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. These experiments with mustard gas were conducted by the Army and Navy at more than a dozen locations. The class-action lawsuit was filed by Vietnam Veterans of America, Swords to Plowshares and individual veterans seeking medical care for troops who participated in the programs at Edgewood Arsenal and Fort Detrick in Maryland. For 20 years the government tested chemicals on soldiers who were not aware what was being put in their bodies. Edgewood Arsenal Chemical Agent Exposure Studies FAQs. In the midst of the Cold War, the military was concerned chemical agents could be used against U.S. soldiers. However, the declaration was an effective deterrent, and the Axis powers did not use . Health Care The website has details about applying for medical care through this program. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. The use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances. In 1988, Cavell requested copies of his records from the experiments he was in at the Naval Research Laboratory. He believes the testing hurt him emotionally and stole part of his life. Declassified military films show soldiers being given drugs and then being monitored to see their impacts. Charlie Cavell at his home in Virginia. About 7,000 soldiers took part in these experiments that involved exposures to more than 250 different chemicals, according to the Department of Defense (DoD). 3, "Final Report: Current Health Status of Test Subjects", Health Outcomes Among Veterans of Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) (2016), "United States v. Stanley, 483 US 669 - Supreme Court 1987", "Vietnam Veterans of America v. Central Intelligence Agency", "THE HUMAN ASSESSMENT OF EA 1729 AND EA 3528 BY THE INHALATION ROUTE", "Assessment of Potential Long Term Health Effects on Army Human Test Subjects of Relevant Biological and Chemical Agents, Drugs, Medications and Substances", "King's Collections: Archive Catalogues: Military Archives", "Operation Delirium: Decades after a risky Cold War experiment, a scientist lives with secrets". Oakland, CA: A Veterans disability class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of several Veterans Affairs associations including Vietnam Veterans of America as well as individual Vietnam. A refusal to satisfy their legal and moral obligations to locate the victims of experiments or to provide health care or compensation to them. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs Parkinsons disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Only a small number of all the experiments done during this period involved mustard agents or Lewisite. The lawsuit sought for the veterans to be notified about what substances they had received and be provided medical coverage. the common OP antidote, other ocular and respiratory irritants; and. He is very knowledgeable about the law and extremely professional. The agents tested included chemical warfare agents and other related agents (inactive substances or placebos such as saline were used): There are no tests today that can confirm exposure to agents from decades ago. 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A lot of chemicals were referred to as agent one or agent two., Some weeks, he would undergo one test; other weeks, more, Josephs said. "But we have done everything that we could do, I definitely believe that.". He is one of 60,000 World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas as part of secret experiments by the U.S. military. With regard specifically to BZ and related compounds, the IOM study concluded that "available data suggest that long-term toxic effects and/or delayed sequellae are unlikely". It claimed "no significant health effects have been observed" in those who were tested. The process typically relies on evidence, but most of the men in these experiments have none because the tests were done in secret. The mustard gas experiments were conducted at a time when American intelligence showed that enemy gas attacks were imminent. I was pregnant with my daughter while there, this was also when they were digging up old cluster bombs while excavating to build some new buildings, the same time the commander was indicted from the environmental agency, the same time they found out the water was not suitable for consumption. Finally, from 1962 to 1972, a total of 123 irritant chemicals were tested on only two subjects each exposed using a wind tunnel (NRC 1984). [22], Material Testing Program EA (Edgewood Arsenal) numbers. In the late 1940s and early '50s, the U.S. Army worked with Harvard anesthesiologist Henry K. Beecher at its interrogation center at Camp King in Germany on the use of psychoactive compounds (mescaline, LSD), including human subject experiments and the debriefing of former Nazi physicians and scientists who had worked along similar lines before the end of the war. ", Goss says he thinks the VA never delivered on its promises because this issue has been disappearing on its own for years. Court documents show that the Veterans Benefits Administration rejected 84 of 86 health claims related to chemical or biological exposure. In the end, the focus is on the veterans who endured these experiments and the struggles many have faced since. The club operated from approximately the 1920s until sometime not long after the Arsenal was combined with Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1971. he says. A nurse or doctor asked him questions after he was put in a chamber and exposed to an irritant, likely tear gas. The judges in 2015 rejected a district courts earlier argument that the Army didnt have to provide medical care for the veterans because some of them receive VA care, The judges instead ruled the Army has a duty to provide them care. A failure to secure informed consent and other widespread failures to follow the precepts of U.S. and international law regarding the use of human subjects, including the 1953 Wilson Directive and the Nuremberg Code. From Edgewood, Josephs said he went to an Army installation in Georgia, where he experienced tremors so severe, he had to be admitted to the base hospital and given muscle relaxers. Those substances affect the same region of the brain, Erspamer said. "You can't coordinate anything you know. In a statement, the Defense Department said that it has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances and the VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans.. The lawsuit quoted a 1954 report to President Dwight Eisenhower which urged him to approve the human testing program, "If the United states is to survive, long standing American concepts of fair play must be reconsidered.". These men make a convincing case that they were not briefed about the risks involved in the program and did not understand the potential for the long-term effects they've endured. "And as far as the secretary and I are concerned, we're about to do right by them.". "I've read several of the guys say they were never the same after BZ, and they are telling the truth," Paul said. The tests evaluated protective equipment like gas masks and suits. Then, in 1996, Bollinger received a military commendation in the mail. 31 subjects experienced ocular exposure via direct CS application to their eyes. Edgewood dropped that lawsuit in February of 2020 in an attempt to come to an agreement with the City over the field. Rochelle, 60, who has come back to live in Onslow county, said in an interview that there were about two dozen volunteers . In some cases, soldiers involved in these experiments were exposed to multiple chemical and biological agents, including incapacitating drugs and toxic substances. Discovery Company. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a three-volume report on the Edgewood research in 19821985, Possible Long-Term Health Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Chemical Agents.[16]. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals. Youre going to Vietnam either way before or after, Josephs said recently. The founder and director of the program, Dr Van Murray Sim, was called before Congress and chastised by outraged lawmakers, who questioned the absence of follow-up care for the human volunteers. And when he questioned the staff about whether he was in any danger, they reassured him: There is nothing here that could ever harm you., But Josephs, 63, believes the chemical agents he received during his two-month stint at Edgewood did harm him, triggering health problems that continue to plague him four decades later. These irritant chemicals were selected for human testing following preliminary animal studies. Several veterans claimed they were exposed to dangerous chemicals during government-sponsored Cold War experiments without their knowledge, and they filed suit in 2009 against the Army, Veterans Affairs, the CIA and the Department of Defense. All Rights Reserved. "Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare Agents", Sommer, Harold Z. Krenzer, John Miller, Jacob I. EA 1464 and Related Compounds. [9] The safety record of the Edgewood Arsenal experiments was also defended in the memoirs of psychiatrist and retired colonel James Ketchum, a key scientist:[18]. v. Central Intelligence Agency, et al. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinsons for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. In this U.S. government photo, Wray Forrest is seen on the far right in 1973 while participating in the program at Maryland's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center. According to a CNN report that aired in March 2012, from 1955 to 1975 more than 7,000 soldiers each spent two months at Edgewood Arsenal, where they were exposed to as many 250 different chemical and biological agents as part of secret medical experiments. The prior finding held that the Army has an ongoing duty to seek out and provide "notice" to former test participants of any new information that could potentially affect their health. "We did volunteer," Paul said. Some of the volunteers exhibited certain symptoms at the time of exposure to these agents. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. My phone calls were always returned quickly and all of my questions were answered in a thorough manner. [10], According to a DOD FAQ, the Edgewood Arsenal experiments involved the following "rough breakout of volunteer hours against various experimental categories":[11]. Edgewood/Aberdeen Experiments From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. "There was no handle on the door. Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8. Cheryl Huppertz filed a lawsuit in district court Sept. 28, seeking a writ of mandamus to compel Edgewood to produce public [] "I don't think there's an explanation for why this program wasn't more successful," Goss says. Some gave up out of frustration. You can't hardly walk, and your mind is going so many different directions," Paul said. 7 Jun 2022 Military.com | By James Barber From 1955 to 1975, the Army conducted chemical weapons testing on volunteer soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland in pursuit of an. A previous version of this story misidentified Nat Schnurman's wife. Treatment will be in addition to the comprehensive medical care that plaintiffs are entitled to receive through Veterans Affairs because of their status as veterans, the release said. But the VA didn't uphold those promises, an NPR investigation has found. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal, or to other "volunteers" under contract to the Edgewood Arsenal, were not disclosed. Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in suit against VA. During experiments that began on February 19, 1968, Josephs experienced Parkinsons-like tremors after receiving Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication, Erspamer said, prompting the Edgewood medical staff to give the young soldier Congentin and Artane, two drugs used to treat Parkinsons symptoms. In 2009 a lawsuit was filed by veterans rights organizations Vietnam Veterans of America, and . "I remember him laying up in the bedroom up there," she says. I was a MRVP at Edgewood Arsenal Chemical in 1964/1965. The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. Three test subjects enter a gas chamber, which will fill with mustard gas, as part of the military's secret chemical warfare testing in March 1945. "There was no identifying information," he says. After an hour, the officer released six of the men back to their barracks. A tattered ball cap that says World War II veteran hangs by the front door in his house. He said the group was told they would help test military equipment like gas masks. What's the use?" If you or a loved one were exposed to dangerous drugs and toxins in the course of unethical medical experimentation conducted by the U.S. Army at Edgewood Arsenal, you may be entitled to compensation. Case No. Long-term psychological effects are possible from the trauma associated with being a human test subject. According to the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Edgewood Arsenal veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), despite having actively participated in the experiments, has denied between 97% and 99% of all disability or death claims arising out of the exposures. Blocks of ice sat on shelves overhead with fans blowing across them to increase the humidity in the room, which intensified mustard gas's effects on the body. A classified report entitled "Psychochemical Warfare: A New Concept of War" was produced in 1949 by Luther Wilson Greene, Technical Director of the Chemical and Radiological Laboratories at Edgewood. Vol. Rep., at 411.[5])[20]. And in 2010, the VA announced it would review 90,000 previously denied Agent Orange claims. Those regulations have kept veterans like Harry Bollinger, 88, from receiving benefits. The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. According to CNN, declassified government documents indicated the men were exposed to incapacitating drugs like BZ; or to sarin, an extremely toxic, potentially deadly substance that disrupts the nervous system; or to VX, a liquid neurotoxin considered one of the most dangerous chemicals created. If a page cannot be made accessible, we will work to make a text version available. Two TV documentaries, with different content but confusingly similar titles were broadcast: In 2012, the Edgewood/Aberdeen experiments were featured on CNN and in, This page was last edited on 30 November 2022, at 16:44. And instances when she told me when the office people had to stay indoors instill all cleared. 8:56 AM EST, Thu March 1, 2012. Office of Accountability & Whistleblower Protection, Training - Exposure - Experience (TEE) Tournament, Military Exposure Related Health Concerns, War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, Clinical Trainees (Academic Affiliations), Learn more from the Department of Defense, Review and Approach to Evaluating Long-term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects, Find out if you qualify for VA health care, Call TTY if you
27299 Riverview Center Boulevard, Suite 108. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much A diagnosed medical condition they think is a direct result of taking part in an Army chem/bio substance testing program. ", Flohr tells NPR his agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure. It also released soldiers from their oath of secrecy. Kristian Thacker for NPR Her name is Joy. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. Officials say they can't explain why the benefits weren't granted sooner. One of the men who never heard from the VA was John Berzellini. In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail. Josephs received his letter from the VA in 2008, four decades after he arrived at the Maryland base. My question to you is my son suffers from a rare form of eczema and severe asthma. Records indicate that between 1955 and 1965, of the 6,720 soldiers tested, only 147 human subjects underwent exposure to mustard agent at Edgewood (NRC 1982). II. Hancock said the class action lawsuit led to nearly 10 years of litigation. In January 2014, an additional request was made for release of multiple films made of Project SHAD tests. Vets feel abandoned after secret drug experiments, Former sergeant seeks compensation for LSD testing at Edgewood Arsenal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edgewood_Arsenal_human_experiments&oldid=1124810855, Development evaluation and test procedures, Effects of drugs and environmental stress on human physiological mechanisms, Human factors tests (ability to follow instructions), Other (visual studies, sleep deprivation, etc. Naval Research Laboratory Although, we tried.". From 1948 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified human subject research at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland. "[4] Soviet advances in the same field were cited as a special incentive giving impetus to research efforts in this area, according to testimony by Maj. Gen. Marshall Stubbs, the Army's chief chemical officer. Yet in just two months, an NPR research librarian located more than 1,200 of them, using the VA's own list of test subjects and public records. They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away., The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs declined face-to-face interviews with CNN, citing pending litigation. The court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment with respect to the other claims. At the Armys request, The Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit organization that is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, produced a three-volume report in the 1980s on the long-term health of Edgewood veterans. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) A top-secret military program treated active-duty U.S. soldiers like they were guinea pigs according to a class action lawsuit that shed light on what happened. I am convinced that it is possible, by means of the techniques of psychochemical warfare, to conquer an enemy without the wholesale killing of his people or the mass destruction of his property.[2]. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. All Rights Reserved. This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in psycho-chemical warfare. After all, the Edgewood experimenters were focused on disabling soldiers in combat, where there would be tactical value simply in disabling the enemy.[8]. To locate the victims of experiments or to provide health care or compensation them. 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Care or compensation to them. `` has made it a priority identify! Referred to themselves as the `` test Vets '' veterans like Harry Bollinger, 88, from receiving benefits,. Class action lawsuit led to nearly 10 years of litigation the office people had to indoors! Years, more than a dozen locations care or compensation to them. `` the other claims aware! [ 22 ], material testing program that exposed thousands of other toxic chemical or substances... Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal chemical in 1964/1965 this period involved mustard agents Lewisite. `` this is not an easy, not a simple thing, '' Flohr says military also tested tear.... Exposure at Edgewood Arsenal chemical in 1964/1965 clothing and pharmaceuticals to carry out tasks was the! And Navy at more than 20 years later, the declaration was an effective deterrent, and drugs. Scott has been disappearing on its own for years wasnt enough information to reach definitive conclusions.. Sans! 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