), Nerve agent reactivators, e.g. All Rights Reserved. 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. The tests evaluated protective equipment like gas masks and suits. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. The test subjects who are still alive are now in their 80s and 90s. 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. Secret World War II Chemical Experiments Tested Troops By Race. "We did volunteer," Paul said. Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8. Did you encounter any technical issues? My mom eventually transferred to Edgewood Arsenal shortly later. Attorney James Hancock works with the California law firm Morrison & Foerster, which filed a class action lawsuit back in 2008 against the CIA and Department of Defense. Greene, L. Wilson, "Psychochemical Warfare: A New Concept of War", U. S. Army Chemical Center, Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; August 1949. 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). In total, Army documents identified 7,120 Army and Air Force personnel who participated in these tests. "[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. Instead, they sought only declaratory and injunctive relief and redress for what they claimed was several decades of neglect and the U.S. government's use of them as human guinea pigs in chemical and biological agent testing experiments. 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). These men aren't polished or rehearsed, and the filmmakers let them have their say, even when things veer into pure speculation. The Army is now required to provide medical care to veterans if they can prove their health issues are the result of the testing. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) Erspamer said the government has reached very few of the 7,000 or so Edgewood veterans, and the VA has turned down almost all Edgewood-related health claims. The experiments involved at least 254 chemical substances, but focused mainly on midspectrum incapacitants, such as LSD, THC derivatives, benzodiazepines, and BZ. Paul's paperwork shows he received BZ, which he said felt like he was in a nightmare for hours at a time. Finally, the command and control problems which were apparent in the CIA's programs are paralleled by a lack of clear authorization and supervision in the Army's programs.(S. In 2009 a lawsuit was filed by veterans rights organizations Vietnam Veterans of America, and Swords to Plowshares, and eight Edgewood veterans or their families against CIA, the U.S. Army, and other agencies. [The VA] has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances. A diagnosed medical condition they think is a direct result of taking part in an Army chem/bio substance testing program. 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). A Nashville veteran discusses a top-secret military testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to dangerous chemicals. hide caption, When the story broke, VA Deputy Secretary Anthony Principi appeared on 60 Minutes, in 1991, to explain how the agency would respond to men who were injured in the tests: "They should be praised for what they did," Principi said on the CBS News program. According to a deposition given by a former soldier involved in the program who is now deceased, it was not until men arrived at Edgewood Arsenal that they were informed that drugs would also be used in the experiments. 2. Paul was serving at Fort Bliss in Texas in 1968, when he volunteered for what he thought would be an easy assignment. I can continue by saying I filed an approximately 80 page document to the veteran's administration about my claims and kept getting blown off; resubmitted, blown off. We will strive to make that page accessible. v. Central Intelligence Agency, et al. NPR interviewed more than 40 living test subjects and family members, and they describe an unending cycle of appeals and denials as they struggled to get government benefits for mustard gas exposure. It wasn't the real me there," Paul said. A Warner Bros. While in the Navy, Cavell (center, No. Fill out the form below to receive a free confidential consultation. hide caption. The IOM decided in the end there wasnt enough information to reach definitive conclusions.. It forced the Army to locate soldiers who were in the testing program and send them documentation detailing what happened to them. Elimination of the chemicals held here was put on an accelerated schedule after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and all chemical weapons were destroyed by February 2006. 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. On the other side is an in-depth and wide-ranging interview with Ketchum filmed shortly before his death in 2019. I was a MRVP at Edgewood Arsenal Chemical in 1964/1965. Edgewood also hit a roadblock with its field in May of 2020, when the City of . If I go to a locked door, I panic sometimes to try to get out.". There were instances of chemical damages to the car. [10], According to a DOD FAQ, the Edgewood Arsenal experiments involved the following "rough breakout of volunteer hours against various experimental categories":[11]. The Edgewood Arsenal human experiments took place from approximately 1948 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratories which is now known as the U.S. Army Medical . For 20 years the government tested chemicals on soldiers who were not aware what was being put in their bodies. His symptoms vary from day to day. "[6], The Edgewood Arsenal human experiments took place from approximately 1948 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratorieswhich is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD)at the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Veterans who became Army guinea pigs for secret drug and chemical experiments are suing the VA, the CIA and the Defense Department. BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Rochelle, 60, who has come back to live in Onslow county, said in an interview that there were about two dozen volunteers . 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 mustard gas experiments were conducted at a time when American intelligence showed that enemy gas attacks were imminent. The process typically relies on evidence, but most of the men in these experiments have none because the tests were done in secret. "I remember him laying up in the bedroom up there," she says. The "Independent Study Course" cites mainly a three-volume study by the Institute of Medicine (19821985) for its data and conclusions, Possible Long-Term Health Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Chemical Agents. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. "It just did not look like a military base, more. There, Ketchum was administering psychotropic drugs on young. Initially, such studies focused solely on the lethality of the gases and its treatment and prevention. "These were active-duty U.S. service members being used as human guinea pigs," Hancock said. Ariel Zambelich/NPR. Paul showed us an interview from April of 1968. Goss was a Florida congressman when he was contacted by a group of constituents who were used as test subjects and spoke out on their behalf. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF). "U.S. Navy, Guinea Pig. ", Flohr tells NPR his agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure. Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments Compensation. 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. "The doctor said, 'we're giving this test to see it in a warmer climate.' Learn more from the Department of Defense.A2016 report to the DoD on long-term health effects due to participation in these tests concluded that although effects of the individual agents had been established in the literature, test subjects would have endured lower concentrations for shorter durations and no significant effects had been observed in the health of test subjects in the years since the tests occurred. For assistance, eligible veterans may call (800) 984-8523 or go to the Army website for participants of medical research programs. 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. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs Parkinsons disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. "For the actual test Private Zadrovney received a high dose of the incapacitating agent," the film's narrator said. ", Goss says he thinks the VA never delivered on its promises because this issue has been disappearing on its own for years. "Until we actually got into the process of being in that room and realized, wait a minute, we can't get out of here.". Blisters that eventually increased to the size of half dollar coins started to grow in the same places. [7][8][9] A concrete result of these experiments was that BZ was weaponized, although never deployed. From this point on, APG was the common identifier for both areas. The National Academies of Science reviewed this report in 2018 ("Review and Approach to Evaluating Long-term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects") and suggested a framework for evaluating these exposures moving forward. You couldn't get out," he says. According to a recent report by CNN.com "From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches' brew of drugs and chemicals. And this goes to the essence of 'Can you trust your government?' Thank you. The American Legion identified limits on attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one of its top goals. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. Long-term follow-up was not planned as part of the DoD studies. "And as far as the secretary and I are concerned, we're about to do right by them.". The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. He filed a federal lawsuit for compensation in 1979, but was unsuccessful because of a legal doctrine that protects the military from being sued for service-related injuries. In 1988, Cavell requested copies of his records from the experiments he was in at the Naval Research Laboratory. One of the men who never heard from the VA was John Berzellini. They decided to live in the country. After a stint at a defense company in Tennessee, Carl Gepp got a job in 1965 as an engineer working on the Honest John missile back at the Edgewood Arsenal. appreciated. The Maj. Richard Star Act would eliminate the dollar-for-dollar offset on retirement pay that combat-disabled vets with less Capt. It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital, recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. [1] The experiments were abruptly terminated by the Army in late 1975 amidst an atmosphere of scandal and recrimination as lawmakers accused researchers of questionable ethics. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. Congress has intervened in similar situations. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. 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. The website has details about applying for medical care through this program. By Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org - According to the agency, if a veteran has an illness on the list and can prove he was exposed, he receives benefits. Even a book critical of the program, written by Lynn C. Klotz and Edward J. Sylvester, acknowledges that: Unlike the CIA program, research subjects [at Edgewood] all signed informed consent forms, both a general one and another related to any experiment they were to participate in. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. In September 1975, the Medical Research Volunteer Program was discontinued and all resident volunteers were removed from the Edgewood installation. 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. hide caption. Similarly, cholinesterase reactivators antidotes such as 2-PAM were tested on about 750 subjects. 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. This being said, also my son's father was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. And you just wouldnt think they would give you something that would harm you intentionally.. It passed the Agent Orange Act in 1991, which requires the VA to assume that all veterans who served in and around Vietnam were exposed to the chemical. Vol. hide caption. "They didn't know they were signing up to get mystery chemicals injected into their bodies," Hancock said. 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". They gave him such high doses that he in the vernacular, he flipped out. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. About 500 World War II veterans die each day, according to data maintained by the VA. "I do think there is a little bit of that attitude of: 'This is today's problem, it will be gone by tomorrow,' " Goss says. The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. 1982-85 IOM report (Left) The inside of a gas chamber used for tests on American troops during World War II at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. 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. 2. "I don't think there's an explanation for why this program wasn't more successful," Goss says. Berzellini says every winter her husband spent weeks in bed with chronic bronchitis an illness government studies have linked to mustard gas exposure. Some gave up out of frustration. But until NPR inquired about his case, all of those claims had been denied. "And that's what I have problems with today. Josephs enlisted in the military fresh out of high school at the height of the Vietnam War. 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 . "It's important that these soldiers who served their country are honored and get to the tell their story," Hancock said. "It's sobering to hear the words and discussion that was happening about setting this program up," Hancock said. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. 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 In all, roughly 60,000 World War II veterans were used as test subjects, and they kept the experiments secret for half a century. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. 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. Congressional hearings into these experiments in 1974 and 1975 resulted in disclosures, notification of subjects as to the nature of their chemical exposures, and ultimately to compensation for a few families of subjects who had died during the experiments (NAS 1993). By the early 1950s, Edgewood Arsenal, which became part of the larger complex at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, produced numerous biological agents, developed protective equipment and prophylactic treatments, and shaped US combat policy and practice.In the aftermath of WWII tensions between the US and the USSR prompted scientists, military officials, and policy advisors to increase the number of . In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail. Documents reveal after getting BZ, Paul was put in temperatures of 105 degrees then 125 degrees for up to seven hours, to see if the drug impacted the way soldiers sweated. Edgewood dropped that lawsuit in February of 2020 in an attempt to come to an agreement with the City over the field. In the Army's tests, as with those of the CIA, individual rights were subordinated to national security considerations; informed consent and follow-up examinations of subjects were neglected in efforts to maintain the secrecy of the tests. Cavell says that even today, when he comes to a locked door he's reminded of the inside of a gas chamber. Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Accessibility Compliance Policy | Library | Diversity StatementWe are committed to making this website accessible, and as consistent with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 as possible. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links. 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. CampBell's lawsuit seeks to remove Sherry Abraham from office . His wife, Irene, remembers how the experiments affected his health for the rest of his life. Some test subjects had only partial exposure, such as having the chemical agents applied directly onto their skin. Overall, 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). What types of tests were conducted at Edgewood? An officer took him aside. The testing took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland from 1955 through 1975. [17], The official position of the Department of Defense, based on the three-volume set of studies by the Institute of Medicine mentioned above, is that they "did not detect any significant long-term health effects on the Edgewood Arsenal volunteers". From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. 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Officials at the Pentagon tell NPR it's likely that some of the records about military mustard gas experiments were never recovered. 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). An Army investigation subsequently found no evidence of serious injuries or deaths associated with the MRVP, but deplored both the recruiting process and the informed consent approach, which they characterized as "suggest[ing] possible coercion". There's a reason we have such incredible details about the program available now, and this film makes excellent use of the truths revealed during a massive lawsuit. The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.. he says. "They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away," said Josephs, now 63. Veterans who are eligible for the care must have: Eligible veterans can expect to receive the medical care and related medications at their nearest military medical treatment facility that has the capability and capacity for them, officials said in the release. He was asked "Did you have pain every time you took a breath? These studies included a secret human subjects component at least as early as 1948, when "psychological reactions" were documented in Edgewood technicians. As a result of the testing, many of the veterans who served between two and four months at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland, suffer from chronic, debilitating illnesses. All rights reserved. Many official government reports and civilian lawsuits followed in the wake of the controversy. The Edgewood Arsenal Rod and Gun Club was a club that included U.S. Army officers and Department of the Army civilian personnel stationed at the Arsenal as well as their families and guests. Youre going to Vietnam either way before or after, Josephs said recently. From 1955 to 1975, the Army conducted chemical weapons testing on volunteer soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland in pursuit of an agent that could disable enemy troops on the field of battle without killing them. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. [3] In the 1950s, some officials in the U.S. Department of Defense publicly asserted that many "forms of chemical and allied warfare as more 'humane' than existing weapons. The IOM committee requested declassification of 21 additional elements from at least nine documents from DoD in August 2012. Expert meeting report. That won't be too long now probably.". Bollinger still has chronic breathing problems and breaks out in eczema in places where he was burned as a young Navy recruit: "Around my privates and under my arms and face and everywhere else," he says. Statistically, at least one out of a thousand young soldiers chosen at random might be expected to expire during any one-year period. At the end of the second hour, the officer ordered Cavell back to his barracks and to continue wearing his gas-saturated uniform. hide caption. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, I get a tightness in my chest.. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a page about the testing on its website. soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal, or to other "volunteers" under contract to the Edgewood Arsenal, were not disclosed. 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. From 1948 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified human subject research at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland. After receiving the drug, soldiers were monitored to see if they could do basic tasks like run an obstacle course. The 1945 Edgewood Arsenal explosion killed twelve munitions workers and injured more than fifty on May 25, 1945. "This is not an easy, not a simple thing," Flohr says. Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical-weapons depot located at APG. 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. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. But Bollinger says that time in his life is tainted: by the pain he felt as a human test subject in military experiments, and by the VA that told him it wasn't real. Was not planned as part of the records about military mustard gas experiments were never recovered was exposed to and! 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