A lawsuit brought by a veterans advocacy group, Vietnam Veterans of America, resulted in the requirement that the Army give medical care to eligible veterans who took part in testing that supported U.S. chemical and biological programs, Army Medical Command officials said in a release this week. He believes the testing hurt him emotionally and stole part of his life. [21], On appeal in Vietnam Veterans of America v. Central Intelligence Agency, a panel majority held in July 2015 that Army Regulation 70-25 (AR 70-25) created an independent duty to provide ongoing medical care to veterans who participated in U.S. chemical and biological testing programs. The Edgewood Arsenal continued to produce chemical agents and countermeasures in case they became necessary. 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 Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) at the Edgewood Area . Veterans who have a disease or injury they believe is related to the testing may seek treatment from the Army, according to the Armys Office of the Surgeon General. Some test subjects had only partial exposure, such as having the chemical agents applied directly onto their skin. Edgewood dropped that lawsuit in February of 2020 in an attempt to come to an agreement with the City over the field. Kristian Thacker for NPR This kind of behavior toward our veterans would not be allowed to happen, Erspamer said. This program involved testing nerve agents, nerve agent antidotes, psycho chemicals, and irritants. Schnurman and his wife, Joy, spent the next two decades compiling evidence of the testing in order to put pressure on the military. The court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment with respect to the other claims. Fill out the form below to receive a free confidential consultation. the common OP antidote, other ocular and respiratory irritants; and. "That's me" he said pointing to a younger version of himself. Cheryl Huppertz filed a lawsuit in district court Sept. 28, seeking a writ of mandamus to compel Edgewood to produce public [] . In the suit, Vietnam Veterans of America, et al. 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. pp 89, "Secret Army volunteer's widow blames VA for spouse's death" (CNN; 3/3/12), "Vets feel abandoned after secret drug experiments" (CNN; 3/1/12), Last edited on 30 November 2022, at 16:44, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Vietnam Veterans of America v. Central Intelligence Agency, Human experimentation in the United States, "Altered States: LSD and the Anesthesia Laboratory of Henry Knowles Beecher", "Edgewood Arsenal Chemical Agent Exposure Studies 19551975", Researchers tested pot, LSD on Army volunteers. 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). The lawsuit detailed how the military secretly tested drugs and chemicals on thousands of soldiers including dangerous nerve gases like Sarin and incapacitating agents like LSD and BZ, that Paul called Benzene. 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. (N.D. Cal. Fed the "F" up. APG Transition: 1980s-1990s Josephs received his letter from the VA in 2008, four decades after he arrived at the Maryland base. For assistance, eligible veterans may call (800) 984-8523 or go to the Army website for participants of medical research programs. Two autobiographical books from psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood have been self-published: Journalist Linda Hunt, citing records from the. 1, 24), stated: [In 1993 and 1994] we [] reported that the Army Chemical Corps conducted a classified medical research program for developing incapacitating agents. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. 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). The ruling came on a class-action lawsuit filed by Vietnam Veterans of America, Swords to Plowshares and individual veterans over medical care for troops who participated in research programs at. "But this is a bargain we made. Your email will only be used if a response is needed. The National Academy of Sciences, which oversees the IOM, sent a questionnaire to all of the former volunteers that could be located, approximately 60% of the total. hide caption. Everyone I have dealt with at your firm has been very professional and courteous. The idea was they would test new Army field jackets, clothing, weapons and things of that nature, but no mention of drugs or chemicals.. For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529). Of those involved in the experiments: Most of these experiments involved tests of protective equipment and of subjects' ability to perform military tasks during exposure. According to the 1984 NRC review, human experiments at DoD's Edgewood Arsenal involved about 1,500 subjects who were experimentally exposed to irritant and blister agents including: For example, from 1958 to 1973 at least 1,366 human subjects underwent experimental exposure specifically with the riot-control agent CS at Edgewood Arsenal (NRC 1984). [14], A significant omission from the Course summary above is the number of subjects on which BZ and related compounds were tested. Lasting from 1950 to 1975, the experiments took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 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. 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. Nashville veteran Dennis Paul, 79, discussed his experience in the program with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, saying he it impacted him long after he left the Army. 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. Erspamer said Josephs probably received an injection of sarin or another nerve gas, because the records show that he received the drug P2S on February 1, 1968, to treat organophosphate poisoning.. The test subjects who are still alive are now in their 80s and 90s. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Md. Long-term psychological effects are possible from the trauma associated with being a human test subject. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Those substances affect the same region of the brain, Erspamer said. Paul was serving at Fort Bliss in Texas in 1968, when he volunteered for what he thought would be an easy assignment. There were instances of chemical damages to the car. Tim Josephs blames secret Army program for health issues, including Parkinson's disease, Facility tested potentially lethal gases, narcotics and LSD on animals and humans, Cold War research initially aimed to defend against Soviet chemical or biological attack, The VA has contacted and offered free medical evaluations to thousands of veterans. "Shortly after receiving the drug, he is grossly impaired," a narrator said as a soldier struggled through an obstacle course. Rochelle, 60, who has come back to live in Onslow county, said in an interview that there were about two dozen volunteers . Secret World War II Chemical Experiments Tested Troops By Race. Cavell and 11 other volunteers were locked inside a gas chamber with mustard gas piping inside. 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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. Long-term follow-up was not planned as part of the DoD studies. 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. "[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. 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. The chemical testing on soldiers stopped in 1975. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. Please click here for a free evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human Rights Settlements and Legal News, Personal Injury Settlements and Legal News. The lawsuit sought for the veterans to be notified about what substances they had received and be provided medical coverage. 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. The use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances. Home U.S. Army Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments. And yet Flohr insists the VA still needs proof in order to grant claims. Expert meeting report. An "Independent Study Course" for continuing medical education produced by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Effects from Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Weapons (October 2003),[12] presents the following summary of the Edgewood Arsenal experiments: Renewed interest led to renewed human testing by the Department of Defense (DoD), although ultimately on a much smaller scale. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) 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. 2, "Cholinesterase Reactivators, Psychochemicals and Irritants and Vesicants" (1984), Vol. 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. Paul retired from the military and went on to raise a family in Nashville. "But not to get messed up," he continued. It forced the Army to locate soldiers who were in the testing program and send them documentation detailing what happened to them. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals. All Rights Reserved. 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. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. "There was no handle on the door. Josephs enlisted in the military fresh out of high school at the height of the Vietnam War. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. He is one of 60,000 World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas as part of secret experiments by the U.S. military. Krenzer, John Miller, Jacobi Natarelli, G. E. EA 1464 and Related Compounds, I. Synthesis of EA 1464, EA 1473, and Their Homologs. In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail. The NRC report also mentions human experiments involving exposure of 741 soldiers to LSD (NRC 1984). Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. If you are concerned about exposures during Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests, talk to your health care provider or local VA Environmental Health Coordinator. "No Social Security numbers, no addresses, no way of identifying them. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. Copyright 2023 Military.com. 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. "It's important that these soldiers who served their country are honored and get to the tell their story," Hancock said. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. 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]. That won't be too long now probably.". 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. Ariel Zambelich/NPR When those experiments were formally declassified in the 1990s, the Department of Veterans Affairs made two promises: to locate about 4,000 men who were used in the most extreme tests, and to compensate those who had permanent injuries. Sometimes it was an injection. 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. The Edgewood Arsenal experiments took place from approximately 1952 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratories, which is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense of the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. "The word got around they were looking for volunteers for testing," Paul said. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs Parkinsons disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. NPR Investigations Research Librarian Barbara Van Woerkom contributed reporting and research to this investigation. 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. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. "Incapacitating chemical agents": Law enforcement, human rights law and policy perspectives. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Donate to the Salvation Army Red Kettle Challenge, Storm 5 Alert: Several waves of storms though Friday afternoon (3.1.23). Veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to exposures during Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests. To apply, eligible veterans must have: . The VA created a list of illnesses that are linked to mustard gas exposure such as skin cancer, leukemia and chronic breathing problems. Copyrights 2002-2022 YourLawyer.com. ", And "How would you compare this test with the last one?". . There, Ketchum was administering psychotropic drugs on young. "This should have been ancient history by now," he told NPR. The document acknowledges his participation in mustard gas experiments. From 1948 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified human subject research at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland. The Army colonel had no regrets about the experiments and believed he was acting in the best interests of the nation as it faced a Cold War threat. 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. [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. And send them documentation detailing what happened to them leukemia and chronic breathing problems ocular and respiratory irritants ;.! 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