Although, we tried.". 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 . 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 concluded that "Whether the subjects at Edgewood incurred these changes [depression, cognitive deficits, tendency to suicide] and to what extent they might now show these effects are not known". He filed claims for several illnesses on the VA's list of those linked to mustard gas, including skin cancer and chronic breathing problems. 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). One film showed soldiers being injected with BZ, which in high doses can lead to hallucinations and confusion. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. The study could not rule out long-term health effects related to exposure to the nerve agents. A diagnosed medical condition they think is a direct result of taking part in an Army chem/bio substance testing program. In the midst of the Cold War, the military was concerned chemical agents could be used against U.S. soldiers. 2004 GAO report 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 . 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). These experiments were conducted primarily to learn how various agents would affect humans (NRC 1982). "I'm glad to be talking to you about it. The whole thing stinks, and if the American people knew about it, they would not tolerate it. 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. Courtesy of Edgewood Arsenal (N.D. Cal. She previously worked as an editor and staff writer at newspapers in Columbus, Georgia; Huntsville, Alabama; Bloomington, Indiana; Monterey, California and in Germany. 31 subjects experienced ocular exposure via direct CS application to their eyes. including tests designed to look for racial difference. The tests evaluated protective equipment like gas masks and suits. "[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. . hide caption. 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. [The VA] has made it a priority to identify all service members exposed to chemical and biological substances. Harry Bollinger, 88, of Freeport, Pa., pauses as he talks about his recovery from mustard gas exposure as part of an experiment at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. A Warner Bros. Cavell says that even today, when he comes to a locked door he's reminded of the inside of a gas chamber. Kristian Thacker for NPR Edgewood/Aberdeen Experiments From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. 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. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Cavell and five others were told to stay put. These agents are still used today as antidotes to organophosphorus nerve agent poisoning, including accidental poisoning by organophosphorus pesticides. By this logic, Edgewood was possibly the safest military place in the world to spend two months. 1,073 subjects were exposed to aerosolized CS; 82 subjects had both skin applications and aerosol exposures; and finally. Copyright 2023 Military.com. Sometimes it was an injection. have hearing loss, Anticholinesterase nerve agents (ex., sarin and common organophosphorus (OP), and carbamate pesticides), Nerve agent antidotes atropine and scopolamine, Nerve agent reactivators (ex., the common OP antidote 2-PAM chloride), Psychoactive agents (ex., LSD, PCP, cannaboids, and BZ). "About 7,000 soldiers took part in the experiments that involved exposures to more than 250 chemicals," it stated. 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. ", And "How would you compare this test with the last one?". One of the men who never heard from the VA was John Berzellini. "I'm sorry," Flohr says. He is one of 60,000 World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas as part of secret experiments by the U.S. military. Two autobiographical books from psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood have been self-published: Journalist Linda Hunt, citing records from the. hide caption, Former CIA Director Porter Goss says the VA has mishandled these claims. "Dr. Delirium & the Edgewood Experiments" is a new Discovery+ documentary (available on June 9, 2022) that chronicles the program and its long-term effects on the soldiers who participated in the testing. 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. Schnurman and his wife, Joy, spent the next two decades compiling evidence of the testing in order to put pressure on the military. From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. In January 2014, an additional request was made for release of multiple films made of Project SHAD tests. Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical-weapons depot located at APG. The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, I get a tightness in my chest.. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. 2. Thank you. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links. Recent reports indicated that as many as 7,000 soldiers may have been subjected to these experiments in a top secret Cold War research program studying chemical and biological weapons. 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". 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. Health Care NPR Investigations Research Librarian Barbara Van Woerkom contributed reporting and research to this investigation. Further, GAO concluded that precise information on the scope and the magnitude of tests involving human subjects was not available, and the exact number of human subjects might never be known. Other times it was a pill, Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "There was no handle on the door. The American Legion identified limits on attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one of its top goals. 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. 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). While in the Navy, Cavell (center, No. Cavell then submitted the documents to the VA as proof of his exposure. Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. The IOM decided in the end there wasnt enough information to reach definitive conclusions.. APG Transition: 1980s-1990s "Dr. Delirium & the Edgewood Experiments" gives ample airtime to theories that Edgewood hosted Nazi scientists given asylum under the Pentagon's notorious Operation Paperclip program, but never quite manages to tie the Germans to Ketchum's experiments. The truth about the CIA is quite another story, one that should've been a huge news story a decade ago but gets fully recounted here for anyone who missed the truth the first time. The VA has been accused of bias in these claims denials due to its self-interest in the issues. Original photo: Courtesy of Charlie Cavell 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. Ariel Zambelich/NPR. For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529). In the suit, Vietnam Veterans of America, et al. In 1988, Cavell requested copies of his records from the experiments he was in at the Naval Research Laboratory. They deserve that respect and the audience this documentary can bring. A third type of test exposed troops to gas outdoors in simulated combat settings. The website has details about applying for medical care through this program. The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. Bollinger gave up appealing VA rejections in 1994, after four years of traveling back and forth 30 miles to a VA office office in Pittsburgh. The use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances. The testing took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland from 1955 through 1975. 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". 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. (Left) The inside of a gas chamber used for tests on American troops during World War II at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. All Rights Reserved. "Weekends off and relaxing that's why I took it," Paul remembered. For 20. Left: U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Agency; Right: Naval Research Laboratory If I go to a locked door, I panic sometimes to try to get out.". He said the group was told they would help test military equipment like gas masks. Theyre hoping we die off, so you apply [for benefits], you get turned down, Josephs said. A Government Accounting Office report of May 2004, Chemical and Biological Defense: DOD Needs to Continue to Collect and Provide Information on Tests and Potentially Exposed Personnel (pp. [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]. 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. "U.S. Navy, Guinea Pig. 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. "This is not an easy, not a simple thing," Flohr says. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. 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. Fed the "F" up. For example, certain types of 'psychochemicals' would make it possible to paralyze temporarily entire population centers without damage to homes and other structures. Updated Nashville veteran discusses his experience at Edgewood Arsenal. The heart of the film is interviews with a group of veterans who participated in the testing program, mostly during the Vietnam War era. 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. Vol. For assistance, eligible veterans may call (800) 984-8523 or go to the Army website for participants of medical research programs. Some gave up out of frustration. In some cases, soldiers involved in these experiments were exposed to multiple chemical and biological agents, including incapacitating drugs and toxic substances. The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. The committee's understanding is that additional, and potentially relevant, material on SHAD tests exists and remains classified. v. Central Intelligence Agency, et al. 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. The 1945 Edgewood Arsenal explosion killed twelve munitions workers and injured more than fifty on May 25, 1945. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They decided to live in the country. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines. Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8. This kind of behavior toward our veterans would not be allowed to happen, Erspamer said. And this goes to the essence of 'Can you trust your government?' 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