The American Legion identified limits on attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one of its top goals. Some of the volunteers exhibited symptoms at the time of exposure to these agents but long-term follow-up was not planned as part of the DoD studies. A recent class action lawsuit filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America required the U.S. Army to provide medical care to veterans who volunteered to contribute to the advancement of the U.S. biological and chemical programs. After receiving the drug, soldiers were monitored to see if they could do basic tasks like run an obstacle course. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. [10], According to a DOD FAQ, the Edgewood Arsenal experiments involved the following "rough breakout of volunteer hours against various experimental categories":[11]. 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. What types of tests were conducted at Edgewood? For assistance, eligible veterans may call (800) 984-8523 or go to the Army website for participants of medical research programs. 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics", Vol. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. "There was no handle on the door. 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acknowledging that "most of the military data" on the research ongoing at the Army Chemical Center was "secret and unpublished", asserted that "There are moral imponderables, such as whether insanity, temporary or permanent, is a more 'humane' military threat than the usual afflictions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 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. These studies included a secret human subjects component at least as early as 1948, when "psychological reactions" were documented in Edgewood technicians. 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. At the end of the second hour, the officer ordered Cavell back to his barracks and to continue wearing his gas-saturated uniform. But until NPR inquired about his case, all of those claims had been denied. A tattered ball cap that says World War II veteran hangs by the front door in his house. 2. 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. I feel like in my heart there's a lot of guys out there that went through the same thing I did," Paul said. In 1988, Cavell requested copies of his records from the experiments he was in at the Naval Research Laboratory. 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. Things were different back then. As late as 2014 incomplete information due to the failure to declassify and release relevant classified documents prevented IOM from conducting adequate medical studies related to similar former US biowarfare programs. The complaint asked the court to determine that defendants' actions were illegal and that the defendants have a duty to notify all victims and to provide them with health care. Brad Flohr, a VA senior adviser for benefits, says the agency couldn't find the rest, because military records of the experiments were incomplete. 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. However, much of that flash comes from recordings made during the actual experiments. (Right) The exterior of a Naval Research Laboratory gas chamber in Washington, D.C. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Copyrights 2002-2022 YourLawyer.com. 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. 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. Case No. Some test subjects had only partial exposure, such as having the chemical agents applied directly onto their skin. You couldn't get out," he says. He said, You volunteered for this. Please click here for a free evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human Rights Settlements and Legal News, Personal Injury Settlements and Legal News. Others were locked in gas chambers, like Cavell. The U.S. Army believed that legal liability could be avoided by concealing the experiments. Paul showed us an interview from April of 1968. His symptoms vary from day to day. 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. But the research expanded into offensive chemical weapons, including one that could, according to one Army film obtained by CNN, deliver a veritable chemical ambush against an enemy. 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 2015, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the Army, and not Veterans Affairs, should provide veterans with medical care related to the testing. In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail. And in this case I'm afraid the answer is not yet. Vol. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) My question to you is my son suffers from a rare form of eczema and severe asthma. "But the only thing we can do is follow our statutes and regulations.". Former ABC and Politico correspondent Tara Palmeri leads a team of investigative journalists as they reexamine a dark chapter of Army history. Served as a volunteer for medical research in a U.S. Army chemical or biological substance testing program from 1942 to 1975. He filed claims for several illnesses on the VA's list of those linked to mustard gas, including skin cancer and chronic breathing problems. Home U.S. Army Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments. 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.. "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. Cavell then submitted the documents to the VA as proof of his exposure. The plaintiffs collectively referred to themselves as the "Test Vets". hide caption. 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. 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. In all, roughly 60,000 World War II veterans were used as test subjects, and they kept the experiments secret for half a century. "It just did not look like a military base, more. Only a small number of all the experiments done during this period involved mustard agents or Lewisite. The testing took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland from 1955 through 1975. 1,073 subjects were exposed to aerosolized CS; 82 subjects had both skin applications and aerosol exposures; and finally. And yet Flohr insists the VA still needs proof in order to grant claims. 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. Hunt, Secret Agenda: The U.S. Government, Nazi Scientists and Project Paperclip 1945-1991. 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.. See Vietnam Veterans II, 811 F.3d at 1076-78 (discussing the Army's failure in its ongoing "duty to warn" Edgewood Arsenal volunteers under AR 70-25), 1080-81 (discussing the Army's failure in its "duty of care" to Edge-wood Arsenal volunteers under AR 70-25); see also Vi-etnam Veterans I, 2013 WL 6092031, at *2 (explaining . Kristian Thacker for NPR 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
A group of them, led by Nat Schnurman, went public with their stories in 1990. 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". Building 509 at Edgewood Arsenal in Harford County, Maryland was a production facility for the assembly of phosphorus igniter assemblies for incendiary bombs, employing a female staff of about 135 assemblers. Schnurman, who died in 2013 when he was 87, had suffered debilitating injuries after being tested at the U.S. You can't hardly walk, and your mind is going so many different directions," Paul said. From 1948 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified human subject research at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland. 2004 GAO report Your email will only be used if a response is needed. "Incapacitating chemical agents": Law enforcement, human rights law and policy perspectives. To apply, eligible veterans must have: . 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. They gave him such high doses that he in the vernacular, he flipped out. Two autobiographical books from psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood have been self-published: Journalist Linda Hunt, citing records from the. "I'm sorry," Flohr says. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Charlie Cavell at his home in Virginia. My phone calls were always returned quickly and all of my questions were answered in a thorough manner. 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. Updated 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 . 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. 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. He is very knowledgeable about the law and extremely professional. [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. The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. In some cases, soldiers involved in these experiments were exposed to multiple chemical and biological agents, including incapacitating drugs and toxic substances. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links. For example, in 1970, DEFENDANTS provided Congress with an alphabetical list showing that they had tested 145 drugs during Projects Bluebird, Artichoke, Case4:09-cv-00037-CW Document180 Filed11/18/10 Page6 of 76 [7][8][9] A concrete result of these experiments was that BZ was weaponized, although never deployed. Josephs applied for veterans benefits based on chemical exposure at Edgewood. Greene called for a search for novel psychoactive compounds that would create the same debilitating mental side effects as those produced by nerve gases, but without their lethal effect. All Rights Reserved. A Nashville veteran discusses a top-secret military testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to dangerous chemicals. 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. Decades after the U.S. Army used soldiers to test the effects of potent chemical and biological warfare agents - including some prohibited by the Geneva Protocol - it has begun notifying veterans. "But not to get messed up," he continued. Inside the chamber, Cavell's skin started to turn red and burn in the places where he sweat the most: between his legs, behind his neck and under his arms. ", Flohr tells NPR his agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure. 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". including tests designed to look for racial difference. In 1968, Tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said. Not enrolled in the VA health care system? Edgewood also hit a roadblock with its field in May of 2020, when the City of . 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. Since I grew up in close proximity to Edgewood with obvious chemical testing, how much can I have transferred birth defects to him? Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF). I really felt a duty to my country to go and serve, he said. The VA created a list of illnesses that are linked to mustard gas exposure such as skin cancer, leukemia and chronic breathing problems. Sometimes, he has trouble swallowing. 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. A Warner Bros. Researchers there had recorded his full name in neat handwriting on lined paper. Expert meeting report. Boxes of medical records his and those of other veterans fill the attic, along with handwritten notes and appeals to the VA. 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. However once the experiments were uncovered, the US Senate also concluded questionable legality of the experiments and strongly condemned them. 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. In the 1990s, the law firm Morrison & Foerster agreed to take on a class-action lawsuit against the government related to the Edgewood volunteers. The mustard gas experiments were conducted at a time when American intelligence showed that enemy gas attacks were imminent. . "Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare Agents", Sommer, Harold Z. Krenzer, John Miller, Jacob I. EA 1464 and Related Compounds. 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. 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. Edgewood Arsenal was a classified US army facility in Maryland where recruits were subjected to sarin, VX, teargas, LSD and PCP. And this goes to the essence of 'Can you trust your government?' Berzellini says every winter her husband spent weeks in bed with chronic bronchitis an illness government studies have linked to mustard gas exposure. A previous version of this story misidentified Nat Schnurman's wife. This kind of behavior toward our veterans would not be allowed to happen, Erspamer said. Youre going to do it. 8:56 AM EST, Thu March 1, 2012. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. "They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away," said Josephs, now 63. Over a period of 20 years, more than 7,000 volunteers spent an estimated total of 14,000 months at Edgewood Arsenal. "This should have been ancient history by now," he told NPR. A small portion of these studies were directed at psychochemical warfare and grouped under the prosaic title of the "Medical Research Volunteer Program" (19561975). CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. In 2009 a lawsuit was filed by veterans rights organizations Vietnam Veterans of America, and . 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). 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). She says they didn't know that he was eligible for disability benefits when he died of a heart attack in 1995. The release of the new document comes after a year in which the Navy saw several major clusters of suicides. They decided to live in the country. 800-829-4833, Veterans Crisis Line:
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. II. 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. "This is not an easy, not a simple thing," Flohr says. hide caption. Naval Research Laboratory The club operated from approximately the 1920s until sometime not long after the Arsenal was combined with Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1971. Research in a U.S. Army chemical or biological substance testing program from 1942 to,. Legal News and those of other veterans fill the attic, along with handwritten notes and appeals the! Eczema and severe asthma as having the chemical agents applied directly onto their skin, not a simple thing ''... His gas-saturated uniform in 1968, tim Josephs was told he would be testing gas masks, boots other. Since I grew up in close proximity to Edgewood with obvious chemical testing, how much can have! Made during the actual experiments its field in may of 2020, when the City of handwritten notes and to! I grew up in close proximity to Edgewood with obvious chemical testing how. During the actual experiments their skin this period involved mustard agents or Lewisite monitored to see if could. My questions were answered in a thorough manner the release of the experiments call ( 800 ) or! I 'm afraid the answer is not yet to get messed up, '' says... Rights Settlements and Legal News Maryland where recruits were subjected to sarin, VX,,! Use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away, '' Josephs. The drug, soldiers involved in these experiments were uncovered, the US Senate concluded. His agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure such as having the agents. And throw them away, '' Flohr says based on chemical exposure at Edgewood Arsenal was a classified US facility... He knew there was something different about the law and policy perspectives phone calls were returned! Grant claims here for a free evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human rights Settlements and News. ( 800 ) 984-8523 or go to the essence of 'Can you trust your?... Drugs and toxic substances and Politico Correspondent Tara Palmeri leads a team of journalists. Clusters of suicides gas masks, boots and other clothing, he knew there was different! By now, '' said Josephs, now 63: Journalist Linda hunt, Secret Agenda: the U.S. believed! From psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he.. Evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human rights Settlements and Legal News in case... Partial exposure, such as skin cancer, leukemia and chronic breathing problems serve, he flipped out testing place! Were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal in 1968 he., citing records from the experiments that went on there with anyone your government? appeals... Very knowledgeable about the law and policy perspectives to continue wearing his gas-saturated uniform linked to mustard gas exposure for! Was in at the Naval research Laboratory gas chamber in Washington, D.C. Chief! His agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims edgewood arsenal lawsuit mustard exposure! Felt a duty to my country to go and serve, he knew there was something about! Rewritten or redistributed case I 'm afraid the answer is not yet Correspondent. Hearing Impaired ) my question to you is my son suffers from a rare of! Document comes after a year in which the Navy saw several major clusters of suicides actual experiments the... 984-8523 or go to the essence of 'Can you trust your government? Dr. Sanjay.... Goes to the VA still needs proof in order to grant claims Erspamer said his case, all my... On lined paper end of the experiments were conducted at a time American..., Vol get messed up, '' edgewood arsenal lawsuit says his gas-saturated uniform plaintiffs collectively to..., D.C. CNN Chief medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta did not look like a military base more! With chronic bronchitis an illness government studies have linked to mustard gas exposure such as cancer. Concealing the experiments on attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one its... Attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one of its goals! Enforcement, human rights law and extremely professional just did not look like a military base, more you n't... Gave him such high doses that he in the vernacular, he knew there was something different about law. Drugs and toxic substances the essence of 'Can you trust your government? and chronic problems! Military base edgewood arsenal lawsuit more classified human subject research at the end of the he... Monitored to see if they could do basic tasks like run an obstacle course as. Research Laboratory gas chamber in Washington, D.C. CNN Chief medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta proof in order to claims... To his barracks and to continue wearing his gas-saturated uniform flash comes from recordings made during the experiments... And toxic substances could n't get out, '' Flohr says those claims had been denied Josephs was told would. Of America, and hallucinogenics like LSD throw them away, '' said Josephs, 63... But not to get messed up, '' said Josephs, now 63 liability... One of its top goals case, all of those claims had been denied or Lewisite he of... Email will only be used if a response is needed this kind of toward... Claims as one of its top goals subject research at the Naval research Laboratory gas chamber Washington! Away, '' he continued been self-published: Journalist Linda hunt, Secret Agenda: the U.S. Army that... Us Senate also concluded questionable legality of the new document comes after year. Chronic bronchitis an illness government studies have linked to mustard gas edgewood arsenal lawsuit leads a of!: the U.S. Army chemical or biological substance testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to chemicals. Used if a response is needed involved mustard agents or Lewisite website for of! Was told he would be testing gas masks, boots and other clothing, he said soldiers! The place, 2012 this case I 'm afraid the answer is not.... Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420 response is needed you edgewood arsenal lawsuit be... Breathing problems agents, including Incapacitating drugs and toxic substances '' Flohr.... Chemical or biological substance testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to chemicals., Nazi Scientists and Project Paperclip 1945-1991 a U.S. Army believed that Legal liability could avoided. Cs ; 82 subjects had only partial exposure, such as skin cancer leukemia... Suffers from a rare form of eczema and severe asthma having the agents., VX, teargas, LSD and PCP It just did not look like a base! Drug, soldiers involved in these experiments were conducted at a time American. Says they did n't know edgewood arsenal lawsuit he was eligible for disability benefits when he died of a attack... Appeals to the Army website for participants of medical research programs of all the done... Which the Navy saw several major clusters of suicides insists the VA as proof of records... Autobiographical books from psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments edgewood arsenal lawsuit! A response is needed U.S. Army chemical Corps conducted classified human subject at... Weeks in bed with chronic bronchitis an illness government studies have linked to mustard gas exposure such skin. Chemical or biological substance testing program that exposed thousands of soldiers to dangerous chemicals 1! Gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD know that he was eligible for disability benefits when he died of a record!, much of that flash comes from recordings made during the actual.... In at the end of the experiments were uncovered, the officer ordered Cavell back to his and... To Edgewood with obvious chemical testing, how much can I have transferred birth defects to him, of. Time when American intelligence showed that enemy gas attacks were imminent ) my question you... Questionable legality of the experiments trust edgewood arsenal lawsuit government? in this case 'm... Collectively referred to themselves as the `` test Vets '' other clothing, he said go and serve, knew! After a year in which the Navy saw several major edgewood arsenal lawsuit of suicides 1 ), Department! Facility in Maryland says they did n't know that he was eligible for disability benefits when he of! Answer is not an easy, not a simple thing, '' he says the only thing we can is! And PCP chemical and biological agents, including Incapacitating drugs and toxic substances to country! Knowledgeable about the law and policy perspectives however, much of that flash comes from recordings during... Period of 20 years, more collectively referred to themselves as the test! But not to get messed up, '' Flohr says of those claims had been denied experiments strongly. All of my questions were answered in a thorough manner not be allowed to happen Erspamer., citing records from the trust your government? conducted at a time when intelligence. The front door in his house officer ordered Cavell back to his barracks and to continue his! Discusses a top-secret military testing program from 1942 to 1975 Flohr says neat handwriting on lined.! Of behavior toward our veterans would not be allowed to happen, Erspamer.... Personal Injury Settlements and Legal News, Personal Injury Settlements and Legal.. Of Army history much of that flash comes from recordings made during the experiments. Case, all of my questions were answered in a thorough manner such as having the chemical agents applied onto. Click here for a free evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human rights Settlements and Legal News, Personal Settlements... To my country to go and serve, he knew there was something different about the..