Watching soldiers suffer through delirium and panic attacks while older survivors describe their experiences makes for powerful viewing. Two autobiographical books from psychiatrists conducting human experiments at Edgewood have been self-published: Journalist Linda Hunt, citing records from the. 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. Rep., at 411.[5])[20]. Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8. Lasting from 1950 to 1975, the experiments took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. 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. "[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. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. 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. Courtesy of Edgewood Arsenal The court granted the plaintiffs partial summary judgment concerning the notice claim: summarily adjudicating in plaintiffs' favor, finding that "the Army has an ongoing duty to warn" and ordering "the Army, through the DVA or otherwise, to provide test subjects with newly acquired information that may affect their well-being that it has learned since its original notification, now and in the future as it becomes available". 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. Edgewood Arsenal Chemical Agent Exposure Studies FAQs. 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 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). Others were locked in gas chambers, like Cavell. 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. If I go to a locked door, I panic sometimes to try to get out.". Paul retired from the military and went on to raise a family in Nashville. 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. 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. Initially, such studies focused solely on the lethality of the gases and its treatment and prevention. Naval Research Laboratory 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". 2023 Cable News Network. Please click here for a free evaluation of your claim, Civil/Human Rights Settlements and Legal News, Personal Injury Settlements and Legal News. 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 test subjects who are still alive are now in their 80s and 90s. "But we have done everything that we could do, I definitely believe that.". 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. "I'm sorry," Flohr says. 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 . Some gave up out of frustration. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. ", Flohr tells NPR his agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure. 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. 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics" (1982). And you just wouldnt think they would give you something that would harm you intentionally.. 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. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. He was asked "Did you have pain every time you took a breath? 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. Some test subjects had only partial exposure, such as having the chemical agents applied directly onto their skin. 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 Army is now required to provide medical care to veterans if they can prove their health issues are the result of the testing. Youre going to do it. 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. 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. (Right) The exterior of a Naval Research Laboratory gas chamber in Washington, D.C. In the early 1990s, VA officials also announced the agency would lower its burden of proof to make getting benefits easier in these cases. The IOM decided in the end there wasnt enough information to reach definitive conclusions.. soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal, or to other "volunteers" under contract to the Edgewood Arsenal, were not disclosed. hide caption. That adds up to 1,167 man-years of survival. 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. In September 1975, the Medical Research Volunteer Program was discontinued and all resident volunteers were removed from the Edgewood installation. He says he is proud of his service, and he wears the cap everywhere he goes. But instead, the military deliberately exposed them to chemical and biological agents. It forced the Army to locate soldiers who were in the testing program and send them documentation detailing what happened to them. Many official government reports and civilian lawsuits followed in the wake of the controversy. But NPR interviewed veterans who met both of those requirements and have still been denied for years sometimes decades as the VA continues to request more information and proof. Edgewood Arsenal was a classified US army facility in Maryland where recruits were subjected to sarin, VX, teargas, LSD and PCP. 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. EDGEWOOD ARSENAL / MKULTRA LAWSUIT MOVES TO NEXT PHASE Claims it is unconstitutional for the VA to decide VA claims where VA itself participated in the illegal chemical and biological weapons program. 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. "It just did not look like a military base, more. (Left) The inside of a gas chamber used for tests on American troops during World War II at the Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. "And these people should have long been appropriately provided for. 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. 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. "The doctor said, 'we're giving this test to see it in a warmer climate.' Krenzer, John Miller, Jacobi Natarelli, G. E. EA 1464 and Related Compounds, I. Synthesis of EA 1464, EA 1473, and Their Homologs. You believed in your government. If you dont, youre going to jail. After NPR's inquiry, the VA told NPR there was enough evidence to grant his claims. 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. Officials at the Pentagon tell NPR it's likely that some of the records about military mustard gas experiments were never recovered. 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. All rights reserved. The website has details about applying for medical care through this program. 2. 27), then 19, volunteered for the military's secret chemical testing program in exchange for two weeks' vacation. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. Rochelle, 60, who has come back to live in Onslow county, said in an interview that there were about two dozen volunteers . Greene, L. Wilson, "Psychochemical Warfare: A New Concept of War", U. S. Army Chemical Center, Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; August 1949. A tattered ball cap that says World War II veteran hangs by the front door in his house. She has been an editor at Military Times for 20 years, covering issues that affect service members. Court documents show that the Veterans Benefits Administration rejected 84 of 86 health claims related to chemical or biological exposure. The chemical testing on soldiers stopped in 1975. Those substances affect the same region of the brain, Erspamer said. 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. Mr. Zekowski is always on top of his game. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. "That's going to be on my tombstone," Bollinger says. It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital, recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. 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 . The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. 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]. "Weekends off and relaxing that's why I took it," Paul remembered. "No Social Security numbers, no addresses, no way of identifying them. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. You couldn't get out," he says. To date, these policies have not been applied to World War II vets who were exposed to mustard gas. She says they didn't know that he was eligible for disability benefits when he died of a heart attack in 1995. Officials say they can't explain why the benefits weren't granted sooner. If you are concerned about exposures during Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests, talk to your health care provider or yourlocal environmental health provider. . For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529). Vol. 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. From this point on, APG was the common identifier for both areas. Nine workers, of whom eight were African-American, were killed in the . Long-term psychological effects are possible from the trauma associated with being a human test subject. "Incapacitating chemical agents": Law enforcement, human rights law and policy perspectives. "Shortly after receiving the drug, he is grossly impaired," a narrator said as a soldier struggled through an obstacle course. "You can't coordinate anything you know. In the end, the focus is on the veterans who endured these experiments and the struggles many have faced since. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 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. The IOM committee requested declassification of 21 additional elements from at least nine documents from DoD in August 2012. 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. The chemicals were given to volunteer service members at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; and Forts Benning, Bragg, and McClellan. 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). Cavell says that even today, when he comes to a locked door he's reminded of the inside of a gas chamber. Congress has intervened in similar situations. On the other side is an in-depth and wide-ranging interview with Ketchum filmed shortly before his death in 2019. The plaintiffs collectively referred to themselves as the "Test Vets". There is no VA environmental health registry associated with Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests. 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. This includes receiving medicines or vaccines under the Armys investigational drug review. "The word got around they were looking for volunteers for testing," Paul said. Tim clearly had adverse health effects because they gave him such high doses that he ranged from overdose with one substance to the antidote, back and forth, and he actually had to get a very powerful antipsychotic drug because, in the vernacular, he flipped out.. [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. 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. "I was disgusted already. 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. If a page cannot be made accessible, we will work to make a text version available. 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. He married Michelle, a nurse, in 1977, but the couple decided not to have children, fearing his chemical exposure might somehow affect them. The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. The mustard gas experiments were conducted at a time when American intelligence showed that enemy gas attacks were imminent. "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. "These were active-duty U.S. service members being used as human guinea pigs," Hancock said. And in 2010, the VA announced it would review 90,000 previously denied Agent Orange claims. Long-term follow-up was not planned as part of the DoD studies. 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. Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments Compensation. However, the declaration was an effective deterrent, and the Axis powers did not use . Copyright 2023 Military.com. However once the experiments were uncovered, the US Senate also concluded questionable legality of the experiments and strongly condemned them. This program involved testing nerve agents, nerve agent antidotes, psycho chemicals, and irritants. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, NPR Photo Editor Ariel Zambelich and reporters Christopher Groskopf, Jani Actman and Lydia Emmanouilidou also contributed to this story. 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. The chemical agents tested on volunteers included chemical warfare agents and other related agents:[1]. 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. 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. The action is related to a 2009 lawsuit filed by VVA, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Army Times. Statistically, at least one out of a thousand young soldiers chosen at random might be expected to expire during any one-year period. The testing took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland from 1955 through 1975. This being said, also my son's father was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. 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. Your email will only be used if a response is needed. We conduct ongoing accessibility reviews and remediate any functionality issues. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. They also compared the relative sensitivity of soldiers, including tests designed to look for racial difference. These men aren't polished or rehearsed, and the filmmakers let them have their say, even when things veer into pure speculation. 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. 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. Josephs says he now takes two dozen pills daily. What's the use?" Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The men were sworn to secrecy and told to never discuss Edgewood Arsenal or the experiments that went on there with anyone. VA offers a variety of health care benefits to eligible Veterans. At 79 years old, he actively harvests honey from his bee farm. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. 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. Charlie Cavell at his home in Virginia. 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. "I missed out on so much with my family, not being able to say, when they were little boys, you know, I love them. 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. Read the secret (now unclassified) Army document revealing BZ tests on soldiers (PDF). 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. 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. Yet another lawsuit was filed against the town of Edgewood this week, this time by a former member of the town's planning and zoning commission, alleging violation of the Inspection of Public Records Act. 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. Josephs received his letter from the VA in 2008, four decades after he arrived at the Maryland base. And this goes to the essence of 'Can you trust your government?' 2. And yet Flohr insists the VA still needs proof in order to grant claims. Out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER ( 1-800-968-7529 ) drug review applied to World II. Give you something that would harm you intentionally in exchange for two weeks ' vacation no way identifying! And civilian lawsuits followed in the wake of the testing took place at,... Might be expected to expire during any one-year period the relative sensitivity of soldiers, including designed. The doctor said, 'we 're giving this test to see it in a warmer climate.,,... Only partial exposure, such as having the chemical caused a delirium that included and! 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