Project 112 - Disclosure and Documentation of Veteran Exposures

Disclosure and Documentation of Veteran Exposures

Since the end of World War II, the Department of Defense (DoD) periodically evaluated the CB threat and the ability of U.S. forces to fight on a chemical and biological battlefield. In some programs Service members were present but not test subjects and in other programs they were volunteer human subjects. Testing of biological agents on human subjects ended in 1969; testing of chemical agents on human subjects ended in 1975. DoD is investigating these exposures that occurred as far back as 30 to 60 years ago.

A website was designed to provide service members, veterans, their families and the public with information on what happened during CB testing conducted years ago that potentially affected the health of those who served. The website provides information on the tests conducted by DoD that possibly resulted in CB exposures only. For privacy reasons, it does not contain the names of the veterans exposed. The CBW Exposures web site provides information on potential exposures from testing during and immediately after World War II, on the testing conducted during the 1960s and 1970s under the auspices of the Deseret Test Center and potential veteran exposures and information on exposures from chemical and biological tests for the 1945–1975 timeframe not contained in either the World War II or Project 112/SHAD sections. DoD has committed to providing the VA with the relevant information it needs to settle benefits claims as quickly and efficiently as possible and to evaluate and treat veterans who were involved in those tests. This required analyzing historical documents recording the planning and execution of Project 112/SHAD tests. The DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) play distinct roles in dealing with chemical and biological (CB) exposures. DoD identifies and validates veteran’s exposure to CB agents and provides the names of these individuals along with their exposure information to the VA. The VA then notifies individuals of their potential exposure, provides treatment, if necessary, for these individuals and adjudicates any claim for compensation. The names discovered by DoD reside in three databases – the World War II database, the Project 112/SHAD database, and the Cold War database which are shared with the VA. DoD plans to complete its active investigation of potential exposures by 2011. By that time, DoD will have visited all known locations believed to contain exposure data. However, it will energetically follow up on any information provided by veterans or other sources that may lead to the identification of additional potentially exposed veterans.