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Executive Summary
Pages 1-8

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From page 1...
... servicemen had been used as human subjects in this chemical defense research program. At least 4,000 of these subjects had participated in tests conducted with high concentrations of mustard agents or Lewisite in gas chambers or in field exercises over contaminated ground areas.
From page 2...
... In addition, the committee consulted with a variety of outside experts and sought information from the affected veterans themselves, through a public hearing process that resulted in written or oral statements from over 260 veterans regarding their exposures to these agents and subsequent health problems. The committee found large gaps in the literature pertaining to the long-term health effects of exposure to mustard agents and Lewisite.
From page 3...
... Penetration of the agents through the clothing was assessed in these tests in the same manner as in the chamber tests. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS The committee reached the following conclusions on the basis of its analysis of the experimental protocols: · The lack of follow-up health assessments of the human subjects in the WWII gas chamber and field tests severely diminished the amount and quality of information that could be applied in the assessment of long-term health consequences of exposure to mustard agents and Lewisite.
From page 4...
... A German bombing attack on the harbor of Bari, Italy, released sulfur mustard from a damaged American ship into the water and atmosphere, resulting in thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths. Yet no follow-up studies were done with any of these groups; the committee had to rely instead on occupational studies from Japan and Great Britain for data on World War II production workers and their long-term health problems.
From page 5...
... There was insufficient evidence found to demonstrate a causal relationship between exposure and the following health conditions: · Gastrointestinal diseases · Hematologic diseases · Neurological diseases · Reproductive dysfunction (Lewisite) · Cardiovascular diseases (Except for those that may result from serious infections shortly following exposure—heart disease resulting from rheumatic fever, for example.)
From page 6...
... Morbidity and mortality studies should be performed by the VA, comparing chamber, field, and patch test cohorts to appropriate control groups, in order to resolve some of the remaining questions about the health risks associated with exposure to these agents. The only way to answer some of the key remaining questions is to establish a base of knowledge based on human exposures.
From page 7...
... Records of the civilian personnel should be used by the DoD to advise former workers as to their health risks and options for seeking appropriate compensation for any illnesses that resulted from their exposures. This committee discovered that an atmosphere of secrecy still exists to some extent regarding the WWII testing programs.
From page 8...
... These materials should incorporate the latest information regarding the long-term health effects of exposure to mustard agents and Lewisite. There is no doubt that the long-term health consequences of exposure to mustard agents or Lewisite can be serious and, in some cases, devastating.


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