02/24/2012 - Congressman Mike Thompson said that veterans subjected to chemical weapons testing during the 1960s and 1970s must receive medical benefits and disability compensation for their health conditions during an Institute of Medicine study committee in Sacramento on Thursday.Thompson, D-St. Helena, introduced Humboldt County resident and Navy veteran Jack Alderson, who has been diagnosed with melanoma, prostate cancer and has had four occurrences of asbestos in his lungs. According to a press release from Thompson's office, Alderson commanded some of the ships that were subjected to experimental tests by the Department of Defense from 1964 to 1967. The department sprayed live chemical and biological agents on ships and sailors to test the Navy's vulnerability to toxic warfare.
In late 2002, the Department of Defense revealed that it had tested chemical and biological agents by spraying them on ships and sailors between 1962 and 1974. These tests -- known as Project 112, which is part of Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense -- exposed at least 6,000 service members to harmful chemicals without their knowledge -- including Vx nerve gas, Sarin nerve gas and E. coli.
Many of those veterans currently do not receive priority care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or disability benefits because the VA does not officially recognize any long-term health consequences from exposure to these tests, according to Thompson's office. In 2010, Congress passed a law requiring the VA to contract with the Institute of Medicine to consider long-term impacts on veterans that were part of Project 112. If the institute finds a connection between the chemical testing and the veterans' medical issues, the VA could be required to provide all service members with medical care and full disability compensation. read more>>>
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