Final Report on the Records Search for Human Radiation Experiments at the US Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command

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RECORDS SEARCH FOR HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE COMMAM) Corporate Information Office U.S.Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5423

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FINAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS The U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command (CBDCOM) conducted a search ofits records to locate any reports addressing the use of humans in radiation experiments. This study was completed at the request of the DoD Radiation Experiments Command Center, Arlington, VA The following organizations, based on mission and/or activities, possibly conducted or sponsored human radiation experiments: The US. Army Chemical Corps The radiological mission was assigned to the Chemical Corps in 1948. The Radiological Division was created effective 19 August 1948 as a component o f the Technical Command, a subordinate organization of the Chemical Corps, to perform or coordinate all work on radiological aspects ofwarfar. The division was located at the Army Chemical Center, MD. It was in existence The Charical Corps Research and Engineering @&E) Division, located at Army Chemical Center, MD, was responsible for the coordination of radiological research from 1948-1951 and apparently coexisted with the Technical Command's Radiological Division. The R&E Division then became the Headquarters o f the new Research and Engineering Command after the 1951 reorganization ofthe Chemical Corps. In March 1951, the Technical Command was abolished and renamed the Chemical and Radiological Laboratories (a&),a subordinate organization of the Chemical Corps Research and Engmakg C o m d . The Radiological Division continued as a separate division under C&R.L at the Army Chemical Center. On 1 February 1956, C&RL was redesignated the Chemical Warfare Laboratories (CWL) ofthe Chemical Corps Research and Development Command. The mission of CWL was to conduct the Chemical Corps' reseanh and development program in the fields of offensive and defensive toxic chemical, radiological, smoke, and h e warfare. The Radiological Division continued as a separate division under the Director of Development, C W L at the Army Chemical Center.

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FINAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EX?'ERTMENTS On 1 July 1960, CWL was redesignated the Chemical Research and Development Laboratories (CRDL). Concurrently, the Radiological Division was renamed the Radiological On 1 September 1960, the Radiological Laboratory was made a separate Class I1 activity of the Chemical Corps' Research and Development Commmd and redesignated the U.S. Army Chemical Corps Nuclear Defense Laboratory located at the Army Chemical Center. The 1st Radiological Safety Support Unit, located at Fort McClellan, AL, was activated on 1 July 1953. This unit conducted radiological training at Fort McClellan and conducted field exercises at the Nevada Proving Ground and the Pacitic Proving Ground nuclear test sites. This unit was transferred to Dugway Proving Ground, UT on 1 November 1960 and was assigned to that installation's Radiological Operations Division. The U.S. Army Materiel Command On 1 August 1962, with the establishment of the U.S.Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the abolishment o f the Chemical Corps as a separate technical service, NJIL was assigned to the Munitions Command (MUCOM), a major subordinate command of AMC. The NDL continued to be located at the Army Chemical Center, which was redesignated Edgewood Arsenal in 1963. In 1970, NDL became part ofthe Ballistics Research Laboratory (BRL)and was redesignated the Nuclear Efforts Laboratory (NEL). The NEL continued to be located at Edgewood Arsenal, which became the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground in 197I . About one year later, the personnel originally assigned to NDL were moved to the Aberdeen Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. The BIU lata bwame part of the Army Research Laboratories (ARL),a current major subordinate command of AMC. -The records of the above identified organizations are located at the following locations: Records of the Chemical Corps and its subordinate organizations A portion of the Radiological Division's technical reports, administrative histories, and correspondence are held by the Corporate Information Office o f CBDCOM. Prior to 1951, the technical reports were numbered in the Technical Command Report (TCR) Series or the Technical Command Interim Report (TCJR) Series.

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FINAL REPORT ON HtrMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS A portion of the Chemical and Radiological Laboratories' technical reports, administrative histories, and correspondenceare held by the Corporate Information Office. From 195 1 to 1956, the techoical reports were numbered in the CRLLR and CRLR Series. In 1952. these two series were stopped and new subdesignations indicating the type of report, to include: formal,interim, final, engineering, foreign materiel. or special, were used. A portion of the Chemical Warfare Laborato~estechnical reports, administrative histories, and correspondence are held by the CorporateInformation Office. From 1956 to 1960, the technical reports were numbered in the CWLR Series. A portion of the Nuclear Defense Laboratory reports, administrative histories, and correspondence are held by the Corporate Information Office. Technical reports published after 1960 are numbered in the NDLTR Series and technical memoranda are numbered in the NDL-TM Series. Records of the Nuclear Defense Laboratory as an AMC Suborganization Portions ofthe technical reports ofNDL are held by the Corporate Information Office. The Iatest report is dated June 1969. The ARL Technical Library located in the Aberdeen Area of Aberdeen Proving Gound also has a collection ofNnL technical reports. The following records centers were identified as having received classified radiation testing records that have been retired from CBDCOM or its predecessor organizations: Kansas City Records Center (Shipment No. RI 1415-54) Washington National Records Center (Shipments Nos. 69A5762; 70196852; 68A3909, and an unidentified shipment located at 6/88:9-2. US. AbefdeenProvjng Ground Support Activity, APG, h.ID (records being held as part ofthe chemical warfare and biological warfare moratmium on records destruction.

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FMAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMTNTS For each of the above identified repositories (excluding the Federal Records Centers), the following procedures were accomplished to deternice if the collections contained human radiation The Information Services Division, Corporate Information Oflice This division manages the CEDCOM Technical Library. The Technical Library began its search by identifying three bibliographies published by the NDL and its predecessor organizations. The bibliographies included abstracts of all research reports published by NDL, reports prepared by NDL penomel and published by other agencies, and reports resulting from research conducted under contract to NDL. These bibliographies are: M>LTR-25, Bibliography, with Abstracts, of Reports of Nuclear Defense Laboratory and NDL-TR-72, Bibliography, with Abstracts, of Reports of U.S. Army Nuclear Defense Laboratory, October 1961 to June 1965. AD-366 621 M3LSP-31, Bibliography, with Abstracts, of Reports o f U.S.Army Nuclear Defense Laboratory, June 1965 to July 1968. AD-845656 Using these bibIiographies, Technical Library personnel retrieved all abstracted reports available in the collection. Approximately440 reports were retrieved. A majority of the reports were assigned “ADnumbers” and are available from the Defense Technical Information Center @TIC). A team of radiation safety experts from CBDCOM then reviewed the pertinent reports and identified those that possibly contained references to human subjects. Historical Division, Corporate Information Once This division has approximately four linear feet of radiological reports, administrative histories, and correspondence relating t o the Chemical Corps’ radiological mission dating from approximately 1947 to 1962. A review ofthese records fided to disclose any information concerning human radiation experiments.

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JRN-25-1995 16125 FROM CBDCOMHISTORICAL DIVISION TO FINAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS The division also has approximately 150 file cabinets of records relating to the Chemical Corps, fikd in chronological order. Areview of these records also failed to disclose any information concerning human radiation experiments. Records Systems Division, Corporate Information Ofice The Record Systems Division began the search for radiological records on 7 January 1994 by going to the Records Holding Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, to review the SF 135's (Records Transmittal and Receipt) for classified records (1940-1970). Division personnel reviewed the SF 135's for the unclas~%edrecords that have been forwarded to the Records Holding Area. No effort was made to retrieve records no longer in possession of CBDCOM. Division personnel also held a meeting with representatives from three directorate Administration Ofices of the Engineering, Reseuch and Technology, and Operations Directorates of the Edgewood Research, Development and Enginseering Center, a subordinate organization of CBDCOM, to assess the records currently maintained within their respective offices. All three directorates reported finding no radiation records. Based on the search described above, two experiments were identified that involved possible human radiation exposure: "Attenuation of 1.2 Mev Gamma Radiation by Soviet and U.S. Military Vehicles and U.S. Rail Equipment" involved the possible exposure of soldiers to a radiation source while riding in a military vehicle. The test probably took place at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD in 1953. "Removal of Rsdioactive Contaminants from Skin" involved the exposure of paid volunteers to a radioactive contaminant to investigate the decontaminating capabilities of various commercially-available products. These were contractor tests conducted by Foster D. Snell, Inc., New York, Ny. The final reports were dated 30 June 1952 and 15 June 1953. Specific information on each of the above tests is provided in Part 11of this report. Speciticinformation on each possible human radiation experiment i s provided as available on

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FINAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS ATTENUATION OF 1.2 MEV GAMMA RADIATION BY SOVIET AND U.S. MKITARY VEHICLES AKD US. RAE EQUPMENT Location. Not stated, but the Ordnance Corps at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, was thanked for the use of their facilities. When. Not stated, but the interim report was dated 1. August 1953. Primary Researchers. Robert P. Beckelheimer and Ralph E. Rexroad. Organizations. Chemical Corps, Chemical and Radiological Laboratories, Radiological Division, Radiological Defense Branch, Army Chemical Center, MD. Number of Human Subjecb and Description. The Transportation Corps provided the train crews No additional information concerning the participants is known. Experiment Summary. The objective of this project was to evaluate protective equipment against radiological hazards in order to determine the adequacy of protection afforded by the equipment. The objective ofthe specific test was to determine the amount of shielding from gamma radiation afforded by certain Soviet and U.S. military vehicles, and U.S. rail equipment, when operated in areas contaminated with cobalt@(gamma ray energies o f 1.17 and 1.33 Mev). The contamhated area was prepared by placing 800 cobaltmpellets, 1/8-inch in diameter and Il8-inch long contained in steel capsules approximately 3IJ-inch in length and 3/8-inch in diameter two feet apart over an area 160 feet in length and 20 feet wide. The test involved shielding factors being measured with armored type vehicles under simulated combat load conditions. The amount of protection offered frommutual shielding by personnel riding in :he bed of a Soviet truck and M-39 personnel canier was meaSured by assembling live troops, equipped with field packs, into the vehicles and recordmg the dosage rates at selected sitting positions while the vehicle was in the contaminated Location of Records. The only known copy o f the report is in the Information Systems Division, Corporate Information Office, CBDCOM. The person responsible for the maintenance of this report is Edward F. Gier. Nature and Quality of Records. The information is contained in an interim report, "Attenuation of 1.2 Mev Gamma Radiation by Soviet and U.S. Military Vehicles and U.S. Rail

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PINNAL REPORT ON HUMANRADIATION EXPERMENTS Equipment'' (CRLR297), by Robert P. Beckelheimer and Ralph E. Rexroad, dated 1 August 1953, consisting o f 80 pages oftext, charts, and photographs. Clnssificntion. The report is unclassifid. Effixts on Participants. No information was located describing either short-term or longterm effects of radiation exposure on the participants. Medical Follow-up. There was no known medical follow-up to the test, Informed Consent. There is no evidence whether informed consent was obtained or not obtained prior to this test.

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JRN-25-1995 1 6 : 2 6 FPOM CBDCOMHISTORICRL DIU IS ION TO 917038470890 P. 10 FINAJl. REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS FROM SKIN Location. Not stated, but thought to be Foster D.Snell, Xnc. facilities in New York, NY. When. Not stated, but final reports were dated 30 June 1952 md 15 June 1953 Organizations. The test was conducted by a contractor, Foster D. Snell, Inc., under contract with the Chemical and Radiological Laboratories, U.S. Army Chemical Corps. Number of Human Subjects and Description. In the first test, 16 human subjects were described as "paid volunteers." Each subject was assigned a letter designation from A to P. Their sex, age, skin (fair, dark: or fieckled), and color of hair were identified in a chart labeled "Characteristics of Human Subjects." There were 12 males and 4 females, ranging in age from I ? to 50. Nc names were identified. In the second test, 1 I8 human subjects were used, including the original 16. The additional subjects were assigned numbers instead of letters. The subjects were identified only by this definition and were similarly described as in the fint test. Experiment Summary. The objective of this project was to evaluate the radiolo&al decontaminating eficiency of vanious soaps and syndets. The decontaminants were tested on three types of surfaces: metallic, animal skin, and human skin. The human testing podon was approved by the Atomic Energy Commission. Researchers used paid volunteers, who were given physical examinations by a physician with special attention being given to any possible alleraes or dermatological disturbances that might interfere with the experiment. Only healthy subjects were selected for the test. The actual test involved shaving a square area on the outer side of each forearm and drawing a circle with a wax pencil on that location and one on the palm of the hand. The contaminant was added slowly to the circle and allowed to air dry Four contaminants were used. Soil from the Nevada test ground, carbon-labeled synthetic soil, and neutron-irradiated synthetic soil were applied in akoholic suspensions. About 0.3 ml. of suspension was used each time. The fourth was a synthetic soil-fission product in an alcoholic suspension containing about 0.3 mg.of soil and enough fission products to give about 2,000 counts per minute in each 0.025 ml.of suspension. Each skin area was contaminated with 0.025 ml. of the suspension.

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HNAL REPORT ON HUMAN RADIATION EXPERIMENTS Before washing counts were taken with an unshielded Geiger tube with a 1.4 mg./cm.* mica end window. Initial counts varied from about 6,500 to 1,000. Mer cleansing with various decontaminants to include Tide, Surf, Ivory, and Palmolive, a final count was taken. The final counts varied from about 0 to 500 Thus the &ciency of the decontaminant was calculated by determining the percentage of contamination removed during decontamination. Location of Records. The only known copies of the reports concerning these experiments are contained in the Information Systems Division, Corporate Information Office, CBDCOM. The person responsible for the maintenance of these reports is Edward F. Gier. Nature and Quality oFRecords. The pertinent reports are entitled: ( I ) "Final Report to U.S. Army Chemical Corps Chemical and Radiological Laboratories on Removal ofhdioactive D,Snell, Inc., dated 30 June 1952; (2) "Final Report to U.S. A m y Chemica! Corps Chemical and Radiological Laboratories on Removal of Radioactive Contaminants From Kcman Skin Under Contract No. DA 18-108-CML-4747"0,by Foster D.SneU, Inc., dated 15 June 1953. Classification. The 1952 final report is unclassified. The 1953 final report is classified secret. A classification review is cumntly underway. Effects on Participants. No information was located describing either short-term or longterm effects of radiation exposure …