Report: Thousands of Test Subjects Not Notified About Dangers

March 7, 2008— -- Thousands of U.S. citizens who participated in human experimentation for the military may have been exposed to harmful chemical and biological substances.

In some cases, healthy adults, psychiatric patients and prison inmates were used in experiments that often included intentional exposure to blister and nerve agents. A GAO report adds that many of the test subjects have not been notified by the government about their potential exposure.

The report cites tests conducted by the Defense Department going back to World War II, most of which were a part of its Project 112 test program, while others were conducted as separate efforts.

"I really don't understand it," said Davi D'Agostino, director of defense and management at GAO. "It would be easy to say DOD has a lot of priorities right now, but they've also got a lot of problems, and we think this is very important."

Since World War II, the Defense Department has been involved in classified human experimentation tests that were conducted to support weapons development programs, identify methods to protect the health of military personnel against a variety of diseases and combat conditions and analyze U.S. defense vulnerabilities, according to the GAO. From 1962 through 1974, the department conducted a series of classified ship and land-based chemical and biological warfare tests involving military and civilian personnel. This group of classified tests were named Project 112 because it was the 112th project of 150 outlined by the secretary of defense in 1962.