WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced it has contracted with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a three-year, $3 million study of potential long-term health effects of tests conducted on board Navy ships in the 1960s.
From 1963 through 1970, the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted tests to determine the effectiveness of shipboard detection and protective measures against chemical and biological threats and to determine the potential risk to American forces. The tests were conducted under the broad heading of Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD).
Until recently, all information about the shipboard tests was classified. Responding to a request from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi, the Defense Department is sharing information with VA as it is declassified.
“We owe it to those veterans who participated in Project SHAD to find out if they have suffered any ill effects from the tests,” Principi said. “If we find any medical problems or disabilities associated with Project SHAD, those veterans will receive the benefits they deserve.”
IOM's formal epidemiological study will determine whether Project SHAD veterans are experiencing health problems due to exposures during military service. It will include both veterans receiving health care from VA and those not enrolled for VA care to be a valid scientific study and to accurately determine the nature and causes of any health problems among these veterans.
“We thought it critical to begin this study now, even before DoD’s declassification effort is complete, in order to determine how best to serve this veteran population,” said Dr. Susan Mather, Chief Officer of the VA Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards.
The study will compare the health of veterans who participated in the SHAD tests more than 30 years ago with the health of veterans from the same era who served on ships not involved with the testing. The study will also compare the mortality rates of the two groups. Although the exact number of SHAD participants is not known yet, it is estimated that several thousand service members took part.
Since May, using declassified information provided by the Defense Department, VA officials has been notifying veterans who took part in Project SHAD tests. As further information is declassified, VA will continue to notify veterans who may have been affected. Veterans were encouraged to come to VA medical facilities if they believe they have medical problems caused by the tests.
The IOM is a private, independent, non-government organization associated with the National Academy of Sciences. Additional information about the IOM can be found on the Web at http://www.iom.edu/ VA’s Project SHAD Web site is at http://www.va.gov/SHAD.
