Toxic Wounds

Last updated: Aug. 3, 2021

Veterans for Common Sense educates and advocates regarding military toxic exposures and the Toxic Wounds that result from them.

Toxic exposures may also cause or be associated with reproductive or generational health effects.

Some major Toxic Wound cohorts are below in chronological order based on the start date of the exposure.

MUSTARD GAS/LEWISITE EXPERIMENTS:

What: Chemical warfare agent testing on U.S. military service member “volunteers”
Who:  As many as 60,000 U.S. troops
Where: Alabama, Canal Zone (Panama), Florida, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Australia, England, and New Guinea
When: 1943-45
Presumptives: Yes; 14 types of cancer and eye and respiratory conditions associated with mustard exposure
Registries: None

HERBICIDE TESTS AND STORAGE:

What: Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam were part of projects to test, dispose of, or store herbicides
Who: Unknown number of U.S. troops
Where:  21 U.S. States, Puerto Rico, Cambodia, Canada, India, Korea, Laos, Thailand, and at sea
When: 1944-1970, and 1977 (at sea destruction)
Presumptives: Yes; 14 conditions
Registries: Agent Orange Registry health exam

ATOMIC VETERANS:

What: Atomic weapons tests involving U.S. military service member “volunteers”
Who:  Unknown numbers of U.S. troops
Where: South Pacific and western U.S. domestic atomic test sites
When: 1945-62
Presumptives: Yes; 23 types of cancer
Registries: Ionizing Radiation Registry

FORT McCLELLAN EXPERIMENTS:

What: Chemical warfare agent and prophylaxes testing on U.S. military “line of duty” service members
Who:  Unknown numbers of U.S. troops
Where: Alabama
When: 19??-1999
Presumptives: No
Registries: None

CAMP LEJEUNE DRINKING WATER:

What: Two water-supply systems on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina were contaminated with the industrial solvents trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE).
Who:  Unknown number of military service members, dependents, and base civilians
Where: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
When:  August 1, 1953 (VA recognizes January 1, 1957 for family health care) through December 31, 1987
Presumptives: Yes; 8 conditions
Registries: None

EDGEWATER ARSENAL/ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND EXPERIMENTS:

What: Chemical warfare agent, prophylaxes, and drug testing on U.S. military service member “volunteers”
Who:  At least 6,700 U.S. troops
Where: Maryland, U.S.
When: 1955-75
Presumptives: No (except 14 types of cancer and eye and respiratory conditions associated with mustard exposure)
Registries: None

VIETNAM WAR & AGENT ORANGE:

What: Agent Orange and other herbicides
Who: At least 3.5 million U.S. troops
Where: Southeast Asia; Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ); worldwide C-123 aircraft personnel
When: Vietnam, January 9, 1962 – May 7, 1975; Thailand, February 28, 1961 – May 7, 1975; Korean DMZ, April 1, 1968 – August 31, 1971; C-123 aircraft, 1972-82
Presumptives: Yes; 17 types of conditions. See also: Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation
Registries: Agent Orange Registry health exam

PROJECT 112/PROJECT SHAD:
(Shipboard Hazard And Defense)

What: A series of tests of U.S. warship vulnerability to biological and chemical warfare agents
Who: More than 5,800 U.S. military personnel, mostly Navy personnel and Marines; only some of the involved military personnel were aware of these tests at the time.
Where: Numerous locations
When: 1962-73
Presumptives: No
Registries: None

PERSIAN GULF WAR:
(Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm)

What: A “veritable toxic soup” of numerous war theatre toxic exposures, including combinations of exposures resulting in Gulf War Illness, experimental drugs and vaccines, Iraqi chemical warfare agents including Khamisiyah munitions depot demolitions, burning oil well fires and particulate, depleted uranium (DU), endemic diseases.
Who: Approximately 697,000 U.S. troops, unknown numbers of Coalition troops from partner countries, and local civilians similarly exposed
Where:  Southwest Asia theatre of operations
When: Aug. 2, 1990 to a date as yet to be determined (“Gulf War”/Southwest Asia theatre of operations service)
Presumptives:

Registries:

GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM:
(Operations Enduring Freedom/Freedom’s Sentinel, Operations Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, and successor operations)

What: Numerous war theatre toxic exposures, Iraqi chemical warfare agents, open air burn pits, hexavalent chromium at Qarmat Ali, sulfur fire at Al Mishraq, depleted uranium (DU), endemic diseases.
Who: Approximately 3 million U.S. troops (unknown numbers of Coalition troops from partner countries, and local civilians were similarly exposed)
Where: OEF/OFS (Afghanistan) and OIF/OND/OIR/successor operations (Iraq) theatres of operation
When: October 7, 2001-Present
Presumptives:

Registries:

K2: KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, UZBEKISTAN

What: Numerous toxic exposures including chemical warfare agents, “black goo” and “glowing ponds”, open air burn pits, depleted uranium (DU), fuels and solvents.
Who: Over 15,777 U.S. troops
Where: Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K2), Uzbekistan
When: January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2005
Presumptives:

Registries:  None.