DOD

On 15 January 1994, Executive Order (EO)12891

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identified human radiation experiments(HRE) in the following manner:

(1)Experiments on individuals involving inten-tional exposure to ionizing radiation. This cat-egory does not include common and routineclinical practices, such as established diag-nosis and treatment methods, involving inci-dental exposures to ionizing radiation.(2)Experiments involving intentional environ-mental releases of radiation that (a) were de-signed to test human health effects to ionizingradiation; or (b) were designed to test the ex-tent of human exposure to ionizing radiation.

Using the definitions in the EO, the Departmentof Defense (DoD) established guidance to search itsrecords. The search criteria had three componentsthat a project had to satisfy to be considered apossible human radiation experiment: (1) there hadto be human subject involvement, (2) there had to bean experimental component, and (3) radiation had tobe involved in some way. During the records search,if there was doubt as to whether a record completelysatisfied all three of these components, the guidancewas to err on the side of inclusion. Dr. Harold P.Smith, Jr., Assistant to the Secretary of Defense(Atomic Energy), stated,

For the purpose of this initial identification ofpossible experiments, organizations submit-ting reports should err on the side of inclusion.Reported activities that are outside the scopeof the records search can then be excludedprior to actual records retrieval.

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Many of the records identified were not experimentalbut concerned projects that used radiation only as anevaluation or diagnostic tool.The determination of whether a procedure wasexperimental was often difficult to make. In its FinalReport, The Advisory Committee on HumanRadiation Experiments (ACHRE) concluded:

In a medical setting, it is sometimes hard todistinguish a formal experiment designed totest the effectiveness of a treatment from or-dinary medical care in which the same treat-ment is being administered outside a researchproject. The patient receiving the treatmentmay discern no difference between the two....Similarly, in an occupational setting in whichemployees are put at risk, it is often difficult todistinguish formal scientific efforts to studyeffects on the health of employees from rou-tine monitoring of employees’ exposure tohazards in the work place for the purposes ofensuring worker safety.

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The boundaries among medical, clinical,occupational, and experimental exposures are oftenblurred and difficult to precisely discern.In compiling the list of possible radiationexperiments, the DoD was often faced with the samedilemma of trying to discern a true experiment frommedical treatment. For this reason, the policy to erron the side of inclusion was implemented to ensurethat every possible experiment was identified andreceived close scrutiny in evaluating its true intent.Approximately 2,600 projects and studies wereinitially identified and reported to the RadiationExperiments Command Center (RECC) and the

88 Appendix 1—Results of DoD Human Radiation Experiments Records Search

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ACHREAdvisory Committee on Human Radiation ExperimentsAFMPCArmed Forces Medical Policy CouncilAFRRIArmed Forces Radiobiology Research InstituteDHEWDepartment of Health, Education, and WelfareDSWADefense Special Weapons AgencyDNADefense Nuclear Agency [now DSWA]DoDDepartment of DefenseHREHuman Radiation ExperimentRECCRadiation Experiments Command Center

determine the degree of governmental involvement inHRE. Approximately 500projects have been identifiedthat occurred during theseyears. The list in this section isorganized by the sponsoring orconducting service, the facility,organization or location namewhere the projects wereconducted, the start date, theRECC identification number,the project title, a brief abstractdrawn from availableinformation relating to theexperiment, and a list of documents obtained by the services that pertainspecifically to the experiment. In some instances, adocument associated with the project will beidentified as an “event profile.” This is a summarydeveloped by the reporting service/agency from theirown records to describe the project. In otherinstances, a document associated with the project willbe identified as a “search printout.” This is the resultof online database searches for journal articles andreports related to specific studies. In some of the1944 – 1974 projects, the RECC was unable tocompile a complete description. In these instances,a notation has been made in the project entry thatif this information becomes available, it will beprovided in volume 2 to this publication.

1975 – 1994

Approximately 1,900 projects were reported tothe RECC for these years as possibly involvinghuman use in ionizing radiation experiments. Thisnumber is greater than the actual number of experiments due to DoD’s policy to err on the side of inclusion. Included are duplicate reporting, clinicalinvestigations and treatments, and other routine usesof radiation that, on later examination, weredetermined to be appropriate nonexperimental usesof radiation. As opposed to the 1944-1974 listing,there are no abstracts. There is only a topicalACHRE by the DoD. These projects occurredbetween 1944 and 1994 and were provided by theArmy, Navy, Air Force, Defense Special WeaponsAgency (DSWA), and the Armed ForcesRadiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI). Thisappendix is a listing of approximately 2,400 projectsand studies sponsored or conducted by the DoD. Thislower number is the result of eliminating studies thatwere proposed but not performed as well as duplicatesubmissions from the original 2,600.The list is arranged in two parts. The first partlists projects that took place between 1944 and 1974,and the second section lists projects that occurredbetween 1975 and 1994. This division is consistentwith the approach taken by the DoD and the otherrepresented agencies of the Human RadiationInteragency Working Group to focus theinvestigation on HRE conducted before theestablishment of the Federal “Common Rule” (seeappendix 2). The basic principles of the CommonRule were adopted by the Department of Health,Education, and Welfare (DHEW) in 1974.

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1944 – 1974

These years define the period on which theInteragency Working Group and ACHRE focused to

Appendix 1—Results of DoD Human Radiation Experiments Records Search 89

description of the projects. This is outside theoriginal search period but the projects are includedhere in order to provide full accounting of all reportsprovided the ACHRE.

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The approximately 2,400 projects from 1944 to1994 reported here are the result of an intensivereview of documents in many archives, recordscenters, libraries, medical centers, and other recordsrepositories. To assist in finding a specific project, theinformation is listed as follows:1. Alphabetically by service or agency whichsponsored the project2. Then alphabetically by site name (facility,organization or location name)3. Lastly, chronologically by year.Please note: Some projects were sponsored by oneservice or agency but conducted at another service’sfacility. For example, the Air Force reported a projectthat it sponsored but which was conducted at theWalter Reed Army Medical Center. This project islisted in the Air Force section since it was an AirForce project. However, a person looking for thisproject would look, logically, in the Army sectionsince it was held at an Army facility. However, itwould not be there. For this reason, if the project youare searching for is not found in one service section,it is suggested you search all the other sections.

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(To obtain copies of the following documents, see appendix 2.)1.Executive Order 12891, “Advisory Committee onHuman Radiation Experiments,” 15 January 1994, p. 2.2.Memorandum from Harold P. Smith, Jr., Assistant to theSecretary of Defense (Atomic Energy),31 January 1994, attachment “Specific Direction for LocatingRecords of DoD Human Radiation Experiments,” p.3.3.Advisory Committee on Human RadiationExperiments, Final Report (Washington, D.C.: U.S.Government Printing Office, October 1995), pp. 10–11.