In response to the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 and an ensuing request from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has assembled a committee of experts to conduct an epidemiological study comparing the health status of the SHAD veterans with a comparison population. This study will build on knowledge gained from a prior study conducted by IOM between 2003 and 2007.
The committee is soliciting input from SHAD veterans about their experiences so that the study can be informed by the insights of these veterans. If you would be interested in providing comments or attending the public portion of the meeting on February 23, please contact Jon Sanders at jsanders@nas.edu.
Written materials can be submitted to the committee at any time through the IOM staff at the following e-mail or postal addresses. Please note that any comments or materials submitted to the committee in paper or electronic form will normally become part of the study’s public record.
Committee on Shipboard Hazard and Defense II
Institute of Medicine, Keck 775
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
BACKGROUND
From 1962 to 1973, more than 5,800 military personnel, mostly Navy personnel and Marines, participated in Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) -- a series of tests of U.S. warship vulnerability to biological and chemical warfare agents. Only some of the military personnel who were involved were aware of these tests at the time. Additional information about these tests became public many decades later. A few tests used live agents, and many of these tests used simulants, which are substances with the physical properties of chemical or biological warfare agents. At the time of the tests, the simulants were thought to be harmless.
In 2007, the Institute of Medicine ’s Medical Follow-up Agency (MFUA) published a report on a study that assessed evidence regarding the possibility of long-term health effects of participation in Project SHAD. The report on this "SHAD I" study is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11900.
In a new "SHAD II" study, an expert committee will work in conjunction with IOM's MFUA and build on knowledge gained from the previous IOM study. The SHAD II study will use the established list of SHAD participants and the comparison population determined as part of the prior study.
Questions about the study or providing materials for the committee’s consideration should be directed to study director Lois Joellenbeck (ljoellen@nas.edu) or program associate Jon Sanders (jsanders@nas.edu).