February 8, 2005
The Honorable Jim Nicholson
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20420
Dear Secretary Nicholson:
I am writing to make you fully aware of the 60,000 U.S. veterans who were intentionally exposed to mustard gas, Lewisite, and nerve agents during World War II and to request your immediate assistance on their behalf. For decades these veterans have suffered from cancer, blindness, and disease directly related to their service, yet their benefit claims have been ignored and rejected.
In 1942, the U.S. military instructed 60,000 men to endure severe chemical exposure, cajoled some of them into participating, and deceived others about certain health risks well-known at the time. Despite overwhelming evidence linking veterans' exposure to these agents with subsequent physiological and psychologicalconditions, only a handful has been compensated. According to a recent Detroit Free Times article, the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) had only granted compensation to less than one percent of the exposed veterans by 1994, at which point the VA stopped keeping track of claims. Sadly, the list of health hazards from exposure to the chemical agents involved is long and includes skin cancer, lung cancer, chronic skin ulcerations, Leukemia, chronic respiratory diseases, and severe eye injuries.
In addition, the Department of Veterans' Affairs knowingly has continued to shirk its duty to seek out these men who served as human subjects. In 1993, Acting Secretary Anthony Principi stated that the VA would, "make every effort to obtain through various official channels the subjects' current addresses and notify them of the possible health risks associated with the exposure [and] evaluate them medically." Unfortunately, the VA admitted in a 2004 interview with the Detroit Free Press that it had not contacted a single veteran to offer health risk warnings or evaluations for benefit eligibility. Instead, the VA relied on unpaid public-service announcements. Last year, in regards to the VA's nonexistent policy to contact these veterans, Secretary Principi said, "If more needs to be done, it will be done." Given your predecessor's commitment to these veterans, I respectfully ask you, Mr. Secretary, what course of action the VA plans to take to fulfill its duty to these men.
Over a decade ago, the VA requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convene a study to assess the association between exposure to mustard gas, Lewisite, and other nerve agents with the development of specific diseases. The IOM study recommended that
...the VA and DoD publicly announce and widely advertise that personnel exposed to mustard agents or Lewisite during their service are released from any oath of secrecy taken at the time. In addition, professional educational materials should be prepared by the VA or DoD, or both, and made available for physicians who may be treating affected individuals. These materials should incorporate the latest information regarding the long-term health effects of exposure to mustard agents and Lewisite.
It is without a doubt that the health of these WWII veterans was jeopardized over six decades ago when they were exposed to dangerous agents in experiments shrouded with secrecy. Now, the VA can stop endangering them further by seeking out these men and telling them the truth about the chemical exposure they endured. Mr. Secretary, I ask you to utilize the leadership of your new position to take action and give these veterans the benefits they rightfully deserve. I would greatly appreciate your timely response to this letter.
Sincerely,
Ted Strickland
Member of Congress
Copyright © 2005, The Columbus Dispatch
.
No comments:
Post a Comment