Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer and Distinguished Members of the Committee.  My name is Norman C. Lachapelle and I live in Memphis, Tennessee.  I am a retired Commander, Medical Service Corps, U.S. Navy and presently Administrator, Bureau of Environmental Health/Emergency Regional Response Coordinator with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department in Tennessee.

I received orders to Project SHAD Technical Staff on board USS Granville S. Hall (YAG-40) in May 1965.  My duty assignment was senior microbiologist and later technical operations officer charged with overseeing the microbiological and chemical functions in support of Deseret Test Center (DTC) SHAD tests.  I served in that capacity until 1970 interrupted by a 12-month deployment in Vietnam in 1967.

In addition to the Division of five (5) light Tugs as described by the officer in charge’s testimony, the technical staff of SHAD consisted of experienced Navy microbiologists, hospital corpsmen, laboratory technicians, gunners mate, meteorologist and photographers.  This group was responsible for:

• Preparing and calibrating air monitoring equipment used on the five (5) Light Tugs that served as aerosol sampling platforms during open-air sea tests conducted with biological and chemical simulant released agents.
• Conducting quality control of “munitions” i.e., concentration of agent slurry used for aerosol dispersal from military jet aircraft.
• Analyzing test samples collected from Light Tugs for quantitative and qualitative microbiological evaluations.
• Preparing a summary of raw laboratory qualitative and quantitative analytical results and data submitted to DTC Test Director after the completion of each test trial.  These data revealed the concentration of agents collected in the Light Tug laboratories after each test trial.

For the most part, technical staff participants were informed of the nature of the tests, standard operating procedures and trained in precautionary safety techniques using best available practices in the 1960’s.  In retrospect, based on my experience with DTC-SHAD sea and land base tests, more stringent safety measures should have been reinforced involving so called “harmless” simulants such as Escherichia coli (E-Coli) and Serratia marcescens (SM) which are now of medical concern and no longer used by military in biological aerosol testing.  Most disturbing is the fact that in 1950 the Army sprayed SM off the Coast of San Francisco, and shortly afterwards patients at Stanford University Hospital began appearing with Serratia marcescens infections.  This should have been a wake up call on the use of SM and other biologicals as simulants.

Bacillus globigii (BG) was used as a simulant in the majority of DTC tests.  However, BG, as reported in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) long-term health effects of participants in Project SHAD study report, is now considered a pathogen for humans.

Of great concern was the application of beta-propiolactone (BPL) disseminated as a mist to decontaminate the interior of ships including the Light Tugs.  The procedure involved sealing the vessel after the crew was evacuated and releasing the BPL from an electrical vaporizer for a period of time sufficient to destroy microorganisms.  To my knowledge the concentration of BPL was not recorded or the testing of the interior spaces for residual BPL, to ensure safe re-entry.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regards beta-propiolactone as a possible Carcinogen and cautions that a single dose of exposure is enough to pose a significant risk of cancer

It is important to mention that high level DOD officials testified at a Senate Armed Services Hearing in 2003 that DTC test records indicated that sailors were vaccinated against Paternella tularensis (Tularemia) and Coxriella burnetti (Q-Fever) and that the Army had vaccines against those agents.  Neither of these vaccines were FDA approved and considered experimental vaccines.  To my knowledge, a medical follow-up on the health status of the SHAD participants that were inoculated was not conducted and the type and dosage of the vaccine were not entered in their medical records.

Regretfully, all information and data about SHAD tests remained classified until 2001 when DOD began sharing some declassified DTC test information with Veteran Affairs.  SHAD veterans were certainly at a disadvantage during this time, i.e., over 40 years post termination of Project SHAD in not having this information available when being evaluated for proper health care.  It is of great value and help for attending physicians to know as much as possible about concentrations of hazardous materials that their patients have been exposed to.

It was a privilege and honor to have served with shipmates that were unquestionably dedicated in accomplishing the dangerous and highly classified mission of SHAD.

The many Project 112/SHAD participants, who unselfishly and willingly exposed themselves to hazardous biologicals and chemicals, often times with minimum personal protection, deserve the highest level of quality health care that this government can provide.

I join the many Project 112 and SHAD Veterans in expressing a heartfelt appreciation for all the hard and consistent work that Congressman Mike Thompson has done in our behalf and for Congressman Rehberg for joining the task.

I thank Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, and members of the Committee, and herein respectfully request that HR 5954 be moved from Committee to the Floor of the House with the recommendation for approval.