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FACT SHEET
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) Deployment Health Support Directorate
Deseret Test Center
DTC Test 69-12
Shortly after President Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, the Secretary of Defense,Robert McNamara, directed that a total review of the U.S. military be undertaken. The studyconsisted of 150 separate projects. The chemical and biological warfare review was knownas Project 112. As part of the Project 112 review, the Joint Chiefs of Staff convened aworking committee that recommended a research, testing, and development program forchemical and biological weapons. To oversee this program, the Deseret Test Center wasestablished at Fort Douglas, Utah, in 1962. Both land-based and ship-based tests wereconducted during the period 1962 – 1973. The Deseret Test Center closed in 1973.
In 1967 and 1968, Deseret Test Center Test conducted DTC Test 68-13 (Rapid Tan I, II, III)jointly with the United Kingdom and Canada. Rapid Tan was designed to investigatethe extent and duration of hazard following a Tabun, Soman or V nerve agent attack.
DTC Test 69-12 was planned as a more sophisticated test than Rapid Tan. DTC Test 69-12 was originally scheduled for conduct near Fort Greely, Alaska; however, the test sitewas moved to Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. Only three trials (of 54 scheduled) werecompleted prior to the imposition of open-air toxic test restrictions and the suspension of thetest.
The three completed DTC Test 69-12 trials were conducted at Edgewood Arsenal,Maryland during the spring of 1969.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is providing this information, at the request of the Department ofVeterans Affairs (VA), to assist the VA in providing healthcare services to qualified veterans and toassist veterans in establishing service connection for disability claims. The Deployment HealthSupport Directorate (DHSD) collected this information from multiple sources and requested that themilitary services declassify it to allow its public distribution. The VA accepts this informationprovided on location, dates, units and/or ships, and substances involved in this exercise, whichDHSD extracted from classified DoD records, and will provide it to individual veterans as necessary,but the VA cannot verify its accuracy.
Test Name
Testing Organization
Test Dates
Test Location
Test Operations
To determine rate of evaporation of Tabun,Sarin, Soman, and VX as a function ofcontamination density, drop size, and terrain coverunder a variety of meteorological conditions in atemperate environment.
Participating Services
Units and Ships Involved
Dissemination Procedures
Agents, Simulants, Tracers
Sarin Nerve AgentSoman Nerve AgentTabun Nerve AgentVX Nerve Agent Ancillary Testing
Decontamination
Potential Health Risks
Associated with Agents,
Sarin gas is a volatile and lethal nerve agent. It can Simulants, Tracers
enter the body by inhalation, ingestion, through theeyes, and to a lesser extent through the skin. Afterexposure to a sufficient dose, human symptoms mayoccur within minutes and include runny nose, wateryeyes, difficulty breathing, dimness of vision,confusion, drowsiness, coma, and death. Very littleinformation is available regarding long-term healtheffects following exposures to low levels that do notcause acute symptoms. No information is availableregarding potential carcinogenicity. An Institute of The Department of Defense (DoD) is providing this information, at the request of the Department ofVeterans Affairs (VA), to assist the VA in providing healthcare services to qualified veterans and toassist veterans in establishing service connection for disability claims. The Deployment HealthSupport Directorate (DHSD) collected this information from multiple sources and requested that themilitary services declassify it to allow its public distribution. The VA accepts this informationprovided on location, dates, units and/or ships, and substances involved in this exercise, whichDHSD extracted from classified DoD records, and will provide it to individual veterans as necessary,but the VA cannot verify its accuracy.
Medicine committee concluded that there wasinsufficient evidence for or against an associationbetween low-level sarin exposure and long-termhealth effects.
(Sources: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Nerve/Sarin/Sarin.asp [as of February 13, 2002]Institute ofMedicine (National Academies), Gulf War andHealth (vol.1): Depleted Uranium, PyridostigmineBromide, Sarin, Vaccines. National Academy Press,Washington DC, 2000.) Soman Nerve Agent (GD)Soman is a colorless liquid, which gives off an odorof rotting fruit when vaporizing. The vapor iscolorless. Soman is a persistent agent that can easilyremain in a particular area for a day or longer,depending on the atmospheric conditions. Acutehealth effects associated with exposure to somaninclude a runny nose, tightness in the chest, constric-tion of the pupils, difficulty in breathing, coma, anddeath. There is little information available regardingthe long-term human health effects of exposure tosoman.
(Source: http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/soman.htm Zajtchuk R (ed.), Textbook of MilitaryMedicine (part 1, Medical Aspects of Chemical andBiological Warfare, 1997), Office of the ArmySurgeon General, Washington DC, 1997. ) Tabun Nerve Agent (GA)Tabun is an amber, non-persistent liquid, which givesoff little odor when vaporizing. The vapor is color-less. When exposed to tabun, the symptoms a victimwill experience include a runny nose, tightness in thechest, constriction of the pupils, difficulty breathing, The Department of Defense (DoD) is providing this information, at the request of the Department ofVeterans Affairs (VA), to assist the VA in providing healthcare services to qualified veterans and toassist veterans in establishing service connection for disability claims. The Deployment HealthSupport Directorate (DHSD) collected this information from multiple sources and requested that themilitary services declassify it to allow its public distribution. The VA accepts this informationprovided on location, dates, units and/or ships, and substances involved in this exercise, whichDHSD extracted from classified DoD records, and will provide it to individual veterans as necessary,but the VA cannot verify its accuracy.
and nausea. Ultimately the victim will becomecomatose and will suffocate as a consequence ofconvulsive spasms. Tabun is mainly absorbedthrough the skin; however, vapors can also behazardous. If a person does not receive animmediately lethal dose, death will occur afterapproximately 20 minutes. Those receiving a lessthan lethal dose who do not receive immediatemedical care may suffer permanent neurologicaldamage. There is little information availableregarding the long-term human health effects ofexposure to low doses of tabun.
(Source: http://www.sbccom.army.mil/services/edu/tabun.htm Zajtchuk R (ed.), Textbook ofMilitary Medicine (part 1, Medical Aspects ofChemical and Biological Warfare, 1997), Office ofthe Army Surgeon General, Washington DC, 1997.
VX Nerve Agent – (Synonyms: Phosphonothioicacid, VX)VX nerve agent is extremely lethal. It is an oilyliquid that is clear, odorless, and tasteless. Deathusually occurs within 10-15 minutes after absorptionof a fatal dosage. VX nerve agent is one of the mosttoxic substances ever synthesized. Symptoms ofoverexposure may occur within minutes or hours,depending upon the dose. They include:constriction of pupils, headaches, runny nose,salivation, tightness in the chest, nausea, vomiting,anxiety, difficulty in thinking, muscle twitches,tremors, and weakness. With severe exposure,symptoms progress to convulsions and respiratoryfailure. There is little information available regard-ing the long-term human health effects of exposureto low doses of VX.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is providing this information, at the request of the Department ofVeterans Affairs (VA), to assist the VA in providing healthcare services to qualified veterans and toassist veterans in establishing service connection for disability claims. The Deployment HealthSupport Directorate (DHSD) collected this information from multiple sources and requested that themilitary services declassify it to allow its public distribution. The VA accepts this informationprovided on location, dates, units and/or ships, and substances involved in this exercise, whichDHSD extracted from classified DoD records, and will provide it to individual veterans as necessary,but the VA cannot verify its accuracy.
(Sources: Centers for Disease Control andPrevention http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Nerve/VX/ctc0006.asp [as of January 25, 2002] ZajtchukR (ed.), Textbook of Military Medicine (part 1,Medical Aspects of Chemical and BiologicalWarfare, 1997), Office of the Army SurgeonGeneral, Washington DC, 1997. SBCCOM Online,Edgewood Chemical Biological Centerhttp://in1.apgea.army.mil:80/RDA/msds/vx.htm[as of April 2, 2002] World Health Organization,Department of Sustainable Development &Environmental Protection, http://209.61.192.180/phe/factsheet_5.htm [as of April 2, 2002]Department of the Army Pamphlet 40-8:Occupational Health Guidelines for the Evaluationand Control of Occupational Exposure to NerveAgents GA, GB, GD, and VXhttp://books.army.mil:80/cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/P40_8/CCONTENTS [as of February 5, 2002]).
The Department of Defense (DoD) is providing this information, at the request of the Department ofVeterans Affairs (VA), to assist the VA in providing healthcare services to qualified veterans and toassist veterans in establishing service connection for disability claims. The Deployment HealthSupport Directorate (DHSD) collected this information from multiple sources and requested that themilitary services declassify it to allow its public distribution. The VA accepts this informationprovided on location, dates, units and/or ships, and substances involved in this exercise, whichDHSD extracted from classified DoD records, and will provide it to individual veterans as necessary,but the VA cannot verify its accuracy.

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