Nexus - 0503 - New Times Magazine-pages

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ability many years ago [and was] a rich source of documents for the human radiation experiments projects." As a child in the early 1950s, Mayor Carey was taken to the old ability many years ago [and was] a rich source of documents for Newburgh firehouse on Broadway which housed the public health the human radiation experiments projects." clinic. There, doctors from the Newburgh fluoridation project studied her teeth, and a peculiar fusion of two fingerbones on her | SUPPRESSION OF ADVERSE HEALTH FINDINGS left hand which she's had since birth. (Carey said that her grand- The crucial question arising from the investigation is whether daughter has white dental-fluorosis marks on her front teeth.) adverse health findings from Newburgh and other bomb-program Mayor Carey wants answers from the government about the fluoride studies were suppressed. All AEC-funded studies had to secret history of fluoride and the Newburgh fluoridation experi- e declassified before publication in civilian medical and dental ment. "I absolutely want to pursue it," she said. "It is appalling to journals. Where are the original classified versions? do any kind of experimentation and study without people's knowl- The transcript of one of the major secret scientific conferences edge and permission." of World War II—on "fluoride metabolism"—is missing from the When contacted by these reporters, the now 95-year-old David files of the US National Archives and is "probably still classified", B. Ast, former director of the Newburgh experiment, said he was according to the librarian. Participants in the January 1944 con- unaware that Manhattan Project scientists were involved. "If I ference included key figures who promoted the safety of fluoride had known, I would have been certainly investigating why, and and water fluoridation to the public after the war: Harold Hodge what the connection was," he said. Did he know that blood and of the Manhattan Project, David B. Ast of the Newburgh placenta samples from Newburgh were being sent to bomb-pro- Demonstration Project, and US Public Health Service dentist H. rchers at the University of Rochester? "I was not Trendley Dean, popularly known as "the father of fluoridation". aware of it," Ast replied. Did he recall participating in the A WWII Manhattan Project classified report (25 July 1944) on Manhattan Project's secret wartime conference on fluoride in water fluoridation is missing from the files of the University of January 1944, or going to New Jersey with Dr Hodge to investi- Rochester Atomic Energy Project, the US National Archives, and gate human injury in the DuPont case, as secret memos state? He the Nuclear Repository at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. told these reporters he had no recollection of any such events. The next four numerically consecutive documents are also miss- Bob Loeb, a spokesperson for the University of Rochester ing, while the remainder of the "M-1500 series" is present. Medical Center, confirmed that blood "Either those documents are still and tissue samples from Newburgh classified, or they've been 'disap- had been tested by the University's . peared’ by the government,” said Dr Hodge. On the ethics of secretly The secret version reports Clifford Honicker, Executive studying US citizens to obtain infor- that most of the men had Director of the American mation useful in litigation against the Environmental Health Studies A-bomb program, he said: "That's a Project in Knoxville, Tennessee, question we cannot answer." He which provided key evidence in the referred inquiries to the US The published version reports public exposure and prosecution of no teeth left. Denarimer of Ene (DOL only that the men had VS umsnsaiionexpnnn Commission. fewer cavities. 1947 Rochester bomb project note- Jayne Brady, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy in Washington confirmed that a review of DOE files indicated that a "significant reason" for fluoride Chris Hoolihan. experiments conducted at the University of Rochester after the Similarly, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests lodged war was "impending litigation between the DuPont company and by these reporters over a year ago with the DOE for hundreds of residents of New Jersey areas". However, she added: "DOE has classified fluoride reports have failed to dislodge any. "We're found no documents to indicate that fluoride research was done to _ behind," explained Amy Rothrock, chief FOIA officer at Oak protect the Manhattan Project or its contractors from lawsuits." Ridge National Laboratories. On Manhattan Project involvement in Newburgh, Brady stated: So, has information been suppressed? These reporters made "Nothing that we have suggests that the DOE or predecessor what appears to be the first discovery of the original classified book entitled "DuPont Litigation". "Most unusual," commented the medical school's chief archivist, agencies—especially the Manhattan Project—authorised fluoride version of a fluoride safety study by bomb program scientists. A experiments to be performed on children in the 1940s." censored version of this study was later published in the August When told that these reporters have several documents that 1948 Journal of the American Dental Association.’ Comparison directly tie the AEP—the Manhattan Project's successor agency at of the secret version with the published version indicates that the the University of Rochester—to the Newburgh experiment, DOE US AEC did censor damaging information on fluoride—to the spokesperson Brady later conceded her study was confined to "the point of tragicomedy. This was a study of the dental and physical available universe" of documents. health of workers in a factory producing fluoride for the A-bomb Two days later, Brady faxed a statement for clarification. "My program; it was conducted by a team of dentists from the search only involved the documents that we collected as part of | Manhattan Project. our human radiation experiments project; fluoride was not part of * The secret version reports that most of the men had no teeth our research effort." left. The published version reports only that the men had fewer "Most significantly," the statement continued, "relevant docu- cavities. ments may be in a classified collection at the DOE Oak Ridge * The secret version says the men had to wear rubber boots National Laboratory, known as the Records Holding Task Group. because the fluoride fumes disintegrated the nails in their shoes. This collection consists entirely of cl: fied documents removed Continued on page 85 from other files for the purpose of classified document account- The secret version reports that most of the men had no teeth left. The published version reports only that the men had fewer cavities. Chris Hoolihan. Similarly, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests lodged by these reporters over a year ago with the DOE for hundreds of classified fluoride reports have failed to dislodge any. "We're behind," explained Amy Rothrock, chief FOIA officer at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. So, has information been suppressed? These reporters made what appears to be the first discovery of the original classified version of a fluoride safety study by bomb program scientists. A censored version of this study was later published in the August 1948 Journal of the American Dental Association... Comparison of the secret version with the published version indicates that the US AEC did censor damaging information on fluoride—to the point of tragicomedy. This was a study of the dental and physical health of workers in a factory producing fluoride for the A-bomb program; it was conducted by a team of dentists from the Manhattan Project. * The secret version reports that most of the men had no teeth left. The published version reports only that the men had fewer cavities. * The secret version says the men had to wear rubber boots because the fluoride fumes disintegrated the nails in their shoes. 18 = NEXUS APRIL - MAY 1998 Continued on page 85