Human Experimentation

During World War II and the Cold War, the Defense Department (DOD) and other national security agencies conducted extensive radiological, chemical, and biological research programs. Precise information on the number of tests, experiments, and participants is unavailable and the exact numbers may never be known. However, GAO has identified hundreds of experiments in which hundreds of thousands of people were used as test subjects. These experiments often involved hazardous substances, such as radiation, blister and nerve agents, biological agents, and LSD. In some cases, basic safeguards to protect people were either not in place or were not followed. Some tests and experiments were done in secret, and others involved the use of people without their knowledge or consent or their full knowledge of the risks involved. The effects of the experiments are hard to determine. Although some participants suffered immediate injuries, and some died, in other instances health problems did not surface until 20 or 30 years later. It has proven difficult for participants in government experiments between 1940 and 1974 to pursue claims because little centralized information is available to prove participation or determine whether health problems resulted from the testing. Government experiments with human subjects continue today. For example, the Army uses volunteers to test new vaccines for malaria, hepatitis, and other exotic diseases. Since 1974, however, federal regulations have required (1) the formation of institutional review boards and procedures and (2) researchers to obtain informed consent from human subjects and ensure that their participation is voluntary and based on knowledge of the potential risks and benefits.