Public Health
Research Studies on Health Effects of Project SHAD
Currently, there is no clear evidence of specific long-term health effects associated with participation in Project SHAD.
VA continues to study the possibility of long-term health effects associated with in-service exposure to chemical and biological agents.
Health and Medicine Division study
VA asked the Health and Medicine Division (HMD) (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a non-governmental organization, to conduct a study on potential health effects of participation in Project SHAD. HMD found no clear evidence that specific long-term health effects are associated with participation in Project SHAD. Read the 2007 report, Long-Term Health Effects of Participation in Project SHAD, to learn more.
VA sponsored a follow-up to the HMD study, which concluded that “within the limits of the data available to the committee, the results of the analyses provide no evidence that the health of SHAD veterans overall or those in exposure groups is significantly different from that of similar veterans who did not participate in these tests." Read the 2016 report, Assessing Health Outcomes Among Veterans of Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense).
If you are concerned about health effects associated with involvement in Project 112 or Project SHAD, talk to your health care provider or your local VA Environmental Health Coordinator.
You also may want to conduct an extensive search on chemical and biological agents through the U.S. National Institutes of Health's PubMed.
