
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994                   TAG: 9401110142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RADIATION EXPERIMENTS DONE IN 33 VA HOSPITALS

The federal government carried out radiation experiments at 33 VA hospitals during the Cold War, according to documents released Monday, indicating the testing was more widespread than originally believed.

The documents, released by the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the purpose of the experiments was to determine the effects of radiation on military personnel and to aid in diagnoses and treatment of some patients.

In one case, patients at a VA hospital in Framingham, Mass., were fed food mixed with radioactive substances, said officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs, formerly the Veterans Administration. The officials gave no other details about the nature or number of the tests.

The VA acknowledged last month that military patients in 14 facilities, including the Framingham hospital, participated in radiation tests. Newly discovered documents led the department to increase the estimate of the number of hospitals involved, a spokesman said.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Jesse Brown last week ordered all VA hospitals to search their records for documents pertaining to radiation experiments. "I am committed to searching for the truth," he said.

Information about the experiments made available by VA officials Monday, however, gave few details. The tests were carried out in the late 1940s and '50s and were directed by the VA's Atomic Medicine Division, the documents said.

The tests involved use of radioisotopes "for medical research, clinical diagnosis and medical treatment of patients," one VA summary said.

White House officials are assembling a task force to determine the extent of federal radiation experiments and whether victims should receive compensation.

A spokesman said the VA is uncertain whether patients gave consent for experiments.

The VA set up a toll-free hot line last month seeking information from any veteran who may have participated in the studies or relatives with knowledge of them. The number is (800) 827-1000.

by CNB