Executive Summaries of Volumes 1 and

In response to a request from the Department of the Army, the Committee on Toxicology (COT) of the National Research Council Assembly of Life Sciences conducted a study to evaluate the possibility of long-term or delayed adverse health effects of chemical agents tested on military volunteers during the 1960s and 1970s. 

The task was begun about 2 years ago, with interviews of key people who had been associated with the soldier-volunteer test program of the Army Chemical Center (Edgewood Arsenal), Maryland. Initial efforts included a thorough review of the Army s laboratory and clinical records and of reports in the scientific literature. Some 6,720 soldiers took part in the Edgewood program as test subjects in about 1958-1975, and 24 chemicals were administered in an experimental setting. 

The chemicals were divided into eight major pharmacologic classes and organized within each class according to structure. The most extensively studied classes are the anticholinergic and the anticholinesterase chemicals, and these are the subjects of this report the other classes will be reported on later. Panels were then formed to study these two main classes. The chairmen were selected for expertise in some aspect of the review of the pharmacologic class in question. 

The next step involved organization of Edgewood data and reports. Some of this material had to be declassified before use by the panels. Digests of the entire available literature, classified and 

No firm evidence has been seen that any of the anticholinergic test compounds surveyed produced long-range adverse human health effects in the doses used at Edgewood Arsenal. More intensive study is required to confirm this conclusion. The high frequency of uncontrolled variables makes evaluation of behavioral effects difficult. 

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