Meanwhile, the nearby Monsanto Plant was releasing airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the environment.Ī 1998 study by the U.S. Stores of these toxins leaked into the soil, water, and supply wells. What Were Veterans Exposed to Fort McClellan Toxins?įrom 1945 to 1999, Fort McClellan housed the Army Chemical Corps, where service members conducted tests on nerve agents and sulfur mustard. No need to prove anything beyond their service and diagnosis.īut Fort McClellan has yet to receive equal attention. Veterans with qualifying service and disease on the hypothetical list are automatically service-connected and eligible for VA benefits. Recently, health registries studying veterans exposed to toxic water at Camp LeJeune and poisonous fumes from burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq helped create VA presumptive lists for those service areas. They may have to gather extensive scientific evidence and military records to prove that their time in service caused their illness. Without presumptive service connection for certain diseases caused by toxins at Fort McClellan, veterans may spend decades fighting for VA disability compensation. “There are currently no adverse health conditions associated with service at Fort McClellan.” “Although exposures to high levels of these compounds have been shown to cause a variety of adverse health effects in humans and laboratory animals, there is no evidence of exposures of this magnitude having occurred at Fort McClellan,” says the VA. VA admits military service members were exposed to deadly toxins detected in and around the former Anniston, Alabama Army post, yet fails to acknowledge that veterans received enough exposure to cause disease. On October 1, the State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA) voted unanimously on a resolution asking the Alabama congressional delegation to set up a health registry for Fort McClellan veterans as a first step toward offering presumptive service connection.
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