Project 112/Project SHAD
Project 112/Project SHAD, or Shipboard Hazard and Defense, was a series of tests conducted by the Department of Defense from 1962 to 1973. Servicemembers participated in conducting the tests. The purpose was to determine the potential risks to U.S. warships and American forces from chemical and biological warfare agents.
To date, there is no clear evidence of specific, long-term health problems associated with participation in Project SHAD. VA sponsored a follow-up to a study conducted by the Health and Medicine Division (formally known as the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Long-Term Health Effects of Participation in Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense), 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.
About the Tests
Learn about Project 112/SHAD tests of warfare agents.
VA Benefits
View benefits for Veterans of Project 112/SHAD and their survivors.
Publications & Reports
View publications and other materials related to Project 112/SHAD.
Provider Resources
VA has resources to help providers care for Veterans.
