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FOR THE LAST year, TheJournal.ie has been covering allegations made by former members of the Irish Air Corps that exposure to harmful chemicals during their careers has led to the untimely deaths of many of their colleagues.
It’s the contention of a number of Air Corps members that the effects of the chemicals contributed to dozens of workers at the Baldonnel Airfield becoming ill.
In a protected disclosure made by one of the workers earlier this year, it has also been alleged that the partners of male members of the force suffered serious fertility issues and a number of miscarriages. Other children, according to the protected disclosure, are living with life-changing illnesses and, in some cases, have died.
Today, after receiving details verified through death certificates of each of those who has passed away, we can publish details of 45 deceased members: their ages, their causes of death and what position they held in the Air Corps.
Many died by various forms of cancer. Others died by suicide.
Many of those listed below had left the Defence Forces prior to their deaths.
Although we have their names, we have decided not to publish them. The format for the following list is the rank of the deceased, their initials, cause of death recorded on their death certificates and finally their age of death.
The average age at death of the above men is 50 years old.
A 2016 inspection by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) identified a number of shortcomings at Baldonnel with corrective actions then taken by the Defence Forces in relation to how it handles chemicals.
According to the HSA report seen by TheJournal.ie, the Air Corps was warned it could face prosecution if it did not “comply with advice and relevant legal requirements” about how hazardous substances were managed, among other safety matters.
TheJournal.ie earlier this year obtained a detailed list of chemicals which were purchased for use by the Air Corps. These include the highly toxic Ardrox 666 and Ardrox 670.
Other chemicals which have been used at Baldonnel include:
All these chemicals have been proven to cause serious damage to humans after long-term exposure.
‘Life-changing conditions’
The HSA’s report stated immediate attention was needed at Baldonnel and that protective equipment must be made available to staff. The necessary equipment should include protective gear for eyes and hands, as well as respirators to protect against inhalation of toxic fumes.
In the documents, which have been seen by TheJournal.ie, the HSA said a number of safety measures must be implemented “with immediate effect” at Baldonnel.
The HSA report also advised the Air Corps that work activity involving category 1a or 1b chemicals (Cancer-causing), ” a higher ‘as far as technically possible’ standard applies”.
The HSA also advised that risk assessment processes need to be managed to ensure control measures, including “the provision of information and training to relevant
The HSA letter also ordered the Air Corps to respond to their findings and to detail what “corrective actions” it would be taking. In their response, a senior commanding officer says that all “carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals will be subject to more stringent controls and that these controls will be fully documented”.
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1: Can anyone genuinely look at everything known so far and say ‘nothing to see here’?
2: Please republish this article at peak readership on this site as a mark of respect to the fallen.
SF care about the defense forces? you are having a laugh right?
@brian hardy: The fraperoom’s up early.
@brian hardy: you’re seriously using this as an opportunity for oneupmanship?
@brian hardy: take it outside Brian. This story is not the place for political party the Jack Russell’s to be yapping at each other. Now run along there boy.
Ignore ‘brian’. It’s the same lad who has been banned dozens of times, and that’s having his many twitter accounts instantly flagged and restricted as soon as he sets them up.
It’s quite comical at this stage.
@The Risen: it is extremely annoying, some of these guys just clog up the debates with their attacks and counter attacks. Putting off ordinary readers who might want to contribute on an issue. Some of your own supporters are equally as bad, Risen. None of the parties or interest groups are innocent. There should be a total personal word limit on each article, or a fair use policy.
@Greg Blake: “Some of your own supporters are equally as bad, Risen”
I have supporters?
As a percentage of people working there how do the numbers stack up and compared to deaths in other industries how do the figures compare for the various causes of death? Is there a direct correlation between those actually physically using the chemicals and any of the numerous causes of death listed?
@endohan: Couldn’t agree more, but I’m pretty sure this story isn’t about deaths in the workplace. It’s about linking deaths outside of work to conditions at work. It’ll be interesting to see if there is a link in this case to the various causes of death reported
@Cathal: very poorly comparatively speaking Cathal. At most this is out of 2000 men and women in the decade in question and the list of seriously sick from same 2000 is much more.
@Mick Murphy: Thanks Mick. The article stopped short of drawing a direct link, more listing deaths and prompting people to draw their own conclusions. RIP all regardless
@Mick Murphy:
Where does it say anything about the timeframe on this list being a single decade? Genuine question, as it’s hard to draw any conclusions without proper context.
@Cathal: that’s just those who have passed. There are far more living with chronic illness and pain on a daily basis. Unfortionately, the longer they’re left on the political merry-go-round, the longer the above list will grow.
@Avina Laaf: Deaths are since 1980 but this only first batch of verified deaths. Also with 1 exception we were only collating personnel who didn’t make civvy retirement age. Protected disclosures were made to Minster for Defence in December 2015. 14 x serving / former personnel have died in 22 months since then, averaging mid 40s in age.
@Cathal: you’re missing the point. I’ve worked for various pharmaceutical companies over the last 20 years any if we were found to be misusing anybody the above chemicals all production would be halted. A written warning isn’t good enough and prosecutions should be sought. This is corporate manslaughter but because the government doesn’t want this on its plate it will never happen unless Europe gets involved
@ChuckE: What makes it worse is that in 1995 the area in the 2007 photo was found by an independent test to have airborne Dichloromethane levels of 175ppm when allowed limit was 50ppm. In 1997 Forbairt inspection recommended chemical training & PPE for everyone. This was 22 & 20 years ago so hundreds if not over a thousand were unnecessary exposed since that time. BTW management withheld those adverse reports from personnel and ordered their destruction when the heat started to come on.
There are a lot of suicides on the list. Does anybody know if any of the chemicals outlined are prone to cause depression? Or could it be a more related to other aspects of the work/life balance. I wonder if there are any longitudinal studies of the effects if these chemicals elsewhere in the world. Some academia input and review in these cases would be beneficial to all. RIP to all our servicemen and women.
@Pete Brady: Yes the chemicals (especially isocyanates & VOCs) cause anxiety & depression, chronic fatigue, Insomnia, chronic pain etc. Most survivors are suffering mental health difficulties with some unfortunately unable to cope.
@Pete Brady: that struck me also. I am aware there has been and may be an on going issue with high suicides in the defence forces. This has been linked with their use of Larium for the troops serving abroad to prevent malaria. Saw a doc in it scary stuff.
Anyone know why the need these chemicals? Do they carry these at civilian airports?
@Pat O’Brien: yes many of these are used in civilian aviation. They have always had derogation for use of many substances and compounds that are generally banned in other industries. However the granting of derogation also carried a much higher onus for operators to enhance their health and safety provisions. Civilian aviation maintenance facilities and their proceedures tend to reflect this and safety is ‘owned’ by all involved. The military environment is a totally different animal, not only is it culturally different and less risk adverse it also operates within a separate legal framework to the rest of society. There are no automatic powers for workers to stop and address a wrong situation, only slow moving channels that are illegal to circumvent. The mission must come first.
@Pat O’Brien: Yes these chemicals are used in the wider aviation industry. But as the 2007 photo in the article shows Health & Safety legislation was utterly ignored. No basic PPE such as gloves, goggles or respirators, no chemical safety training, no risk assessments, no health surveillance and shamefully, sick personnel treated as malingerers and in many cases bullied out of their jobs.
@Chemical Brothers: thanks guys very helpful indeed. Should I be worried so living right beside Dub airport?
Needs to be investigated thoroughly,and by an outside Independent medical team of experts,till then we cant respond.
@Brian O Reilly: why would you need a enquiry ?, having worked with most of the above mentioned chemicals there is already available tons of data on what long term exposure to these chemicals without proper PPE or ventilation can do to the human body,
that said blaming them for suicide is clutching at straws, also proving that they caused all the above cancers or diseases some of which would occur anyhow is also doubtful, as much as exposure to these chemicals well undoubtedly have cause certain deaths this stinks of a class action with solicitors trying to make as much as they can out of family’s misery to line their own pockets
@Les Boyd: No such thing as a class action in Ireland Les. So anyone taking a civil action will have to do so individually.
@Les Boyd: That’s disgusting. First, there is no class action in Ireland, maybe it would be better if there was, maybe not, a different argument. There’s tons of data on known physical effects that are observable and a tons more on the correlations between chemicals and mental health. That is never directly provable in individuals, yet we can stand up in any court and say general things like alcohol causes depression or such-n-such causes paranoia. Because when the numbers add up they can’t be ignored. It is rare to ever find a single cause for a suicide, but all contributory factors should be given merit.
Same applies to cancers – unprotected exposures + known carcinogens + high rate of occurrence in that group = conclusions can be safely arrived at. Is that simple enough for you?
@Les Boyd: It is likely that some of these deaths are not chemical related but also likely that many more chemical related deaths occurred. We have almost the same again that we are in the process of obtaining death certificates for so list now is not far off 100. With regards to survivors solicitors we can honestly say they are acting honourably. Obviously this exclude solicitors acting on behalf of the state who are fighting survivors even at discovery stage. They are even refusing to reveal what chemicals we were actually exposed to. State Claims Agency (NTMA) also culpable & negligent in this scandal. They were carrying out risk assessments on Defence Forces since 2006 and apparently giving a clean bill of health while serving & former personnel dropped like flies.
Typical Irish attitude, ah sure we be grand until someone pulls us up on it. We”ll sort it then.
People die from all of the above everyday and have never been in contact with any of these chemicals.
@Alan Fox: all present in gmo ingredients which is everywhere and in everything, also in all the weedkiller sprayed in public parks etc
@Alan Fox: yes but is there a disproportionate number of people dying from these conditions in the Air Corps because they have been handling these proven toxic and carcinogenic chemicals? That’s the question that needs to be fully addressed in this article, it stops short of answering that question. Also I wonder are all these chemicals necessary? What are they used for? Poor people, all of those deaths sound awful, RIP to them all
@Siobhán Ní Fhuada: We had no PPE, we had no chemical safety training. NONE We had insufficient wash facilities, we had to wash contaminated clothing at home. Forbairt recommended both PPE & chemical training in 1997, this will apparently be achieved by November 2017. We were handling hexavalent chromium with bare hands with only a Belfast sink & cold tap to wask. We worked in Dickensian conditions.
@Alan Fox: People die from the above everyday but it is not normal to have so many people at such a young age dying like this.
@Nick Allen:
We don’t have the stats to prove that though (at least, not in this article).
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s deplorable if workers were knowingly exposed to dangerous chemicals, but until we have the required evidence I prefer to keep an open mind about how many of these deaths were caused as a result of exposure to toxins.
@Avina Laaf: What we are calling for is a proper independent medical & scientific investigation of the untimely deaths of personnel, their children & partner / spouses. To include miscarriages & stillbirths. Anecdotally stillbirths appear to be running at 10 times national rate. A proper investigation, not by a barrister like the O’Toole report, should ascertain the truth and help provide targeted healthcare. http://www.accas.info/?page_id=689
@Chemical Brothers:
I would absolutely support that – I have an open mind but recognise the need for an in-depth investigation before firm conclusions can be drawn.
@Avina Laaf: First report has been a year long fudge. Look for O’Toole report in blue on front page of DoD website. Investigator didn’t have powers to investigate his remit. http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/report1
endohan: yes, no stone must be left overturned,lessons have been learned,our response will be swift,progress will be made when we are in full possession of the facts:on a personal level this Minister has a genuine ,sympathy ,empathy,with the victims and their families on this regrettable unforeseen consequence of handling these products ,we will take some time to study this report,and we will kick this can into the long grass,
@Brian O Reilly: Perfectly summed up…
8 suicides.!! That’s so so sad. All the deaths are. A detailed investigation is required into all these death. How do the death rates against each cause of death compare with the same age range in the general population?
@Stephen Duffy: Figure for suicide is actually 13, list is bigger than above and in the process of being verified. 2 more died from alcohol intoxication.
There were 16,139 army deafness claims with a total of €288.7 million paid out. Some claimants were from the Air Corps or Naval Service although most were from the Army. The States defence that it had provided earplugs was fatally undermined by the fact that no records were kept.
@Sean: That’s because proper ear protection was not supplied and in some cases people who supplied and used their own were prevented from doing so. If it wasn’t issued by the DF you couldn’t use it.
@Sean: And DoD attempted to get rid of personnel for having poor hearing. That’s what kicked it off. Biggest own goal outside of the banking guarantee.
@Chemical Brothers: This is a terrible list to read. So sorry to hear of so many affected. By the way, as well as possible carcinogenic exposure, has lead exposure been looked into?
It seems fairly common in the States, especially on military firing ranges. I hadn’t known that it was so damaging.
https://www.thetrace.org/2017/05/lead-exposure-shooting-range-gun/
@Fiona Fitzgerald: The fuel currently used in Air Corps piston engine aircraft is Avgas 100LL and so is STILL leaded petrol. There has been an internal dispute within the Air Corps recently as technicians actually doing the refueling were not provided with refueling PPE. Have a look at http://www.accas.info to see the list of chemicals we were exposed to.
I am afraid that if you think that his is exclusive to Ireland, you are very much mistaken. HSE departments in most industries are just spin departments and if they open their mouths they are put back in their place rather quickly. If that does not work they are then moved on to a place where they can do no damage.
This is horrific- God help them. How exactly were the chemicals being used?
@carodeer: By hand without any PPE or chemical safety training. Risk assessments were mandatory since 1989 but Air Corps didn’t start until 2016 and won’t be fully compliant with Health & Safety legislation until November 2017 according to the Minister.
Without looking at the various different ailments allegeded to be associated with the exposure one thing jumps off the page is the proportion of suicide. I would wonder how this compares with suicide in the defence forces as a whole over the same period. Trying to link clusters of suicide is often difficult but her we have an almost controlled group with another two controlled group the army and the Naval Service. I can’t comment on the Army but the Naval Service has had its own issues! Around suicides over the past number of years and I wonder how they compare over the same time period and if there is something other than a link to chemicals at the root of what seem so be quite a high number
@Paul Murphy: Despite knowing of suicide rate issues in the wider defence forces since a study i think in 2005, the defence forces & department of defence DO NOT keep statistics on suicides. Draw your own conclusions as to why? No stats…No problem?
The most recent list of exposed chemicals can be found by following the link below. It indicates whether the chemicals are carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive/developmental toxicant or known sensitisers. We say most recent, rather than full, because the Irish Army Air Corps & Minister with responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe refuse to tell us what we were exposed to.
Apologies not easy to read om a small screen.
@Chemical Brothers: what time scales are the deaths and illnesses related to? I note by the ranks of some of the persons affected take a 54 year Lt. Col. An engineering officer no doubt whose exposure would have been some time ago given his rank and age. If the materials involved date back say thirty years and exposure has been going up to the last number of years!will there be a greater number of cases in the future?
@Paul Murphy: RAAF deseal / reseal scandal in Australia has shown a latency of 10 to 30 years. Amberley Air Force base in Brisbane showed a 39% increase in cancer in personnel compared to a control group. This will be killing personnel, their children & partners for decades to come.
@Chemical Brothers: thanks.
In theory, most industries are required to follow state-of-the-art and/or “best practice” when it comes to containing such emissions. In reality industry finds this too expensive and cumbersome to maintain. After that it comes down to “will we get caught” and if so what is our liability. Having attended many design safety reviews, it is always interesting as to how the theme will invariably wander from safety to liability and responsibility.
@Tom McHugh: Good to have the overview. On liability, private companies have insurance and can have reinsurance. I once worked for a company who ‘insured me’ in case I was injured on site. They insured themselves, that is, against any staff loss or injury. I was aware of that because of the medical, and I signed forms for it when requested. But I wouldn’t have thought that the army had comparable financial provision in place. They may not have. Seems like exposure on a few fronts here. Considering that they’re recruiting, it seems high time for more informed public scrutiny.
Alleged victim’s is the key I think ,when you bundle them together it does look curious if not shocking but suaside’s could have other implication’s but all in all there was a bad management team in place by the look’s of thing’s .Looking back there was a lot of ignorance involved in all aspects of health and safety and it is going the other way now to the point that it’s difficult to get small thing’s done without costly measures
@FlopFlipU: I think is obvious to most of us that Health and Safety has become a self serving industry, draining much of the productivity out of industry and into quasi education and money for ‘tickets’ to work. Most of that money would be better spent on actual provision of health and safety systems at the coal face. You can’t blame the ‘victims’ on the arrival of parasite industries, their downfall comes from being contributors to production.
Lost time accidents are reportable to the HSA. Lost time through work related illnesses be it exposure or ergonomics etc are not reportable.
Until they are companies will not invest or respect to the necessary level.
@Shayno O’Donnchadha: Air Corps never reported incidents even when personnel were overcome by fumes & collapsed off aircraft stands. They utterly ignored ALL their statutory Health & Safety obligations. No risk assessments, no PPE, no training, no health surveillance, no reporting and thanks to the way Ireland works no enforcement concequences for management or organisation.
@Chemical Brothers: that is mind boggling incompetence! Unfortunately has proved fatal for many. Best of luck in getting justice.
Hopefully this is judged on the facts and consequences, and not a wider political ramifications basis.
@Shayno O’Donnchadha: The ramifications should be for civil & public servants who didn’t do their job,outside regulatory authorities who never inspected, the State Claims Agency who gave a clean bill of health on multiple audits (possibly to suit their internal bonus structure) the military medical corps for not carrying out risk surveillance not spotting obvious issues of cancer & heart attacks in some cases in men in their 20s,the wider medical authorities who never spotted high rates of cancer in personnel, their children & spouse’s and didn’t spot high rates of stillbirths in spouses & partners of personnel. More than AC fooked up.
But politicians we wouldn’t blame…not just yet!!!
My partner died age 57 of glioblastoma – he was in the British air corp for 10 years!
@Mary Molloy: We are in contact with survivors in RAF, RAAF & USAF. All of those forces have Departments of Veteran Affairs to assist injured former personnel, alas we have nothing like this in Ireland. Aviation is a dirty industry and if health & safety is ignored there are unfortunately serious consequences.
Please read
@Pat Butler:
Please read what?
@Avina Laaf: whatever you like
Please read this they’re doing this in Ireland about 20 years and govt is not telling truth about chemtrail or geo engineering search your self don’t rely on media about everything.
https://www.fruit-powered.com/chemtrails-represent-the-no-1-health-issue-of-our-time/
@Anwar Hussain:
Always one…..
@Avina Laaf: always one what?
@Anwar Hussain: Always a sad loser spouting ridiculous lies about nonsense. Why did you think an education was optional you ridiculous degenerate.
WOW FRON TJE
Instead of supporting these spongers and their attempt to go for the deafness money why don’t you do some actual journalism and investigate the slaughter perpetrated on workers by Roadstone. The amount of cancer deaths they have brushed under the carpet over the years would fill many graveyards.
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