Institution

Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments

ABP-I-0013

Dates 1994–1995

Location United States

Credit: United States. Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments Date: 1995 Source: Source record Rights: Public domain — work of the United States federal government

Overview

Disclosure of Cold War human radiation experiments raised questions about consent, secrecy, health risks, and federal accountability. President Clinton established the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments in January 1994 to examine that record and consider what government owed the people affected.

The Committee investigated past experiments, evaluated historical and contemporary standards, and issued a 1995 final report addressing disclosure, remedies, and protections for research participants. Its archival inquiry made the ethical assessment of government-sponsored experimentation a matter of public record.

Historical Role

Unlike bodies created to advise chiefly on prospective biomedical policy, this committee was charged with looking back. Its work joined historical investigation to contemporary research ethics and forced federal institutions to examine their own conduct.

Historical Significance

A federal reckoning with human radiation research and the responsibilities created by secrecy in experimentation.

Roles and contributions

Key facts

ABP identifier
ABP-I-0013
Dates
1994–1995
Location
United States