At Senator Collins' Request, CDC Commits To Investigate Veterans Exposure To Toxic Chemicals At Gagetown

WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have committed, in response to her request, to conduct an investigation into whether Maine veterans were exposed to toxic chemicals used as defoliants and commercial herbicides while training at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, New Brunswick, between 1956 and 1986. 

In a letter thanking Senator Collins for bringing the CDC's attention to this important health concern, CDC Director, Dr. Thomas Frieden, stated that the CDC and ATSDR "share your concerns about the health of our military veterans and this situation in particular" and will conduct a thorough investigation of the situation at (CFB) Gagetown.

"I appreciate that the CDC and ATSDR have responded to my request to initiate an investigation into possible exposures to harmful chemicals experienced by soldiers who trained at Gagetown." said Senator Collins.  "Protecting the health of those who were training to protect us is a solemn responsibility from which we must not walk away."

Dr. Frieden's full letter is attached.