Probe of Any DOE Drug Experiments Set

Sen. John Glenn plans to question Department of Energy officials as early as next week about whether they used experimental drugs on workers at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, an aide to the Ohio Democrat said Tuesday.

The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency, investigating illegal dumping of toxics at the Energy Department-owned facility, revealed in an affidavit last week that chemicals associated with medical experiments were found in trace amounts in a stream that flows from Rocky Flats.

In Washington and Colorado, authorities were trying Tuesday to determine what chemicals may have been used, what their health effects might be, and whether or not they may have been used on Rocky Flats workers with or without their knowledge.

“We are requesting that the DOE come in and explain to us the full extent of the research involving humans at its nuclear weapons facilities,” said the aide to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

Officials at the facility near Denver would not comment in any detail. But Dr. Joseph Furman, Rocky Flats’ medical director, said: “I’ll tell you one thing, we don’t use any experimental drugs on anybody out here.”

The drug found in trace amounts in a creek near Rocky Flats has been used in experiments to determine whether it can protect humans from the effects of radiation. The military long has sought such a chemical to protect troops from nuclear fallout.

“One of the chemicals, 1,3-dihydro-2H-idol-2-one, has been experimentally tested concerning its ability to protect against radiation-induced cellular damage,” the FBI and EPA said in the affidavit requesting court authorization to search the 6,500-acre plant.

The chemical, identified in the 1800s, occurs naturally in low levels in the human body, and can act as a depressant. Experiments with its potential use as protection against radiation are relatively recent, said Niels Schonbeck, chemistry professor at Metropolitan State College in Denver.

The DOE facility, operated by Rockwell International Corp., makes plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads.

Department of Energy officials were unaware of any request to appear before Glenn’s committee, said spokeswoman Chris Sankey. Sankey said the agency had no comment Tuesday on whether medical experiments had been conducted at Rocky Flats.

A statement issued Tuesday by Rockwell’s chairman at company headquarters in El Segundo did not address the specific allegations against Rocky Flats, which include possible cover-up of illegal dumping, incineration and storage of toxic materials.

“In our judgment, the plant has been run safely and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations,” said Donald R. Beall, who heads the $12-billion company.