The United States experienced tremendous industrial development in the twentieth century. It is in the twentieth century that technology was developed to a modern scale, with inventions and innovations being the order of the day.
These new scientific creations and findings needed verification as viable innovations. Since this century was plagued by the most destructive wars in the history of humankind, inventions for military applications were many, and were often tested using human beings as specimen.
Some non-military tests of inventions and processes involved human specimen. Since the United States of America was one of the leading powers in the scientific developments, some of the experiments involving humans were conducted within the United States (Moreno, 2000).
Effect of Nuclear Radiation on Soldiers
Immediately after the Second World War, the United States was in fear of being attacked by communist powers. The tension between the two ideological blocs called for development of some of the most potent nuclear weapons.
Some tests were carried out in Nevada to investigate the effect of a nuclear radiation on military personnel. Military officers were exposed to nuclear fallouts after detonation of a nuclear bomb to orient them to the logistics used to fight in a battlefield with a high level of nuclear radiation.
The psychological effects of the sight of an exploding nuclear weapon on soldiers were investigated in preparation of the troops for engagement in an anticipated nuclear war. However, the use of human subjects for such potentially dangerous tests faced criticism.
Ethical issues arose due to lack of consideration of the fatal disorders and the permanent damage that the radiation may would cause (Moreno, 2000).
Use of Radioactive Iodine
Scientists at the University of Iowa conducted an experiment using pregnant women to investigate the effect of the iodine on the expectant women.
The experiment was intended to investigate the amount of the lethal substance that would cross the placental barrier, which is known to have highly selective membranes. Experimentation with radioactive iodine continued with use of human subjects.
Humans were exposed to radioactive iodine in an effort to determine the effect of the iodine on mature and premature fetuses. Critical ethical issues arose due to the inability of the participating individuals to give a well informed consent to the scientists conducting the experiment.
Some of the experiments involved direct injection of the potentially dangerous substance into infants (Cantwell, 2001).
Vanderbilt University Experiment
Scientists at the Vanderbilt University gave a substance the medics claimed would improve the health of unborn infants to more than eight hundred pregnant women. The officials lied to the women that the substance that they were being fed with was a vitamin supplement.
The truth was that the substance the women were ingesting as a supplement contained dangerous levels of radioactive iron meant to investigate the amount of the radioactive substance that would reach the unborn babies (McCally & Cassel, 1994).
Several babies died as a result of the ensuing illnesses and typical disorders caused by radiation exposure. A significant number of women involved in the experiment died after suffering from diseases associated with high levels of radiation exposure.
Those who did not develop a terminal disease on exposure to the radioactive material experienced acute symptoms of radioactive poisoning (McCally & Cassel, 1994). Leukemia and cancerous tumors are some of the diseases that result from exposure to radiation.
The United States has a grim history of experiments that involved severe exposure of human subjects to lethal levels of radiation. The experimental trials resulted in death of the subjects, or extremely adverse clinical conditions.
Most of the experiments were conducted without the consent of the subject. However, laws have been instituted to protect any subject of an experiment from experimental trials without consent and due legal procedures.
References
Cantwell, A. (2001). How scientists secretly used US citizens as guinea pigs. The Human Radiation Experiments, 1(October), 2-15.
McCally, M., & Cassel, C. (1994). U.S. Government-Sponsored Radiation Research with Humans 1945-1975. Medicine & Global Survival, 4(1), 5-20.
Moreno, J. D. (2000). Undue risk: secret state experiments on humans. New York: W.H. Freeman.