Jefferson Proving Ground is a former military proving ground located near Madison, Indiana. Operated between 1940 and 1995 (and with a parcel of the site continuing to be used as an air-to-surface gunnery and bombing range by the Indiana Air National Guard), the site was chosen for its location close to multiple ammunition manufacturing plants, storage depots, and military installations. Invaluable for its contributions to the Army’s research, tests, and operations, it also has a history of extensive use of asbestos, which exposed service members and civilian workers to the risk of malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other deadly asbestos-related diseases.
The History of Jefferson Proving Ground
The history of Jefferson Proving Ground reflects a unique time in U.S. history and response to world events. In December 1940, a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, representatives of the U.S. War Department knocked on hundreds of doors in Indiana and told long-time residents that they had just 30 days to uproot their lives and clear their properties to make way for an Army weapons testing ground. The government paid for the properties and relocation expenses but not for business assets, including crops or inventory. And residents, though saddened, complied.[1]
Consisting of over 55,000 acres of land 50 miles northeast of Louisville, Kentucky, the Jefferson Proving Ground was surrounded by farmland and forests. It was only the second such facility in the United States and came to be known as “the great proving ground of the Midwest.” It was followed by others that were built throughout World War II, and though it was officially closed in 1995, a portion of the expansive space continues to be used today.[1]
Once completed, the site included a northern firing range area and a southern cantonment area, as well as a firing line consisting of nearly 300 gun positions. Jefferson Proving Ground included almost 400 buildings used for residential housing, training, maintenance and utilities, administration, and ammunition assembly. Its primary mission was to support the U.S. Army’s research, tests, and operations, particularly around production and post-production conventional ammunition components, ordnance, and propellant ammunition/weapons systems and components. It also received, stored, and issued those items as needed.[2]
When first constructed, the military used the Jefferson Proving Ground for the production and specification testing of ammunition, projectiles, propellants, cartridge cases, primers, fuses, boosters, bombs, and grenades. During World War II, over 24 million rounds of conventional explosive ammunition were fired, and similar activity accompanied the U.S. engagement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. At the peak of its use, the site’s population soared to nearly 2,000 personnel and then decreased during peacetime.[2]
From the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, the site was used to test tank penetrator rounds containing depleted uranium, and the impact area continues to present an environmental concern that requires bi-annual monitoring.[2]
Jefferson Proving Ground was included in the Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1988, and its mission was terminated in September 1995. Since then, its buildings and grounds have been decommissioned, with waste, including asbestos waste, being removed to licensed disposal areas. Because the site is not appropriate for commercial or residential development due to its previous contamination, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in a large portion of the grounds, though other areas continue to be used as a firing range by the U.S. Air Force, the Air National Guard, and the Indiana National Guard.[2]
How Was Asbestos Used at the Jefferson Proving Ground?
The construction and operation of Jefferson Proving Ground coincided with the military’s highest use of asbestos, a material that was valued for its ability to add strength, heat and fire resistance, sound insulation, and electric conductivity. Though the U.S. War Department was unaware of the mineral’s toxic nature, many of the companies that manufactured and supplied asbestos-contaminated materials knew that it had been linked to serious illnesses but chose not to inform the government so that they could continue earning profits. This decision would take a significant toll on the lives of veterans and others in years to come.
At Jefferson Proving Ground, asbestos was used extensively in the construction of housing and administrative buildings, mess halls, training facilities, and other structures. It was woven into the fabric of the protective gear that military personnel wore when testing ordnance and ammunition, and it was found in the brake linings of vehicles that were used to transport the materials to and from the site. Asbestos insulation was used to wrap infrastructure pipes and boilers, and asbestos was included in concrete poured throughout the base.
Though asbestos is not considered dangerous when it is in a non-friable or fully encapsulated state, most of the applications where it was used at Jefferson Proving Ground did not have the protection of encapsulation and were subject to wear and tear. As friable asbestos deteriorates, is exposed to the elements, or is damaged or manipulated, invisible fibers become airborne and can float freely in the air for hours. These are easily inhaled, and once they enter the body, their needle-like ends become embedded in cells and are extremely difficult to eject. As a result, they remain where they are, slowly leading to cell death, inflammation, and mutations that develop into scarring and tumors of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
The military made its greatest use of asbestos in the years between the 1930s and 1980, so any construction, repair, or maintenance work done on the base between those years was likely to use asbestos. Even after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the material’s hazardous nature, it took years for its use to be discontinued and for abatement efforts to be pursued in earnest. People who served in the military at the Jefferson Proving Ground or who worked on the site were at constant risk of exposure.
A review of hazardous materials at Jefferson Proving Ground revealed asbestos in the floor and ceiling tiles, wall and roofing shingles, drywall materials, joint compound, adhesives, building insulation, paint, and cement used in utility buildings, fuel station buildings, safe shelters, ammunition facilities, storage facilities, magazines, radar facilities, photographic laboratories, paint shops, a weather station, and latrines.[3]
Asbestos-containing components used at Jefferson Proving Ground included:
- Adhesives
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Roofing adhesives
- Sealants
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Jefferson Proving Ground?
Though the Jefferson Proving Ground was a military base, a large portion of its mission was performed by a civilian workforce, working in partnership with military personnel to conduct the testing of ammunition needed to ensure that the ammunition America’s military was equipped with safe and performed the way it was designed.[4] This means that in addition to Army veterans being put at risk of asbestos exposure, the people who lived in the surrounding communities were also at risk.
Though even a small amount of asbestos exposure can be damaging, studies have shown that those who experience the greatest exposure to the material are at the greatest risk of being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. At Jefferson Proving Ground, that would have included the personnel responsible for construction of the buildings using asbestos-containing materials, those responsible for repair and maintenance of the infrastructure and equipment that relied on asbestos-containing parts, mechanics tasked with repairing vehicles and weapons, and those who wore asbestos-containing protective gear. Firefighters were also at risk, as they both wore asbestos-containing clothing and were tasked with extinguishing materials that may have contained asbestos, sending asbestos dust into the air that they breathed in.
In addition to the individuals who suffered occupational exposure on the base, there was also a risk to the family members they went home to each night. If their hair, skin, or clothing was coated with a dusting of asbestos fibers, those got carried into their family automobiles and their homes, leading to secondary asbestos exposure of spouses and children.
Because Jefferson Proving Ground was operational through the 1990s, many people who worked there within the last fifty or sixty years are still alive. This is well within the latency period for malignant mesothelioma, which means that people may have been exposed decades ago and still be decades away from their symptoms appearing. Those who are most at risk include:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Airmen
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Aircraft mechanics
- Carpenters
- Firefighters
Asbestos Cleanup at Jefferson Proving Ground
As was the case with many Army bases that were included in the Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1988, after the Jefferson Proving Ground closed, it was the subject of significant activity to determine whether it could be repurposed. Buildings were decommissioned and waste removed to accomplish this goal, but in the process, multiple asbestos violations occurred, including illegal removal, transportation, and dumping of asbestos. The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the company $132,000 for dumping asbestos-containing materials in unsecured piles that remained exposed for months, putting the abatement company’s employees and local residents at risk of exposure. The materials included roughly 10,000 linear feet of asbestos pipe insulation and other debris.[5]
Help for Jefferson Proving Ground Asbestos Victims
All fatal diseases are tragic, but asbestos-related diseases are particularly so because they are preventable. The companies that provided the military with asbestos-containing materials could have provided warnings to the military and the personnel. Their decision to keep quiet so that they could continue earning profits cost countless Army veterans and others their lives.
If you or someone you love was exposed to asbestos at Jefferson Proving Ground, you face a difficult road, but you also have options. You may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the asbestos companies responsible for exposing you to asbestos, or you may be able to file a claim against the asbestos trust funds that many of those companies were forced to establish when they filed for bankruptcy after mounting asbestos liabilities. The person who is best able to explain your options for compensation is an experienced asbestos attorney. They will listen to your story, ask questions about your employment and exposure history, and explain the process and what you can expect.
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