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Dear Councillor, Please don’t give any Seanad Election 2025 preference to Cathal Berry or Gerard Craughwell

Dear Councillor,

My name is Gavin Tobin and I am the spokesperson for the Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors. We represent serving & former Irish Air Corps personnel injured by toxic workplace chemicals.

I am also one of the three whistle-blowers that revealed the ongoing workplace chemical Health & Safety tragedy at the Irish Air Corps bases in Baldonnel, Co. Dublin & formerly Gormanston, Co. Meath by making a Protected Disclosure to then Minister Simon Coveney in December 2015.

I believe myself and hundreds of my colleagues were injured by atrocious working conditions in the 1990s whilst working as apprentices, aircraft technicians and support personnel.

I worked in the exact location below  where I have recorded 14 untimely deaths just in this location out of 110 untimely deaths overall. That is Ardrox 666 which contained hexavalent chromium (the Erin Brockovich chemical) running down the walls from the extractor fan.  The smaller barrel dissolving itself contains Ardrox 1074 with hydrofluoric acid an exceptionally dangerous chemical, this chemical can dissolve glass.

When the Air Corps Pilatus aircraft were being equipped with smoke generators in late 2015, for the centenary flypast to commemorate the 1916 rising,  I was made aware of an accident due to chemical exposure where two technicians were injured and when I contacted the HSA to ask if this incident was reported a workplace accident I found it was not.  This lead me to realise that the working conditions that I believe made me & others sick in the 1990s still prevailed in 2015.

In parallel Sergeant Patrick Gorman who sat on the National Executive of PDFORRA wrote a letter, raising chemical Health & Safety concerns, to the Defence Forces about the lack of chemical Health & Safety at Baldonnel including the lack of risk assessments, lack of PPE and lack of risk specific health surveillance. The General Secretary of PDFORRA later revealed to me that this letter was never responded to.

Sgt Gorman was one of the whistle-blowers who reported this wrongdoing to Minister Simon Coveney in early 2016 and was constructively dismissed from the Air Corps as a result of doing the right thing.

We also learned that as early as 1995 the Irish Air Corps had independent air quality testing carried out at Baldonnel and found the levels of a toxic solvent in the building where I recorded 14 untimely deaths was 175 parts per million when the then legal limit was 50ppm. This air quality test failure was withheld from personnel who worked there and no actions were taken to reduce or remove the exposure.

In 1995/1997 further testing was carried out by state body Forbairt which again found chemical hazard issues and recommended that all personnel be issued with PPE and be given chemical handling training. This was not actioned until 20 years later after the three whistle-blowers reported the Air Corps to the Health & Safety Authority who threatened legal action against the Air Corps unless they heeded their demands.

You can read about Air Corps / HSA interactions here

We also learned that the State Claims Agency had been auditing the Defence Forces Heath & Safety from 2006 to 2016 and were giving them awards for excellence in Health & Safety and using this success to  award themselves performance related gratuities for so called “improvements” in risk profile. These pre-arranged audits “by appointment” are simply not credible.

*****

Cathal Berry

In early 2020 former Commandant Cathal Berry threw his hat in the ring  for a Dáil seat in the Kildare South constituency.  Cathal Berry is a medical doctor and we thought & hoped he would be keen to help us work to reduce suffering & untimely deaths amongst exposed Irish Air Corps colleagues…how wrong we were.

I did personally offer to canvas for Cathal Berry and indeed some Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors did actually canvas for him. There was some hope amongst serving and former Defence Forces personnel that Cathal Berry would give a voice to those harmed by multiple scandals in the Defence Forces including the Air Corps toxic chemical exposure scandal, the Lariam scandal and later the Women of Honour Scandal but there are more.

Alas Cathal Berry had zero interest in anyone wronged by the Defence Forces. He appeared to be there to represent the interests of the Defence Forces management and spent more of his time in the Dáil pushing for more equipment & weapons.

Cathal Berry also voted with the Fianna Fail / Fine Gael / Green government the vast majority of the time.  A vote for Cathal Berry is certainly NOT an independent vote. 

We would all like to see a better equipped & funded Defence Forces but this cannot be at the cost of trampling on those who were harmed during their service and Cathal Berry showed absolutely zero interest in helping those wronged.

We formally asked Cathal Berry for help on on the 10th of January 2021 and this letter can be read here. Cathal Berry NEVER responded to this letter. 

A further 22 fresh deaths have occurred since we first sought help from Cathal Berry, some of these people could have been saved. 

*****

Senator Gerard Craughwell

In April 2017 I made a protect a protected disclosure to a number of politicians in the Oireachtas including the then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, as well as a number of TDs & Senators including Senator Gerard Craughwell.

In my disclosure complained that there had been injury to serving & former personnel and their families with suspected 20 untimely deaths.

        • I complained that the DoD had appointed someone with no medical background or toxicological background to investigate the whistle-blowers protected disclosure to Minister Coveney.
        • I complained that the State Claims Agency was abusing its position by appealing my High Court discovery decision and I suggested that a better use of these resources would be to conduct a scientific inquiry as had been conducted after a similar health & Safety scandal in the Royal Australian Air Force over two decades ago.
        • I suggested that the state should intervene medically & with a scientific  enquiry like in the RAAF scandal.
        • I complained about the Air Corps misleading the WRC and I asked for help saving lives and reducing suffering.
        • I complained about the attempted shredding of Heath & Safety documentations including adverse air quality test reports.

Senator Gerard Craughwell who served in both the Irish Army and the British Army, never responded to the protected disclosure. 

In later years I passed Senator Gerard Craughwell a list of  untimely deaths which had then grown to 70+ and he again failed to respond to me.

Later on social media Senator Gerard Craughwell when seeking medical interventions to prevent unnecessary suffering of injured colleagues he attempted to paint me as selfishly attempting to speed up my own court case.

You can see our list of demands here. 

Since we asked Senator Gerard Craughwell for help in 2017 a further 39 personnel have suffered untimely deaths. Some of these personnel could have been saved but Senator Gerard Craughwell  chose to look the other way and not support us. Shame on him.

Senator Gerard Craughwell was the second highest independent senator to vote with the last Fine Gael / Fianna Fail / Green government. A vote for Gerard Craughwell is certainly NOT an independent vote. 

*****

Cathal Berry and Gerard Craughwell could have simultaneously looked for more resources for the Defence Forces on one hand and on the other hand sought medical interventions & other supports for Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors, Lariam Survivors & the Women of Honour but they both chose not to and in multiple instances actually downplayed our lived experiences.

Early in 2024 the Women of Honour were joined by the Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors & the Defence Forces Justice Alliance to give a briefing to members of the Oireachtas prior to the vote to establish the Defence Forces Tribunal neither Dr Cathal Berry or Gerard Craughwell bothered to attend nor show any other support.

If these two men are elected to the Oireachtas we believe they will continue to have more loyalty to Lockheed Martin than to wronged serving & former Irish Defence Forces colleagues and this is morally wrong.

Full disclosure: I do have a personal injuries legal case pending against the state since 2013 for injuries I believe suffered during my service. I have been to the High Court 2016, Court of Appeal 2018, Supreme Court 2019 and the High Court again in 2023 to force compliance with the Supreme Court order of 2019 and all this just for discovery!

This decades long legal action should not in any way exclude me from the democratic process but I have been ghosted by Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste & Minister for Defence Micheál Martin and previously Leo Varadkar. Even President Michael D Higgins is currently refusing to meet with me or indeed any other #IrishAirCorps survivors.

Please do not vote for either Cathal Berry or Gerard Craughwell and give your independent vote for a true independent candidate not government supporting pretend independents.

Thank You.

Taking the Irish Air Corps a stage further in their Jet fuel toxic hazard knowledge!

The below post is taken from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)  which is a part of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

This Public Health Statement is the summary chapter from the Toxicological Profile for JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels. It is one in a series of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their health effects.

A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™, is also available. This information is important because this substance may harm you.

The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.

Some workers may be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels through their skin if they come into contact with them without adequate protection from gloves, boots, coveralls, or other protective clothing.

This Public Health Statement summarizes the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s findings on JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels, tells you about them, the effects of exposure, and describes what you can do to limit that exposure.

If you are exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels, many factors determine whether you’ll be harmed. These include how much you are exposed to (dose), how long you are exposed to it (duration), and how you are exposed (route of exposure). You must also consider the other chemicals you are exposed to and your age, sex, diet, family traits, lifestyle, and state of health.

What are JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels?

JP-5 and JP-8 stand for jet propellant-5 and jet propellant-8. Propellants are substances that move other objects or give thrust. JP-5 and JP-8 are used as military aircraft fuels. They can also be used for fueling land vehicles and as a fuel source for heaters and lights.

Jet A is the type of fuel used in civilian aircraft; however, the U.S. Air Force has recently started using Jet A (plus certain additives) for flying in the continental United States. JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels are colorless liquids that are flammable and smell like kerosene. The fuels are made from chemical compounds called hydrocarbons, which are found naturally in the earth as crude oil. Hydrocarbons are compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen. The crude oil is refined into a number of different types of fuel.

Jet A, JP-5, and JP-8 fuels may also contain various additives such as antioxidants and additives to prevent icing in the fuel lines.

What happens to JP-5, JP-8 and Jet A fuels when they enter the environment?

JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels are made up of hundreds of hydrocarbon compounds; many of these hydrocarbons are also present in gasoline. These hydrocarbons can be grouped into several classes of chemicals which have similar chemical properties. The different chemical classes can behave differently when they enter the environment.

For example, some of these can easily evaporate into the air during aircraft loading and unloading operations or as a result of their normal use as a jet fuel for civilian or military aircraft. Some may also evaporate when jet fuels are spilled accidentally onto soils or surface waters. Other chemical classes are more likely to dissolve in water following spills to surface waters or leaks from underground storage tanks. Some chemical classes found in jet fuels may slowly move down through the soil to the groundwater, while others may readily attach to particles in the soil or water. Once attached in water, these particles may sink down into the sediment.

The chemicals that evaporate may break down into other substances in air by reacting with sunlight or other chemicals in the air. The chemicals that dissolve in water may also be broken down into other substances by microorganisms found in water and sediment. However, this may take many years to occur, depending on the environmental conditions. Some chemicals that attach to soil or other matter (for example, marsh sediment) may remain in the environment for more than a decade.

Some of the chemicals in jet fuels may be detected in fish and aquatic organisms after an accidental release into a lake, river, or stream. These hydrocarbons are not expected to persist in aquatic organisms.

How might I be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels?

It is unlikely that you will be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels unless you work with jet fuels or live very close to where they are used or were spilled.

Exposure to jet fuels can occur if you have skin contact with soil or water contaminated from a spill or leak. You may also be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels if you swim in waters where jet fuels have been spilled. If jet fuels have leaked from underground storage tanks and entered groundwater, you may be exposed from contaminated well water. You might breathe in some of the chemicals evaporating from a spill or leak site if you are in an area where an accident has occurred.

Workers involved in making or transporting jet fuels, aircraft or fuel tank maintenance, or in refueling aircraft that use JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels may be exposed to some of the chemicals that have evaporated from the fuel.

Workers in the vicinity of an aircraft during cold engine startup may also be exposed to airborne jet fuels.

Some workers may be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels through their skin if they come into contact with them without adequate protection from gloves, boots, coveralls, or other protective clothing.

How can JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels enter and leave my body?

The chemicals in JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels can enter your body through your lungs, digestive tract, or skin. We do not have information on how much of the chemicals in JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels can pass into the bloodstream, but we do know that large amounts of some of the chemicals in jet fuels can easily do so.

Studies examining the absorption of jet fuels through the skin have shown that damage to the skin and the longer jet fuels stays on your skin will increase the amount of chemicals that will enter your body.

Once jet fuels enter your body, the chemicals in the fuel will be distributed throughout your body. A number of the chemicals in jet fuels were found in the blood, fat, brain, lungs, and liver following exposure to JP-8 in air.

Some of the chemicals in JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels will be broken down in the body to form other chemicals. The chemicals in JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels will be eliminated from the body in the urine, feces, or breath.

How JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels affect your health?

The health effects of JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels depend on how much of these fuels you are exposed to and for how long.

We know very little about the human health effects caused by JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels. A few studies of military personnel have provided suggestive evidence that JP-8 can affect the nervous system. Some of the effects that have been observed in humans include changes in reaction time and other tests of neurological function.

Humans who accidentally ingested kerosene, a fuel oil similar in composition to JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels, were reported as suffering harmful effects on the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system. The observed effects included cough and difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and vomiting, drowsiness, restlessness, and convulsions.

Studies in laboratory animals have examined the toxicity of JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels following inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact. In most cases, the levels tested in laboratory animals are higher than levels the public might encounter through dermal contact with contaminated water or soil or by drinking contaminated water.

Health effects of JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels observed in these studies include damage to the liver, decreased immune response, impaired performance on neurological function tests, and impaired hearing.

Dermatitis and damage to the skin have also been observed in laboratory animals following dermal contact.

There are no reliable studies of cancer in humans exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels. A few studies that examined the possible association between exposure to various types of jet fuels or to kerosene and various types of cancer did not provide conclusive results. Because the studies involved exposure to several fuel types and there was no information on exposure concentrations, these studies were not considered adequate to assess the carcinogenicity of JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels.

No inhalation or oral studies evaluated the carcinogenicity of JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A. No increases in tumor incidences were observed in rats administered kerosene by a feeding tube for 2 years. JP-5 applied to the skin for 2 years was not carcinogenic in mice. Increases in skin tumors were observed in mice dermally exposed to Jet A for 52–62 weeks; however, tumors were only observed at concentrations resulting in damage to the skin. Similarly, increased numbers of skin tumors were observed in mice that received applications of undiluted kerosene on the skin for 2 years, but this occurred only in the presence of skin damage.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the EPA have not classified JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels as to their carcinogenicity.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A as Group 3 carcinogens (not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity to humans).

How can JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels affect children?

Exposure JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels mainly occurs in occupational settings where children are unlikely to be exposed. No studies examining the health effects of JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels in children were found. There are a number of reports of accidental kerosene ingestion in children in developing countries where kerosene may typically be stored in containers and places easily accessible to children. Some of the more commonly reported effects include coughing, pneumonia, shortness of breath, vomiting, fever, unconsciousness, drowsiness, and irritability. These effects are similar to the effects seen in adults who ingest kerosene.

Studies in laboratory animals exposed to JP-8 during pregnancy did not find birth defects in the newborn animals. However, some effects on muscle coordination and immune function were found in the offspring.

How can families reduce the risk of exposure to JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels?

If your doctor finds that you have been exposed to significant amounts of JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels, ask whether your children or unborn baby might be at risk. Your doctor might need to ask your state health department to investigate. It is unlikely that you or your family will be exposed to JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels. Jet fuels are not likely to be common contaminants in foods or drinking water.

If you get JP-5, JP-8, or Jet A fuels on your work clothes, you should change your clothes before leaving your job and returning home.

Are there medical tests to determine whether I have been exposed to JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels?

Many of the individual chemicals found in JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels and their breakdown products (metabolites) can be measured in blood and urine. Finding these chemicals does not mean that you were exposed to jet fuels because these chemicals may have come from a different source including exposure to gasoline fumes when pumping gas. The levels of these chemicals in your body cannot predict the kind of health effects that might occur or whether you will have any effects. JP-5, JP-8, and Jet A fuels and their metabolites leave the body fairly rapidly and tests to detect these chemicals need to be conducted within days of exposure.

*****

It is pretty clear from reading interactions between Air Corps personnel and the Air Corps Formation Safety Office that the risk of injury from inhalation and absorption of jet fuel simply is not understood.

The consequence of this is that the actual risks are downplayed with risk assessments for fuel handling operations being declared as “Low Risk”. Risk assessments that are declared to be “Low Risk” are great for the FSO because they mean no further steps need to be taken.

A risk assessment completed by a suitably qualified person with the correct vigor will take into account the need for adequate PPE and also the need for risk specific health surveillance. 

DELAY – DENY – DIE

Immunotoxicology of JP-8 Jet Fuel

Abstract

Chronic jet fuel exposure could be detrimental to Air Force personnel, not only by adversely affecting their work performance but also by predisposing these individuals to increased incidences of infectious disease and cancer.

Chronic exposure to jet fuel has been shown to adversely affect human liver function, to cause emotional dysfunction, to cause abnormal electroencephalograms, to cause shortened attention spans, and to decrease sensorimotor speed.

Currently, there are no standards for personnel exposure to jet fuels of any kind, let alone JP-8 jet fuel. Kerosene based petroleum distillates have been associated with hepatic, renal, neurologic and pulmonary toxicity in animals models and human occupational exposures. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that over 1.3 million workers were exposed to jet fuels in 1992. Thus, jet fuel exposure may not only have serious consequences for USAF personnel, but also may have potential harmful effects upon a significant number of civilian workers.

Short-term 7 day JP-8 jet fuel exposure causes lung injury as evidenced by increased pulmonary resistance, a decrease in bronchoalveolar lavage concentrations of substance P, increased wet lung body weight ratio, and increased alveolar permeability. Long-term exposures, although demonstrating evidence of lung recovery, results in injury to secondary organs such as liver, kidneys and spleen.

Read full report at the US Defence Technical Information Centre here.

*****

The Irish Air Corps uses JetA1 with added fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII) which while being very similar to JP-8, is not identical as it is lacking some additives used in very high performance military engines.

But is very similar and almost all the health concerns related to JP-8 would be common to JetA1.

The Formation Safety Office at the Irish Air Corps believe refueling to be a “low risk” activity yet it appears to be driving IBS/ IBD havoc amongst personnel in Baldonnel who handle fuel. 

DELAY – DENY – DIE

Some selected information from a HSA FoI request regarding the Irish Air Corps Toxic Chemical Exposure Scandal

Today we present to you with some selected excerpts from an extensive FoI request from the  Health & Safety Authority regarding their investigation into exceptionally poor chemical Health & Safety practices at the Irish Air Corps.

This investigation, the results of which are contained below, occurred after 10 years of annual inspections by the State Claims Agency section of the National Treasury Management Agency. It should be noted that personnel in the NTMA were entitled to performance related gratuities for supposed improvements to the risk profile of of the Irish Air Corps.

A full page of relevant chatter is included in a 27 page PDF here including:
  • Original response from Formation Safety Office (FSO) personnel towards an elected PDFORRA rep who raised initial chemical concerns.
  • PDFORRA rep being told to tell his members to contact their own unit safety reps and for PDFORRA rep to use “proper channels”
  • Formation Safety Office Sgt requesting employment of an occupational hygienist as “we do not have the competency required on site to assess this”
  • FSO OC responding that funds for an occupational hygienist had been approved.
  • PDFORRA letter to Defence Forces SO Health & Safety regarding concerns about the provision of adequate health surveillance for members in the Air Corps
  • Letter to PSO/ACOS & GOC Air Corps from Formation Safety Officer reference to PDFORRA letter containing a number of misleading and / or factually incorrect statements. The line “All the control measures in place meet and exceed best industry standards” has not aged very well.
  • Some concerns regarding exposure to fuel & exhaust fumes amongst FTS personnel.
  • A stark admission that FTS personnel were not made aware of the dangers of the chemicals used for air display coloured smoke.
  • SDS for Keystone Liquid Orang Oil used to make the orange smoke
  • Some concerns regarding occurrence of IBD in Refueler Section personnel
  • Letter from Formation Safety Officer stating he believed the risk of exposure is low and that there is no issue with provision of PPE
  • Unsigned, inadequate and therefore invalid Risk Control Sheet showing a LOW risk rating (every single one of these for any chemicals was LOW).
  • HSA letter to Air Corps after inspection prompted by chemical injury of 2 personnel that was not reported.
  • Letter from AC Formation Safety Advisor in response to HSA intervention giving a timeline to comply with measures that were a legal obligation since 1989.
  • We have redacted the names of those involved.

 

 

 

First year anniversary of formally asking Cathal Berry TD for assistance seeking medical intervention for injured Irish Air Corps chemical exposure survivors? Still NO response!

10th June 2021

Still awaiting a response from Cathal Berry TD exactly a year to the day from writing to him.

Apparently he is not so #CredibleCompetentCaring after all.

10th January 2021

Dear Deputy Berry,

Exactly six months ago on the 10th of June 2020, I  wrote a registered letter to you asking for your assistance obtaining medical interventions for chronically ill Irish Air Corps personnel in an effort to reduce unnecessary suffering & untimely deaths.

I am disappointed that after six months I have had absolutely no response or follow up to this letter, not even an basic acknowledgement of receipt.

As a former Defence Forces officer and as a medical doctor I hoped that you were best placed to both understand & champion in the Oireachtas the best interests of those suffering a multitude of health effects from decades of unprotected toxic chemical exposure in what HSA inspectors told me was “the worst case of chemical misuse in the history of the state”.

As I have not heard from you I can only assume that I was wrong and that you either simply do not believe there are any health problems suffered by serving & former Air Corps personnel due workplace chemical exposure, or worse still, you acknowledge personnel have been injured but have no interest in helping them.

I would be grateful if you could please reply publicly to this open letter and while doing so could please answer the following.

  1. Do you believe Irish Air Corps survivors when they tell you that the Health & Safety Authority found serious non compliance with the Safety, Health & Welfare At Work Act 2005 in relation to basic chemical health & safety at Casement Aerodrome and that the same HSA threatened prosecution if their “advice” was not complied with?
  2. Do you accept that the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work Acts 1989 & 2005 were enacted by the state to protect workers from injuries and if an organisation failed to implement these same Acts for decades after they were enacted then the likelihood of injury to personnel is increased?
  3. If you do accept that the Irish Air Corps was not in compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work Acts 1989 & 2005 and if you do accept that health and safety legislation is enacted to protect workers can you please explain why you have done nothing publically to raise awareness of the Irish Air Corps chemical exposure tragedy since you were elected to Dáil Eireann almost 1 year ago and why you have not mentioned it even once in your numerous chamber utterances or press releases.

I look forward to your response, if any.

Yours sincerely,

Gavin Tobin
Spokesperson
Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors

Please find linked below a copy of my original letter to you and also a copy of the Health & Safety letter to the Air Corps dated October 2016 outlining urgent steps to be taken  threatening legal action if they are ignored. The HSA letter was obtained under FOI.

An open letter to Deputy Cathal Berry TD asking why he did not respond to requests for assistance seeking medical help for injured Irish Air Corps chemical exposure survivors?

10th January 2021

Dear Deputy Berry,

Exactly six months ago on the 10th of June 2020, I  wrote a registered letter to you asking for your assistance obtaining medical interventions for chronically ill Irish Air Corps personnel in an effort to reduce unnecessary suffering & untimely deaths.

I am disappointed that after six months I have had absolutely no response or follow up to this letter, not even an basic acknowledgement of receipt.

As a former Defence Forces officer and as a medical doctor I hoped that you were best placed to both understand & champion in the Oireachtas the best interests of those suffering a multitude of health effects from decades of unprotected toxic chemical exposure in what HSA inspectors told me was “the worst case of chemical misuse in the history of the state”.

As I have not heard from you I can only assume that I was wrong and that you either simply do not believe there are any health problems suffered by serving & former Air Corps personnel due workplace chemical exposure, or worse still, you acknowledge personnel have been injured but have no interest in helping them.

I would be grateful if you could please reply publicly to this open letter and while doing so could please answer the following.

  1. Do you believe Irish Air Corps survivors when they tell you that the Health & Safety Authority found serious non compliance with the Safety, Health & Welfare At Work Act 2005 in relation to basic chemical health & safety at Casement Aerodrome and that the same HSA threatened prosecution if their “advice” was not complied with?
  2. Do you accept that the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work Acts 1989 & 2005 were enacted by the state to protect workers from injuries and if an organisation failed to implement these same Acts for decades after they were enacted then the likelihood of injury to personnel is increased?
  3. If you do accept that the Irish Air Corps was not in compliance with the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work Acts 1989 & 2005 and if you do accept that health and safety legislation is enacted to protect workers can you please explain why you have done nothing publically to raise awareness of the Irish Air Corps chemical exposure tragedy since you were elected to Dáil Eireann almost 1 year ago and why you have not mentioned it even once in your numerous chamber utterances or press releases.

I look forward to your response, if any.

Yours sincerely,

Gavin Tobin
Spokesperson
Air Corps Chemical Abuse Survivors

Please find linked below a copy of my original letter to you and also a copy of the Health & Safety letter to the Air Corps dated October 2016 outlining urgent steps to be taken  threatening legal action if they are ignored. The HSA letter was obtained under FOI.

Never forget the 71+ untimely deaths from Irish Air Corps Toxic Chemical Scandal

Let us not forget the 71+ Irish Air Corps personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice NEEDLESSLY. That’s 71 sons, brothers & fathers who will never be home for Christmas ever again.

Let us think of their families & work to prevent further unnecessary deaths.

Perhaps the Irish Air Corps will work to help survivors in 2019 rather than actively denying appropriate healthcare as they have consistently done to date.

DELAY – DENY – DIE

Denying access to toxic chemical records will deny Irish Air Corps personnel proper medical treatment & condemn them to an early death. Delay-Deny-Die

Denying access to toxic chemical records will deny Air Corps personnel proper medical treatment. #GetAngry #IrishAirCorps #DefenceForces #DefenceForcesIsCostingLives
GET ANGRY and SHARE

DELAY – DENY – DIE

Take Simon Coveney’s name off the gate he’s back from AWOL

Where was Minister Simon Coveney for the past four Wednesdays in a row when the Chemical Exposure Scandal at the Irish Air Corps was being discussed.

Has his absence anything to do with the fact that he actively ignored the whistle-blowers and then lied about attempts by whistle blowers to contact him.

Numerous retired & serving personnel have died since Simon Coveney ran away from this issue.