Employees Health
President Bill Clinton signed an executive order in September 1995 exempting Area 51 from disclosure of the results of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigations of the site. The order referred to Area 51 as "the Air Force's operating location near Groom Lake, Nevada." Judge Pro eventually dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that investigation into the claims constituted a breach of national security.
Fred Dunham has battled state and federal agencies for 20 years while seeking compensation for health problems he blames on breathing toxic fumes from stealth coatings burned in open pits.
During the 1980s, Dunham was a security guard for a contractor, EG&G Special Projects, at the once-secret U.S. Air Force test installation 90 miles north of Las Vegas. At the time, excess stealth material from the F-117A Nighthawk program was routinely burned in open pits in violation of environmental laws.
While Department of Energy workers exposed to radioactive or toxic materials at the former Nevada Test Site they have been awarded $150,000 or more for illnesses linked to their jobs there.
Workers for defense contractors at Area 51 downwind of the test site and burn pits along the Groom Dry Lake bed have been denied compensation.
Robert Frost and many of the other civilian workers at Area 51 who worked downwind of the burn pits were exposed to the smoke and all of its contaminants. Those were the likely cause of odd illnesses and, in some cases, eventual death.
Workers say, they labored in thick, choking clouds of poisonous smoke as hazardous wastes were burned in huge open trenches on the base. Military officers armed with M-16s stood guard as truckloads of resins, paints and solvents - materials used to make the Stealth bomber and other classified aircraft - were doused with jet fuel and set ablaze.
Area 51 pits were also filled with the base’s trash and set on fire. Yes, our government was taking all of the base’s trash—as well as trash that was trucked in from other facilities—dousing it with jet fuel and torching it.
Area 51 workers these lawyers represent face 10 years in prison if they are caught disclosing anything about their jobs. In court papers, they are identified only as John Doe.
The plaintiffs aren't asking for money; they want information on the chemicals they might have been exposed to so they can get appropriate medical treatment. And they want an apology.
The workers say that nothing could leave the base, and that's why everything was burned. Some men had to scramble into the pits after the ashes cooled to ensure complete incineration, increasing their exposure to toxins, according to the lawsuits.
Robert Frost
Robert Frost, who was foreman of the sheet-metal workers at Area 51, became so ill he missed a week of work. By then his face and body were scarred by scales and red welts. His legs buckled when he tried to walk.
Frost filed a claim for lost wages; his employer, Reynolds Electrical & Engineering, fought it.
By the time a hearing was held in 1990, Frost was dead of a liver disease that doctors associated with exposure to smoke containing dioxin and dibenzofurans, chemicals found in plastics and solvents. But the compensation claim was denied after a company superintendent testified that no burning occurred at Area 51.
Frost's widow, Helen, was furious. She wanted to file a wrongful-death claim, but lawyers told her there was nothing to be done.
Groom Mine
The Historic Groom Mine & Residence was owned and operated by the Sheahan family, since 1889.
Rich in several precious metals including lead and silver, they diligently mined the land, paving their way in Nevada mining history. In time, the Groom Mine became their foundation, livelihood and home.
In the 1950s, the U.S. Government set its sights on southern Nevada for an aircraft testing facility. Slowly, the U.S. Government drove every miner in the vicinity out- except for their family, who held and continues to hold six patented mining claims dating back to 1864 and 15 unpatented claims.
Their White Lake and Conception Patents were signed by Ulysses S. Grant and granted us the “exclusive right to enjoyment of all the lands within the boundaries, forever.” Therefore, The sheahan's family were able to remain living on and continue mining our land, despite the Government’s efforts to run all the miners off.
On June 23, 1954 at approximately 12 p.m., the heart and soul of our mining operation, the mill, was bombed. The destruction was devastating, as we watched decades of hard work, dedication and history burst into flames. The wreckage forced us to uproot our home, relocate and re-start our careers elsewhere.
Less than a year later, on the land just south of the Groom Mine, the Government, be it the CIA or the Air Force, started construction on an air base. This air base today is known as Area 51.
Despite the construction of Area 51 the Air Force swore to Congress that it would take nothing from Groom Mine property and the Air Force “guaranteed” that the Sheahan's would maintain full ownership of the Groom Mine Property without fear of restricted access.
The Sheahan family
The Sheahan family faced many challenges in trying to work with the USAF and other government entities. Such challenges can only be described as criminal acts by our government including:
• The bombing of the Groom Mine mill site.
• Shooting of the Groom Mine campsite by airplanes.
• Holding family members at gunpoint on numerous occasions. Family members have experienced fear and mental anguish from this.
• Nuclear fallout from the aboveground nuclear tests. These tests caused radiation burns and sickness among some family members.
• Invasion of privacy at Groom Mine and constant monitoring of our activities.
• Threatened use of deadly force by security forces.
• Causing lost opportunities for business dealings.
• Illegal and periodic searches of our vehicles and persons.
• Coerced signings of Inadvertent Disclosure Statements.
On August 14, 2015, the family received correspondence from the USAF, giving them an ultimatum: Sell their land to the U.S. Government for $5.2 million, an offer that doesn't even cover the mineral rights to the land, or they will seize it through condemnation.
In other terms, the United States Government is going to seize our land with utter disregard for our private property we have had in our family for over 130 years- and without just compensation. With that, they will also take a history that cannot be replaced or replicated.
The Sheahan family consists of ardent patriots. Several of us have served in various branches of the U.S. Military, fighting for the rights and liberties we believe in. As Americans, we strongly support and believe the mission of our government is to protect its citizens and uphold the United States Constitution. By condemning our land and denying us just compensation, the USAF is disregarding our inherent rights defined in the Fifth Amendment, which states, “nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Our family are patriots. In return, we have received nothing but threats and indignant acts by our own government. The acts of the USAF are an abomination of the ideals on which this country was built: that every American has certain inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and, “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” It’s time that the USAF upheld this notion.
Groom Mine overlooking the secret base at Area 51 was officially taken from the owners and transferred to the United States Air Force in 2015.
Most Helpful Opinions