Frederick citizens seek $750 million in Fort Detrick pollution suit

Several citizens of Frederick have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fort Detrick for injuries they say were caused by the Army’s handling of chemical and biological toxins. Among the plaintiffs are family members of Kristen Renee Hernandez, who died of brain cancer in 2008. The lawsuit seeks compensation for her and many others for deaths and illnesses supposedly caused by living near Fort Detrick. They claim the Army’s harmful activities include contaminating groundwater by burying chemicals, and doing unsafe anthrax research and Agent Orange experiments. In a state public health investigation in 2011, no significant evidence of cancer clusters within 2 miles of Fort Detrick was observed.