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Show Hill Air Force Base Hearing Postponed A $4.5 million lawsuit filed by three men alleging that toxic tox-ic chemicals caused severe mental and physical damage to their health while they were employed at Hill Air Force Base has been postponed in Federal Court in Salt Lake City. FEDERAL District Judge Bruce Jenkins granted a continuance con-tinuance of the hearing until Feb. 22 at 1:30 p.m. Judge Jenkins said the delay was granted to allow the three government employees two of whom are medically retired more time to process claims under the Federal Employees Compensation Act. THE THREE plaintiffs James Galetka of Riverdale. Clifford Buckley of Roy. and Carlos Martinez of Clinton allege that they sustained physical phy-sical and mental disability caused by toxic fumes and chemicals che-micals while they were employed em-ployed in Building 100 at the northern Utah air base. Galetka and Buckley have received medical retirement while Martinez is still employed em-ployed at the base but has been assigned to a new job at a different diffe-rent site where there are no chemicals involved in his job. THE THREE plaintiffs have filed suit against the Air Force alleging that their illnesses were caused by "chemical poisoning" and that this type of accident or illness is not covered co-vered by the compensation act. But Asst. U.S. Attorney Gordon Campbell argues that a Civil Service Commission official offi-cial has ruled that such claims are within the jurisdiction of the compensation act thus a delay in the hearing to allow the three plaintiffs to tile suits under the FECA. ATTORNEY Campbell noted that based on the recent Civil Service ruling, scores of some 200 civilian and military personnel who contend that working with toxic chemicals has also damaged their health are expected to file claims w ith the FECA. In each case, however, the plaintiffs will be required to establish that it was "without doubt" the established che mical used in their job was the factor in their assorted illness. MEANWHILE. AIR Force officials agreed during Congressional Con-gressional hearings last April that they (Air Force personnel) would conduct an extensive study of the employees' complaints com-plaints through an independent indepen-dent medical group. The study was estimated to cost $1 million and require two years to complete. An Air Force medical officer assigned as liaison between the government govern-ment and the study group said several months ago that the study would begin "not later than January." TO DATE, however, there is no indication by the Air Force that the study is about to get underway, according to court testimony. |