MIAMI — U.S. military health experts found no link between several cases of cancer and environmental conditions in an area used for legal proceedings at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, according to a report released Thursday by the Navy.
The report found no evidence that people working in Camp Justice were exposed to carcinogens above standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It said there were five cases of cancer among 700 people who worked at the legal compound from 2004-2016 but could not trace them to conditions at the Navy base in southeastern Cuba. The report was prepared by the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center.
Four attorneys who have worked at Camp Justice filed suit in April against the Department of Defense, challenging an earlier finding that the area is safe. Their lawyer, Daniel Small, said he was reviewing the new report and could not comment further. The Defense Department has asked a judge to dismiss the suit.
Camp Justice is a compound of temporary and permanent structures at a former airfield on the base that includes two courtrooms for use in legal proceedings against prisoners facing trial by military commission, including five men charged with planning and assisting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
