A former member of the Defence Forces from Co Donegal has called on the Government to ‘let the truth come out’ after saying his life was destroyed by dangerous chemicals.
The State agreed last week to pay €2m to Gary Coll, 51, to settle a legal case taken by him in relation to his claims, without accepting liability.
The Lifford man served as an aviation technician with the Irish Air Corps in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, between 1991 and 1997.
His case is the first of ten which have been taken by former members in relation to what they say was the failure by the State to protect them from exposure to dangerous chemicals.
Speaking on RTE’s Upfront with Katie Hannon last night, Mr Coll said the State is “hiding behind the State Claims Agency, hiding behind the Courts.”
“The minister stands up and says he can’t look at a health and safety issue because he has to wait for the go-ahead from the State Claims Agency, or the Courts? No. It’s a cop-out to hide behind the court cases,” he said.
Mr Coll says he now suffers from chronic fatigue, has issues with his heart, breathing, and memory, recurring ulcers, and is unable to maintain his core body temperature.
He says during his service there was exposure to chemicals during basic work tasks.
“There was fumes, chemicals being used openly with no extraction systems, within feet of where you worked,” Mr Coll said.
“The place was a mess, the floors were that dirty that people were afraid they would catch fire, there was that much oil and chemicals spilled on the floor of the hangers,” he said.
There was also a tradition of ‘tubbing’ in the Air Corps, whereby individuals would be dunked into tanks of chemicals for various purposes, including as part of initiations or hazing.
He said such tubbing happened to him several times.
Mr Coll joined the Air Corps as a teenager, and represented it in national and international rugby and rowing tournaments in the earlier years of his service.
He said he left his job in his mid-20s due to a slew of medical conditions he experienced while he was still serving, including headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea and nosebleeds.
He now requires the use of a mobility scooter or walking stick to get around.
“I suffered anxiety for years, about 2004 or 2005 I started developing neurological problems, pins and needles, tremors and shakes, it started effecting my balance, my memory’s gone, my short-term memory.”
“In a few months time, I’ll probably forget being here tonight,” Mr Coll said.
