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November 22, 2009

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Former Area 51 workers to file briefs

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Former workers at the Air Force Base known as Area 51 are filing briefs today in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The briefs will offer the first glimpse into a controversial sealed hearing in 1996 over alleged illegal and toxic burning.

The workers said they became sick from breathing fumes and smoke. Some claim their rare and painful skin disorders are the result of exposure to the burning.

Two workers, Robert Frost and Walter Kasza, died from injuries that their widows say are related to the burning of hazardous materials at the base, 125 miles north of Las Vegas.

A hearing before a federal judge on June 20, 1995, has remained sealed by court order. The government contends all activities at Area 51, also known as Groom Lake, are top secret. The workers, however, say that sealing of the transcripts is an attempt to avoid public scrutiny of environmental violations at the base.

The briefs are part of an ongoing lawsuit in its third year. The workers are represented by Jonathan Turley of the George Washington University Environmental Law Center.

The workers say they remain anonymous out of fear of government retaliation.

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