According to the city, the experiments were conducted from the 1950s to the 1970s and purposely exposed the incarcerated individuals, many of whom were Black and poor, to multiple agents, including viruses, fungus and asbestos.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: A general view of Philadelphia City Hall from Market Street on December 31, 2015 in Philadelphia City. The City of Philadelphia has issued a formal apology for experiments conducted by the University of Pennsylvania at the Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia decades ago.
According to the city, the experiments were conducted from the 1950s to the 1970s and purposely exposed incarcerated individuals to pharmaceuticals, viruses, fungus, asbestos and dioxin, a component of Agent Orange. Many of the incarcerated individuals who were experimented on were Black men who were illiterate, awaiting prosecution and attempting to save enough money to make bail.
"While this happened many decades ago, we know that the historical impact and trauma of this practice of medical racism has extended for generations - all the way through to the present day. One of our Administration's priorities is to rectify historic wrongs while we work to build a more equitable future, and to do that, we must reckon with past atrocities.