Years of exposure to toxic chemicals while serving in the air corps have taken their toll. Getting discharged from the army and re-enlisting and joining the air corps would mean he would be paid less as an apprentice. Between 1951 and the time Mr Murphy served in the air corps, at least 10 studies linked deaths to TCE exposure. "Back then not only was there little or no protective equipment, but there were also military orders,” says Mr Murphy. As he would later find out, it was a common complaint among former air corps personnel who started experiencing health problems.

Source: Irish Examiner March 09, 2026 19:30 UTC