SALT LAKE CITY?Claims by a former chemist at Dugway Proving Ground that the Army retaliated when he revealed safety problems at the chemical-biological warfare research facility are before a U.S. Department of Labor judge.

David Hall, of Salt Lake City, first brought the complaints in 1997, contending the Army punished him after he complained to state and federal regulators about how Dugway handled its chemicals and tested for contamination.

Most of Hall’s complaints involved the chemical side of Dugway’s mission, but two witnesses in the hearing, which started in June, suggested possible security problems on the biological side as well, said Hall’s attorney, Mick Harrison.