HC Deb 27 January 1994 vol 236 cc396-400W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what work his Department has carried out on the alcohol-amine binary reactant OPA; when and at which establishment these experiments were carried out; and what was the assessment of this work;

(2) when the chemical and biological warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke carried out experiments on (a) sea wasp toxin, (b) ricin toxin and (c) abrin toxin; what was the purpose of the work; and what were the conclusions and assessments of each toxin;

(3) how many liaison officers from the former military establishment at Nancekuke were stationed at United States military chemical and biological warfare establishments before Nancekuke was dismantled; what were the functions of these officers; at which US establishments they were stationed; and through which defence agreement these liaison officers were arranged;

(4) what studies and trials the chemical and biological defence establishment at Porton Down has carried out into the dissemination of agent aerosols at sea; what are the names of these experiments; when and where these experiments took place; and what was the conclusion of each of the experiments;

(5) in which year the Department's research into phencyclidine referred to in his answer of 20 July 1993, Official Report, column 171, ended; when the results of the research were first shared with the United States of America; with which United States military establishment the information was exchanged; and in what form this exchange occurred;

(6) pursuant to his answer of 20 July 1993, Official Report, columns 170–74, what tests and studies Porton Down has carried out on (a) trytamines and (b) mescaline sulphate; if these experiments involved animals and service personnel; and where the results were published;

(7) when staff from the chemical warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke visited or were stationed at the United States Department of Defence naval weapons centre in China Lake, California; what was the purpose of these visits; how many staff were involved; and through which defence agreement the visits were organised;

(8) in which years the chemical and biological warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke carried out research into saxitoxin/shellfish poison; how many animals and service personnel were involved in the research; what was the conclusion of the research; when the results of the work were exchanged with the United States of America, Canada or Australia; and under which defence agreement this exchange was arranged.

Mr. Hanley

These matters are for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letters from Graham S. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 27 January 1994.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what work his Department has carried out on the alcohol-amine binary reactant OPA; when and at which establishment these experiments were carried out; and what was the assessment of this work (Question 13, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to have available small quantities of the materials which may he used as chemical or biological warfare agents by a potential aggressor.
  3. 3. The alcohol-amine binary reactant (OPA) consists of isopropylalcohol and isopropylamine. Our records indicate that no work has been carried out by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment or its precursor establishments on the binary reactant (OPA) although isopropylalcohol has been used as a precursor in the preparation of the unitary nerve agent, Sarin (GB), at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down, at Nancekuke and at Sutton Oak.
  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when the chemical and biological warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke carried out experiments on (a) sea wasp toxin, (b) ricin toxin and (c) abrin toxin; what was the purpose of the work; and what were the conclusions and assessments of each toxin (Question 18, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.
  3. 3. Our records indicate that no work has been carried out on sea wasp toxin by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment or its precursor establishments.
  4. 4. Ricin has long been recognised as a potential chemical warfare agent and experiments involving ricin were first carried out during World War II. Since then ricin has been considered as appropriate in studies of the potential hazards to the United Kingdom Armed Forces experimental work on ricin aimed at medical countermeasures started in the early 1990s.
  5. 5. Abrin is structurally related to ricin and work on medical countermeasures to abrin also began in the early 1990s.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking how many liaison officers from the former military establishment at Nancekuke were stationed at United States military chemical and biological warfare establishments before Nancekuke was dismantled; what were the functions of 398 these officers; at which United States establishments they were stationed; and through which defence agreements these liaison officers were arranged (Question 19, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. Our records indicate that no liaison officers from Nancekuke were stationed at United States military chemical and biological warfare establishments before Nancekuke was dismantled.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what studies and trials the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down has carried out into the dissemination of agent aerosols at sea; what are the names of these experients; when and where these experiments took place; and what was the conclusion of each of the experients (Question 20, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. Studies into the potential hazard to the UK Armed Forces resulting from the use of chemical or biological agents are carried out on a continuing basis in order to ensure that effective protective measures are taken against the threat of chemical or biological weapon attacks.
  3. 3. Trials into the dissemination of agent aerosols at sea have taken place over a number of years. These are as follows:
    1. (a) Scapa Flow trials carried out in 1923 which examined the vulnerability of Naval vessels to attack with a toxic chemical particulate agent.
    2. (b) Operation HARNESS which took place in Caribbean waters off the Behamas from December 1948 to February 1949 to determine the practicability of conducting biological warfare trials at sea.
    3. (c) Operation CAULDRON in Scottish waters off Stornaway in the Isles of Lewis in May-December 1952 which established that several pathogens could constitute a hazard if used as BW agents.
    4. (d) Operation HESPERUS in Scottish waters in May-August 1953 which aimed to consolidate data and compare several dissemination and collection methods.
    5. (e) Operation OZONE in Caribbean waters at a site 20 miles off Nassau in February-May 1954 when data on the decay of viability at longer ranges was obtained.
    6. (f) Operation NEGATION again in Caribbean waters off the Bahamas in November 1954-March 1955 which consolidated data from the previous trials.
  4. 4. The United Kingdom abandoned offensive chemical and biological weapons in the late 1950s and since then the role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has been to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking in which year the Department's research into phencyclidine referred to in his Answer of 20th July 1993, Official Report column 171, ended; when the results of the research were first shared with the United States of America; with which US military establishment the information was exchanged; and in what form this exchange occurred (Question 21, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.
  3. 3. As stated in the Answer of 20 July 1993, Official Report, column 171, this work was carried out in the early 1960s. Information gained was then drawn upon in subsequent years as required by the chemical defence programme and additional work carried out when necessary. It is therefore not possible to say when research ended as the information obtained continues to be drawn upon as required. Likewise, it forms part of the technical database drawn upon in cooperation with the United States of 399 America under the Memorandum of Understanding on Chemical and Biological Defence, the Technical Cooperation Programme and its predecessors.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Leyton on 20th July 1993, Official Report, column 171, what tests and studies Porton Down has carried out on (a) trytamines and (b) mescaline sulphate; if these experiments involved animals and service personnel; and where the results were published (Question 22, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.
  3. 3. Tryptamines are indole derivatives, some of which produce psychotomimetic effects similar to those produced by lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD25). In the early 1960s a series of tests were carried out to determine structure activity relationships and all the tryptamines synthesised were found to be less potent than LSD25 and were therefore regarded as a less serious toxic hazard than LSD25. These tests involved the use of animals but did not involve the use of Service volunteers. The following publication was published following this research: BRIMBLECOMBE R W, DOWNING D F, GREEN D M and HUNT R R (1964). Some pharmacological effects of series of tryptamine derivatives. Brit J Pharmacol 23, 43–54.
  4. 4. Mescaline is a substituted phenylalkylamine compound possessing similar psychotomimetic activity to that produced by LSD25 and tests and studies were carried out in the 1960s and early 1970s to determine whether or not mescaline might be used by an aggressor as an incapacitating agent. The studies showed that mescaline was considerably less potent than LSD. The tests involved the use of animals but did not involve the use of Service volunteers. The work on mescaline resulted in the following publications:
    1. a. BRIMBLECOMBE R W (1963). Effects of psychotropic drugs on open field behaviour in rats. Psychopharmacologia, 4, 139–147.
    2. b. ALDOUS FA B, BARRASS B C, BREWSTER K, BUXTON D A, GREEN D M, PINDER R M, RICH P, SKEELS M AND TUTT K T (1974). Structure-activity relationships in psychotomimetic phenylalkylamines. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 17, 110–1111.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when staff from the chemical warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke visited or were stationed at the US Department of Defence Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California; what was the purpose of these visits; how many staff were involved; and through which defence agreement the vists were organised (Question 24, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. Our records do not indicate that staff from the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down or Nancekuke have visited or been stationed at the US Department of Defense Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California. Some members of staff, however, may have visited the US Naval Weapons Center before or after their period of duty at CBDE Porton Down or Nancekuke.

  1. 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking in which years the chemical and biological warfare establishment at Porton Down and Nancekuke carried out research into saxitoxin/shellfish poison; how many animals and service personnel were involved in the research; what was the conclusion of the research; when the results of the work were 400 exchanged with the United States of America, Canada or Australia; and under which defence agreement this exchange was arranged (Question 30, Order Paper 19 January 1994) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
  2. 2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work it is necessary to investigate the effectiveness of protective measures against the range of potential agents.
  3. 3. A study on saxitoxin was carried out in 1982 to determine whether such toxins have any effect on medical countermeasures against nerve agents. This study involved the use of about 90 mice but did not involve the use of Service volunteers. This study indicated that futher work on the interaction between saxitoxin and nerve agents was not required.
  4. 4. Information arising from this study was part of the chemical and biological defence programme and would therefore be part of the technical database drawn upon in cooperation with the United States of America, Canada and Australia under the international agreements referred to by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP in his answer of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.

Back to
Forward to