§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the basis of the methodologies used by(a) his Department and (b) consultants contracted by his Department to assess the effects of radiation exposure from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests upon servicemen and medical auxiliaries; what assessment he has made of their sensitivity to the available data; and what representation he has received in respect of them. [74960]
§ Mr. SpellarRadiation exposure of servicemen who participated in the UK's atmospheric nuclear tests was subject to pre-set standards which were directly based upon the contemporary guidance issued by the International Commission for Radiation Protection. There were two basic regimes. First, those who were known to be at risk were issued with personal dosimeters (film badges) and, if necessary, protective clothing. Secondly, and for the majority, the protective arrangement was to ensure that all personnel were accounted for and located at safe distances from the detonations. Additionally, there were programmes of general environmental monitoring covering the range and domestic areas including the muster locations. Of the 22,000 veterans included in the studies, some 5,000 were issued with film badges. Only 1,716 of these had non-zero recorded radiation doses; of these only 483 received total doses of more than 5 mSv and only 80 received more than 50 mSv. These figures and the results of the environmental monitoring are strong evidence that the majority of test veterans had no radiation exposure as a result of their participation.
The health of the test veteran population has been the subject of two epidemiological studies carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The reports were published in 1988 and 1993. These studies made statistically based comparisons of the mortality and cancer experiences of the test veterans, regardless of the cause of the illness, with levels seen in both a matched control group and in the general population. The studies concluded that participation in the tests programme had not had a detectable effect on the participants' expectation of life or on their total risk of developing cancer.
Further and more detailed information about the methodologies used is given in the study reports copies of which are in the Library of the House. As regards representation, the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) and their supporters have made clear their views on many occasions in recent years. However, the reports of these studies were peer reviewed, 43W published in the scientific press and have not attracted any serious scientific criticism. The statistical sensitivity of the results is fully addressed in the reports.