Gulf War (Hansard, 3 November 1994)

§ Dr. David Clark
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what exposure to chemical agents was experienced by United Kingdom forces in the Gulf war.

§ Mr. Soames
This is a matter for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down, under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of the CBDE to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Graham Pearson to Dr. David Clark, dated 3 November 1994: 1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking him what exposure to chemical agents was experienced by United Kingdom Forces in the Gulf War has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment. 2. During Operating GRANBY, the potential hazard to Service personnel resulting from the bombing of Iraqi targets at which chemical weapons were stored was recognised by the Ministry of Defence. The Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment made an assessment of the potential downwind hazard distances based on various assumptions for the quantity of agent that might be released as a result of a bombing attack and for the associated meteorological conditions. 3. The result of the assessment indicated that even assuming simultaneous release of the majority of agent from several bunkers under meteorological conditions which favoured the downwind travel of the agent cloud and ignoring the fact that chemical agents are organic materials which are destroyed by combustion, the maximum distance at which there would be any hazard was of the order of a few tens of kilometres. In practice, simultaneous release is unlikely to occur, agent will be destroyed by combustion and meteorological conditions will be less favourable resulting in a significantly reduced downwind hazard distance. 4. The conclusion was that there was no evidence that British Servicemen and women would be exposed to chemical warfare agent as a result of bombing attacks. Our appreciation is that the US Department of Defense carried out similar studies and reached similar conclusions. In addition, there was no confirmed detection of chemical warfare agents at any time by the UK Forces in the Gulf War.

§ Dr. David Clark
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purposes organo-phosphate malathion pesticide was used by British forces in the Gulf war; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Soames
A dusting powder containing 1 per cent. malathion was used by British forces environmental health personnel to treat about 50 lice-infested Iraqi troops at the prisoner of war enclosure at Quaisuma. Owing to the small number involved, each prisoner was treated individually and no lengthy collective treatments took place.
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Malathion is recommended in standard therapeutic textbooks as a treatment of choice for lice infestation and several preparations are commercially available in the United Kingdom, including body lotions and hair shampoos.

§ Mr. Tyler
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops were exposed to organ-phosphorous pesticides, including malathion, during the Gulf War; and what research his Department has undertaken into the links between the use of these pesticides and Gulf war syndrome.

§ Mr. Soames
I am aware of only 10 British service personnel who would have been involved with organ-phosphorous pesticides used by United Kingdom forces during the Gulf conflict. These 10 were members of a medical team involving in delousing some 50 Iraqi troops with a dusting powder containing 1 per cent. malathion at the prisoner of war enclosure at Quaisuma. Malathion is recommended in standard therapeutic textbooks as a treatment of choice for lice infestation and several preparations are commercially available in the United Kingdom, including body lotions and shampoos.
No clinical evidence indicative of exposure to organo-phosphates has been found among the service personnel who have come forward with concerns about their health related to service in the Gulf. No specific research into organo-phosphorous has therefore been carried out in relation to the alleged Gulf war syndrome, though evidence from all relevant sources is closely monitored.