HC Deb 02 December 1996 vol 286 cc530-3W
Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) who has responsibility for the organisation and implementation of radiation testing procedures and information gathering; [6570]

(2) who has authorised the testing of civilians in relation to radiation experiments. [6574]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November]As regards studies which were conducted by my Department, such responsibilities rested ultimately with the director or head of the establishment concerned. It would be normal practice for the appropriate ethics committee to consider and approve scientists' submissions for particular studies to be carried out; submissions would include a copy of the lay statement which is to be given to the volunteers. The results of many of the studies carried out in the past have been published in open source scientific and technical journals.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have the results of the radiation testing been used for; and where that data are currently held. [6561]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]The purpose of the studies carried out by my Department at Aldermaston was to calibrate whole body monitors to account for differences in body size and chest wall thickness; these were to improve the effectiveness of measurement techniques used by hospitals. Those at Porton were to investigate the amount of radioactive fall-out which might be expected to adhere to the fabric of the clothing worn by volunteers when crossing contaminated ground and how best that contamination might be removed, and to establish the mechanism of penetration of chemical compounds through the skin. Those at Farnborough served to provide a measure of changes in body fluid volumes through application of the dilution principle. Details of some of the studies carried out at Porton can be obtained from the Public Record Office; other records are no longer available due to the passage of many years.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of caring for those exposed to radiation through voluntary testing. [6581]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]Given the extremely low doses involved in the studies, it is highly unlikely that the health of any of the volunteers has suffered as a direct result of taking part in these studies. No such estimates have therefore been made.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many doctors and researchers have worked for the radiation-testing programme since 1966. [6565]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]I regret to say that this information is not held centrally, and that, given the passage of many years, it is not available at the establishments concerned. [6568]

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British volunteers have been the subject of radiation experiments since 1966; of these how many were employees at Aldermaston; and to what levels at radiation they were exposed.

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]Detailed records are no longer available, but is estimated that about 200 individual members of my Department were involved, of whom 12 were Aldermaston employees. The level of radiation to which these volunteers were exposed was negligible and significantly less than the average natural background exposure. Put into proper perspective, it would have been equivalent to that received from a single dental X-ray.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information was provided to volunteers on the short and long-term dangers of exposure to radioactive materials. [6559]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]All volunteers would have received a detailed explanation in lay terms prior to giving their consent to participating in such studies. The individuals would also have the right to withdraw from the studies at any time without having to explain their reasons for withdrawal. At no time was there a question of either short or long-term danger to any participants since only negligible amounts of radiation doses were applied. The studies were at all times subject to the appropriate medical ethics safeguards.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the radiation experiments currently being conducted. [6566]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]No radiation experiments are currently being conducted by my Department.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations at which radiation testing has been performed; and what protection was promised to people who were not involved in the programme from the effects of exposure to radioactive materials. [6571]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]My Department has conducted studies involving the use of radioactive material at Aldermaston, Porton Down, and Farnborough. Some of the Aldermaston studies involved the use of facilities at Harwell and were supported and funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency and approved by the Medical Research Council. Harwell is not, of course, an MOD establishment. Those not involved in the programme would have been afforded precisely the same health and safety considerations as the volunteers.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of subjects who have died due to complications caused by exposure to radiation during testing programmes. [6562]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]None of the studies conducted by my Department has involved significant radiological doses. All have been conducted with due regard for the health and safety of those concerned. It is therefore highly unlikely that these would have led to any deaths or adverse health conditions. Consequently, my Department has made no such estimates.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on the families of those tested of the exposure of a family member to radioactive materials. [6573]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]None. All these studies involved minute doses of radiation; no such assessments were therefore necessary.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sums radiation experiment volunteers were paid for their services. [6564]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]Due to the passage of time and absence of detailed records, it is impossible to detail precisely the amounts concerned. Some, but not all, volunteers from my Department would, however, have received recompense of approximately 20 shillings per week for taking part in the studies together with the appropriate rates for travel and subsistence.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what follow-up tests have been performed on the long-term effects of radiation exposure. [6569]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]As far as my Department is concerned, only those volunteers for the Aldermaston studies were monitored for a period of six months thereafter; further monitoring was unnecessary. It has long been known that significant additional doses of radiation can cause an enhanced risk of cancer. No follow-up assessments have been considered necessary in respect of those other studies, involving individual volunteers exposed to negligible doses of radiation which are far smaller than those received from natural background radiation. However, the National Radiological Protection Board carried out two independent studies in 1988 and 1993 into the incidence of mortality and cancer among people who participated in the UK's nuclear weapon-testing programmed in the 1950s and early 1960s. The NRPB studies showed no overall excess of cancer or mortality among over 20,000 veterans. Copies of the NRPB studies are in the Library of the House.

Mr. Bendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what different types of radiation testing have been used since 1966. [6572]

Mr. Soames

[holding answer 28 November 1996]I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 3 July 1996,Official Report, column 467.