Porton Down

HC Deb 30 October 1996 vol 284 cc170-3W

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down, aims to take to reply to letters from individuals who took part in the service volunteers programme at the establishment when they request details of their experiments. [741]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the length of time taken to respond to letters from those who took part in studies at Porton Down. The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) at Porton Down is now part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for which I am responsible as Chief Executive. Staff at Porton Down aim to reply to all letters from former volunteers within 10 days. Where this is not possible, we seek to send an interim reply inside this timescale.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals took part in the service volunteers programme at the chemical and biological defence establishment during (a) 1994 and (b) 1995. [726]

Mr. Soames

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: As Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) which now includes the former Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE), I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the numbers of volunteers who participated in the service volunteer programme at Porton Down in 1994 and 1995. The volunteer records show that ninety six individuals came to Porton Down to take part in the volunteer programme in 1994 and fifty eight in 1995. I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down, has provided relevant extracts from(a) technical reports and (b) original laboratory data to the War Pensions Agency in response to individuals making disablement claims arising out of experiments at Porton Down as indicated in his answer of 22 July, Official Report, columns 87–88. [742]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the provision of technical reports and original laboratory data to the War Pensions Agency when dealing with claims form former volunteers at Porton Down. The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) at Porton Down is now part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for which I am responsible as Chief Executive. It is normal practice in dealing with requests from the War Pensions Agency for CBD Sector to provide confirmation of attendance and a short explanation of the tests undertaken. This includes details of any exposure to chemicals, the believed purpose of the study, an outline of the experimental methods used (where they are known) and any reaction of the individual to the study noted in the remaining records. Only on one occasion in recent years have additional details of a volunteer's experiences been provided through release of photocopies of the laboratory record books or copies of technical reports discussing the type of study conducted. I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the chemical and biological establishment's assessment of the effect on human health in(a) the short term and (b) the long term of one-off exposure to the chemical agent CN; and what research has been done by the chemical and biological defence establishment to reach this assessment. [725]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: I have been asked to reply to your question concerning Porton Down's assessment of the effects on human health of exposure to the chemical agent CN. The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) at Porton Down is now part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for which I am responsible as Chief Executive. Short term exposure to chloroacteophenone (CN) causes a burning sensation in the throat, eyes and nose within seconds of exposure. These effects are accompanied by excessive lachrymation, a running nose and a stinging sensation of the skin. In the majority of cases these symptoms resolve themselves spontaneously within around 30 minutes of the end of the exposure. Exposure to high concentrations can cause long term clinical effects, namely, damage to the eye and a dermatitis of the skin. This dermatitis involves reddening, swelling and in severe cases ulceration. The eye effects were observed following studies of the exposure of experimental animals to riot control agents and further information was obtained from case reports from the United States following the widespread use of CN during Civil Rights Riots in the late 1960s. Information regarding the skin effects from exposure to CN and CS was obtained through limited volunteer studies carried out at Porton in the late 1960s. A copy of a technical report produced from these studies was sent to you with my letter of 21st October 1996. I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the chemical and biological defence establishment's assessment of whether short-term exposure to mustard gas causes(a) chronic conjunctivitis or (b) pigmentation abnormalities of the skin; and what research has been carried out by the establishment at Porton Down to reach this assessment. [740]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: I have been asked to reply to your question concerning Porton Down's assessment of the effects of short-term exposure to mustard gas. The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) at Porton Down is now part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for which I am responsible as Chief Executive. 2,2—(bis-chloroethyl) sulphide, commonly called mustard gas, is a member of the class of chemical warfare agents called vesicants. These agents affect the skin, lungs and eyes of individuals who are exposed to either the liquid or the vapour, although the effects are more severe from exposure to the liquid. Chronic conjunctivitis has generally been observed to occur after exposure of the eyes to mustard vapour or liquid. It can persist for several days, depending on the dose of agent, although complete healing usually follows except where very high doses are involved, in which case scarring of the conjunctiva and permanent damage may occur. Similarly, de-pigmentation may occur in healed skin following exposure to mustard gas agent on a sufficient scale to cause blistering. Information on mustard agent injuries used to produce Porton Down's assessment of the effect of exposure to the agent is taken from numerous sources. The best description of the effects continue to be the first hand accounts from First World War casualties. In the 1930s and early 1940s studies were conducted at Porton Down involving animals and service volunteers which provided considerable data. This information has been subsequently updated by the observations made by medical personnel involved in the clinical management of casualties from the Iran-Iraq war who were treated in London between 1984–988. I hope this information is helpful.

Mr. Livingstone

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the chemical and biological defence establishment published its annual report for 1995–96. [727]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 30 October 1996: I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the publication date of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment's annual report. On 1 April 1995 the former Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment became part of the new Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. The DERA annual report, which includes a section on the activities of the enlarged CBDE division, was laid before the House on 16 July 1996. I have arranged for a copy of this year's annual report to be sent to you under separate cover which I hope you will find helpful.