§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service volunteers have been exposed to the solvent DMSO in experiments since 1990 at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down; what the purpose was of these experiments; in what years these experiments took place; what the conclusions were of these experiments; on what dates the Independent Ethics Committee scrutinised these experiments; and if he will place in the Library copies of the technical reports which arose out of these experiments. [157328]
§ Dr. MoonieSince 1990, the Chemical and Biological Defence Sector at Porton Down has undertaken studies in which 25 service volunteers were exposed to small amounts of dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO). The two protocols covering this work were submitted to the Ethical Subgroup of the Defence Scientific Advisory Committee (DSAC) Medical Committee in November 1989 and April 1990, respectively. The studies were designed to investigate whether DMSO could be used as a chemical warfare agent simulant (training agent). Volunteers were exposed to either DMSO applied as a liquid to the skin or as an inhaled vapour. The quantity of the metabolite dimethylsulphide (DMS) exhaled on their breath was measured.
The results of these studies have not been written up in any technical reports but the assessment was that DMSO was not suitable for the requirement.