§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the statistics released by the United States Veterans Affairs Secretary showing dramatically higher death rates among Khamisyah veterans of the Gulf War, suggesting exposure to Sarin chemical warfare agents; and what action they are taking in relation 166WA to British servicemen and women who were in the area at the same time (HL3086)
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach)The Government's initial assessment of the implications for UK personnel of the Khamisiyah demolitions was published in December 1999 in a Ministry of Defence paper entitledReview of Events concerning 32 Field Hospital awl the Release of Nerve Agent Arising From US Demolition of Iraqi Munitions at the Khamisiyah Depot In March 1991. The paper is available in the Library of the House and on the Internet at http://www.mod.uk/issues/gulfwar/info/khamisiyah.htm. The paper's main conclusion was that the possible level of nerve agent exposure would have no detectable effect on human health, either in the short or long term.
The statistics recently released by the US Veterans Benefits Administration are believed to be based on remodelling of the theoretical plume of nerve agent which may have been released by the demolitions carried out subsequently. The MoD is seeking to establish from the US authorities the full scientific basis for the remodelling. Once this has been obtained and analysed, I will write to the noble Lord and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.