Porton Down Volunteers (Hansard, 21 March 2002)

§ Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2001,Official Report, column 936W, regarding the 1973 report prepared at Porton Down, on what dates the Ethics Committee overseeing the human experiments at the Chemical Defence Establishment scrutinised this experiment; and if he will place in the Library copies of the papers of the committee which relate to the discussion of this experiment. [43477]

§ Dr. Moonie
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

§ Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by the Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down in 1985 entitled "Pyridostigmine pre-treatment and neuromuscular transmission in man—a study using single fibre electromyography". [43445]

§ Dr. Moonie
Yes. This technical note reports preliminary results and analysis. The full results and final conclusions of the work in which Service volunteers who had been exposed to a low dose of Sarin and monitored over a number of years using single fibre electromyography have already been published entitled: "Single fibre electromyographic changes in man after organophosphate exposure" (Human and Experimental Toxicology 1996, 15, 367–75).

§ Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a list of the common and chemical names of the vesicants which have been tested on Service volunteers at the Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down during the Service volunteer programme; and if he will list the numbers of Service volunteers who were tested with each of these vesicants. [43452]

§ Dr. Moonie
At present there are no definitive figures detailing the numbers of Service volunteers who have been exposed to vesicant agents or all the agents which were used. However, it is believed that some 8,000 individuals have participated in studies which have involved the use of the following two vesicantsSulphur mustard; chemical name 2–2'-di(chloroethyl) sulphide Lewisite; chemical name 2-chlorovinyl dichloroarsine.
In addition, a small number of volunteers may have been exposed to the following two vesicants during the Service volunteer programme: Phosgene oxime; chemical name dichloroformoxime Nitrogen mustard; chemical name 2–2'-2"-tri(chloroethyl)amine.