BBC - Population In The East Of England Was Sprayed With
Poisonous Compound
BBC
06.11.2006
By Mike Kenner
Between 1953 and 1964 top secret
trials were carried out using a chemical concoction of zinc cadmium sulphide to simulate how a cloud would disperse
biological agents.
The unsuspecting population in
the East of England was sprayed covertly with the poisonous compound
at least 76 times.
Mike Kenner is an “Open Government
Campaigner” who stumbled across the Norwich and Bedford trials, and whose
revelations prompted two Government Inquiries.
This article by Mike Kenner
describes how he uncovered the story using files obtained under the Freedom
of Information Act.
Investigating the trials
“During November 1998, the Sunday
Telegraph published an exclusive article by Rob Evans and Andrew Gilligan.
“It revealed that scientists from
the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment
(CDEE), Porton Down, had in the past, sprayed
large parts of the UK with a toxic chemical compound - Zinc Cadmium sulphide (ZnCds).
“At the time of the article, I was
already involved, as an Open Government campaigner, in calling for the Ministry
of Defence to release more information concerning the
1963-1975 Porton Down public area Biological Warfare
experiments, which had been conducted in my local area - South Dorset.
“After pressure from various MPs and
concerned residents, the MOD eventually announced that they would commission
yet another Independent Review, which would investigate possible adverse health
effects caused by the public area ZnCds tests.
“This was the second Independent
Review to be commissioned by the MOD during the late 1990s.
“The first review, conducted by
Professor Brian Spratt FRS, investigated any possible adverse health effects
experienced by the residents of southern England who were exposed to the
massive aerosols of live bacteria, emitted during the Porton
Down Dorset Defence Trials.”
Opening up the files
“During the following years, I used
Open Government legislation, such as the Code of Practice for Access to
Government Information, in order to obtain more information about the ZnCds field trials.
“Initially, it was thought that 12
large-scale experiments had been conducted by CDEE scientists.
“My investigations soon revealed
that this figure was a vast underestimation of the true figure.
“By the
time that the Academy of Medical Sciences had been appointed to conduct their
Independent Review (late 1999), the number of known experiments had risen to
circa 70.
“Fortunately, examination of each
newly declassified Porton scientific report
revealed evidence of yet more, as yet unknown, ZnCds
field trials.
“Again, I would make a Code of
Practice request to Porton Down and once again more
information would be released.
“By now, the tally of known public
area ZnCds experiments had risen to nearly 100.”
Open air spraying
“During the course of my
investigations I inadvertently stumbled across a cache of papers relating to
trials which took place over Norfolk in 1963 and again in 1964.
“were
themselves unique because they involved the Home Office and the City of
Norwich Police.
“On occasion, this newly
declassified material has revealed information which contradicts that
which is contained in the independent review.
“On at least two occasions, official
Porton Down scientific reports have been discovered
which were not even examined by the review.
“The first (Porton
Technical Paper No 794) detailed a number of experiments where radioactive
gas and ZnCds particles were released from AERE
Harwell and were tracked for at least 60 kilometres
downwind.
“The second (Porton
Technical Paper No 885), detailed the numerous (circa 36) ZnCds
field trials that were conducted by Porton Down
scientists at Cardington, Bedfordshire, during 1963.
“Even more importantly, PTP No 885
revealed that the chemical compound used in the 1963 Cardington field trials (ZnCds) was sprayed by Porton
scientists from a moving vehicle.
“This would have placed local
Bedfordshire residents in much closer proximity to the source of sprayed ZnCds than previous trials, which had sprayed the ZnCds from an aircraft.
“The fact that such a large number of potentially hazardous field trials could be overlooked by a Government appointed Independent Review, and only be discovered by an ordinary resident using Open Government legislation, proves to me the true worth of the Freedom of Information Act.”
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/east/series10/week9_spraying_war_extra.shtml