UK Germ Warfare Experiments: The Secrets of the Icewhale

The Secrets of the Icewhale

This radio programme formed part of the BBC Radio 4 series - Document - which examined the story behind newly declassified UK Goverment documents. The Secrets of the Icewhale tells the story of the UK Government's involvement with Biological Warfare (BW) experiments, which were carried out in public areas of the United Kingdom during the Cold War. During the early 1960s millions of people were exposed to clouds of radioactive xenon gas from the Harwell Nuclear Research Establishment.

The gas was sprayed from the top of an incinerator stack at the Oxfordshire facility. Over four lunchtimes in July 1961, men in white body suits released large clouds of the gas over English towns and villages to help estimate what effect a biological or chemical warfare attack would have on Britain.

Also contained in the programme, are details of the extensive BW experiments which were conducted over large parts of Southern England by military scientists from the Microbiological Research Establishment (MRE), Porton Down. These latter experiments exposed local residents to massive clouds of two types of live bacteria - E. coli MRE162 and Bacillus subtilis (aka Bacillus globigii or BG).

The Secrets of the Icewhale can be found at:

www.archive.org...





zero lift

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Added 'ex' tags for external material

[edit on 1/7/07 by masqua]

Disgusting that the people in power, who are supposed to look after us, would happily perform these type of experiments on the population.
Although radioactive xenon gas would not be harmful to people in the concentrations they were be exposed to, it enabled the scientists to track the contamination cloud's progress and people's exposure.
The tests from Porton Down are more worrying.
These experiments explain a lot about why southerns are so 'special'.

Although radioactive xenon gas would not be harmful to people in the concentrations they were be exposed to, it enabled the scientists to track the contamination cloud's progress and people's exposure.

Well, thats debatable. Unfortunately, as the programme pointed out, the MOD commissioned Independent Review didn't examine these experiments for possible adverse health effects - even though it was part of their remit!

And although you're correct to assume that the radioactive xenon was released to act as a tracer, they didn't use it to track people's exposure. They had absolutely no interest in the levels of gas (or its accompanying ZnCds) to which members of the public were exposed.

Don't forget that, along with the radiactive xenon gas, Porton scientists also sprayed large aerosols of a Cadmium compound (Zinc Cadmium sulphide). Exposing the public to large aerosols of the BW simulant - ZnCds - is bound to have some effect on the health of those who were unfortunate to have inhaled/digested it.

Even Porton scientists agree that the material is hazardous.

The tests from Porton Down are more worrying.
These experiments explain a lot about why southerns are so 'special'.

Oi!



zero lift

Originally posted by CarlosG
The tests from Porton Down are more worrying.
These experiments explain a lot about why southerns are so 'special'.

What are you concerned about CarlosG?

Have you any personal experience of Porton Down or Winterborne Gunner?

Have you ever served in any branch of the British military - excluding cadets?