British Medical Journal has published two reports this week on the long-term effects of participation in the Human Volunteer Programme at Porton Down. Leigh Day & Co acted successfully for a number of Porton Down veterans who settled their claim with the Ministry of Defence for £3m in January 2008. The Human Volunteer Programme tested the effects of exposure to chemical warfare agents on people, and the protective potential of respirators or clothing against these chemicals.
Over the course of study, 18,276 men were identified as having taken part in experimental tests at Porton Down and followed up for an average of 40 years between 1941 and 2004. Porton Down veterans (PDVs) were found to have a slightly higher death rate than a similar group of 17,600 veterans who did not participate. This increase was estimated to be 6% and is described as an excess of mortality. This means that 6% more men died over the course of the average 40 year follow up period in the PDV group than in the group of veterans who did not participate in the HVP.
The research team for the study was based at the University of Oxford and led by Oxford University academics Dr Katherine Venables and Dr Lucy Carpenter, with co-investigators from the University of London. Katherine Venables said:
‘‘This is the first time that the long-term effects of participation by members of the armed forces in experimental tests at Porton Down has been studied. We aimed to include every veteran who participated in tests at Porton Down between the 1940s and the 1980s. This has enabled us to build as clear a picture as possible of the overall impact that taking part in tests at Porton Down has had on their long-term health.’’
Leigh Day partner Sapna Malik comments:
Whilst we welcome the publication of these reports we note that the studies did not focus on conditions such as eye problems, diseases of the nervous system, respiratory conditions. So although the study does contribute to the formation of a clear picture of the overall impact of the Porton Down tests on veteran’s long-term health we question whether a full picture has emerged from the studies.
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