All news on this page courtesy of the The Telegraph Newspaper, London, UK

Thursday 12 December 1996

Army knew of pesticide use in Gulf months ago

By Tim Butcher, Defence Correspondent

SENIOR Army medics knew about the exposure of British troops in the Gulf to harmful pesticides months before it was admitted publicly by Government ministers, according to a document made public yesterday.

The disclosure was expected to reignite the row concerning so-called Gulf War Syndrome after the over the issue. The document, entitled "Briefing Note for Researchers: Number 3" and dated July 19 this year, was sent by a lieutenant-colonel from the MoD's Defence Medical Services Directorate to a member of the public after an inquiry.

"Pesticides, including a wide range of organophosphate compounds, were extensively used by British personnel during Operation Granby [The British military operation in the Gulf]," the document said. "They were handled and applied by environmental health personnel so the risk of toxicity to the general population was low."

The document listed various organophosphate pesticides that were used such as diazinon, azamethiphos, malathion, fenitrothion. They have varying degrees of toxicity depending on use. "The handling and application of pesticides was restricted to environmental health personnel," it said. "However, as they were widely applied, all personnel in theatre will have been in contact to a lesser degree."

Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, told the Commons Defence Select Committee it was a "disgrace" that the Government was still saying British troops were not exposed to organophosphates when the document made clear MoD experts knew this to be not true. It was not until October that Mr Soames publicly announced British troops were exposed to organophosphates, after more than two years of regular statements to the contrary. "It is a disgrace that a letter is sent to a member of the public . . . with information that is not given to ministers until a month later," Mr Campbell said.

c Telegraph Group Limited 1996.