Millions of people in the UK were in germ war tests
December 23, 2014 1:37 PM Subscribe
Guardian: The Ministry of Defence turned large parts of the country into a giant laboratory to conduct a series of secret germ warfare tests on the public.
A government report just released provides for the first time a comprehensive official history of Britain's biological weapons trials between 1940 and 1979. (This is an old article but didn't show up on preview.)
'inquisitive inquirer'
What a strangely strange thing to say
posted by Hoopo at 2:12 PM on December 23, 2014
What a strangely strange thing to say
posted by Hoopo at 2:12 PM on December 23, 2014
Lovely. Not that the parallels are quite the same, but it does bring up to mind this scene from V for Vendetta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrfm7y5nL30
posted by dealing away at 2:18 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by dealing away at 2:18 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
There's the Hanford Downwinders in Washington State and southeastern British Columbia.
posted by Nevin at 2:30 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Nevin at 2:30 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
'The results from these trials_ will save lives, should the country or our forces face an attack by chemical and biological weapons.'Oh, well, you know. I feel so much better now. THANKS!
Asked whether such tests are still being carried out, she said: 'It is not our policy to discuss ongoing research.'
not. :-(
Yes, I realize the article is more than 10 years old.
posted by Michele in California at 2:48 PM on December 23, 2014
time to revisit mad cow disease theories?
posted by Fupped Duck at 3:25 PM on December 23, 2014
posted by Fupped Duck at 3:25 PM on December 23, 2014
The jury is kind of in on this.
Oh, that's fucking great. Give the chemtrails loonies more ammunition. NOT HELPING.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:08 PM on December 23, 2014
Oh, that's fucking great. Give the chemtrails loonies more ammunition. NOT HELPING.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:08 PM on December 23, 2014
The jury is kind of in on this.
According to the Guardian story, it wasn't just spraying cadmium around. Small amounts of biological agents were also used, and theoretically at least could have harmed people with respiratory problems.
I'm not sure what the chemtrails people have to do with anything. They are harmless and can be ignored completely.
posted by Nevin at 4:12 PM on December 23, 2014
According to the Guardian story, it wasn't just spraying cadmium around. Small amounts of biological agents were also used, and theoretically at least could have harmed people with respiratory problems.
I'm not sure what the chemtrails people have to do with anything. They are harmless and can be ignored completely.
posted by Nevin at 4:12 PM on December 23, 2014
''No one should ever have been subjected to these tests,'' Senator Wellstone said
I think this is the key part, whether or not the tests caused any damage, running them on the public without their knowledge isn't acceptable regardless of their intent to protect and serve.
posted by arcticseal at 4:13 PM on December 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
I think this is the key part, whether or not the tests caused any damage, running them on the public without their knowledge isn't acceptable regardless of their intent to protect and serve.
posted by arcticseal at 4:13 PM on December 23, 2014 [4 favorites]
Yes, why hasn't the British medical association come down on the doctors who were involved?
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:38 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:38 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
ISTR watching a documentary that mentioned that similar experiments were conducted over large parts of the USA. Criminal! (In both cases, that is.)
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:02 PM on December 23, 2014
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:02 PM on December 23, 2014
Off hand, was that the aerosol tests done on NYC subways?
Not sure if it is criminal to release air and its proscribed( harmless)chemical marker or not but it is unsettling.
"Yes, why hasn't the British medical association come down on the doctors who were involved?"
All dead of lung cancer I would imagine. Ever try a Dunhill?
posted by clavdivs at 10:32 PM on December 23, 2014
Not sure if it is criminal to release air and its proscribed( harmless)chemical marker or not but it is unsettling.
"Yes, why hasn't the British medical association come down on the doctors who were involved?"
All dead of lung cancer I would imagine. Ever try a Dunhill?
posted by clavdivs at 10:32 PM on December 23, 2014
Joe in Australia: "Yes, why hasn't the British medical association come down on the doctors who were involved?"
The BMA is a union representing doctors. It's the General Medical Council that maintains the medical register and determines fitness to practice.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 5:54 AM on December 24, 2014
The BMA is a union representing doctors. It's the General Medical Council that maintains the medical register and determines fitness to practice.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 5:54 AM on December 24, 2014
clavdivs: "Off hand, was that the aerosol tests done on NYC subways?"
The program mentioned that, but I remember it mostly talked about spraying "harmless" biological agents at high altitude over the western US that would then be carried by the winds to land east of there. Some made it all the way to the east coast.
I wish I could recall the specific agents. The program mentioned that is was determined later that the stuff that was sprayed could harm certain segments of the population. Pretty disturbing stuff, IMHO.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 3:13 PM on December 24, 2014
The program mentioned that, but I remember it mostly talked about spraying "harmless" biological agents at high altitude over the western US that would then be carried by the winds to land east of there. Some made it all the way to the east coast.
I wish I could recall the specific agents. The program mentioned that is was determined later that the stuff that was sprayed could harm certain segments of the population. Pretty disturbing stuff, IMHO.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 3:13 PM on December 24, 2014
FFS.
posted by homunculus at 4:07 PM on December 25, 2014
posted by homunculus at 4:07 PM on December 25, 2014
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/weapon-secret-testing/
Is this the program? The liner notes are good.
posted by clavdivs at 9:24 PM on December 26, 2014
Is this the program? The liner notes are good.
posted by clavdivs at 9:24 PM on December 26, 2014
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