Today’s release of the narrative report into medical records of veterans who took part in Britain’s nuclear testing programme, puts into the public domain for the first time, that the Ministry of Defence has either lost or can’t find the records sought by these veterans and their descendants. However, we cannot allow this to be a whitewash by the government from the toxic, multi-generational legacy of its nuclear weapons programme.
Britain conducted 45 nuclear detonations between 1952 and 1991. Of these tests, 21 were conducted independently between 1952 and 1958 at sites in Australia and islands in the Pacific. The remaining tests took place jointly with the US at the Nevada Test Site following the signing of the UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement in 1958. Over 20,000 British service personnel took part in the first wave of testing, during which they were exposed to harmful levels of toxic radiation.
In the decades since these tests, these veterans have experienced a much higher level of cancers and blood disorders than the rest of the population. Their partners have experienced higher rates of miscarriages, higher rates infant mortality, while children and descendants have had higher rates of birth defects and medical conditions.
Speaking on Newsnight on Tuesday, Steve Purse, son of test veteran David Purse, spoke about the impact of being born with health conditions which he believes was due to his father’s exposure to radiation, and why getting access to those records of blood and urine tests was so important:
“If these records were available to everybody, you’d be able to see their levels of exposure, then we could start equipping the NHS with ways to deal with these radiogenic illnesses. Because it’s not just the veterans themselves who were affected. I’ve been affected. My son has been affected. And this fallout between the generations is estimated to go on for 500 years. So, this is not a problem that is going to go away as we sadly lose the veterans. It’s getting bigger. People are having more children. If we can get the information about what they were exposed with and how much, we can get some research started and that will be crucial for years to come. Because the NHS needs to be geared up to deal with us because I suspect, there’s going to be more illnesses not fewer.”
We cannot allow the MoD to whitewash its responsibility. Andy Burnham, who has championed the nuclear veterans, needs to take action as Prime Minister to make sure that they and their families’ demands for justice are met – including compensation and the truth. Their horrendous experiences graphically show that nuclear weapons do not ‘protect’ us. Instead they leave a devastating toxic legacy. This is why the British government – instead of expanding and upgrading its nuclear weapons – should be scrapping them for good.