BBC West Inside Out The Spraying of Bristol.wmv

Описание: This clip from the first series of BBC West Inside Out broadcasts contains a reconstruction of one of CDEE Porton Down's most dangerous Large Area Coverage (LAC) BW experiments ever conducted in populated areas of the UK.
At 10:45 on 01 February 1961, a specially converted Land Rover, carrying scientist from the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment Porton Down, left Ilchester and travelled north at a steady 22 mph. With good reason the Porton scientists wore protective equipment (Respirators, white combination overalls, rubber boots, thick neoprene elbow-length gloves,and surgeons caps) as they knew that they were about to spray populated areas of south-western England with large quantities of a breathable hazardous material - Zinc Cadmium sulphide (ZnCds).
By 11:33 the Land Rover had passed through the village of Wedmore, continuously spraying the ZnCds particles as it travelled ever northwards.
By 12:18 it had reached Bishopsworth and while most people were on a lunch-break the Land Rover passed through the centre of Bristol, still disseminating its hazardous cargo. By 13:12 the spray vehicle reached its final destination - the village of Newport, many miles north of Bristol. The resulting massive cadmium compound aerosol was carried eastwards across southern England, and sampled by mobile teams of Porton scientists at distances of 13 km, 40 km and 75 km.
As one might imagine, those living close to the route travelled by Porton's Land Rover, or those travelling in close proximity of the spray vehicle, would have been significantly exposed to a hazardous material specifically designed to mimic the physical properties of a real Biological Warfare agent. The ZnCds particles were designed to be of the same size as a real BW agent - between 1-5 microns. This size enabled the particles to evade the body's natural defences and penetrate the deepest part of the lungs - the alvioli.
(source - Porton Note No 218, declassified 2001)
The clip also concerns the stories of a number of members of the Armed Forces, who were subjected to various chemical warfare experiments at Porton Down, including exposure to nerve agents. Among the interviewees is the investigative journalist Rob Evans, author of the definitive book about Porton Downs past history of human experimentation, entitled - Gassed