Room-spraying immunisation!

[Guest guest]

Room spraying was bio-attack plan

 

 

Scientists considered spraying the public with aerosols

Government scientists in the Cold War considered spraying civilians

inside closed rooms to immunise them against biological attack,

papers have shown.

They are among documents released by the National Archives in Kew,

London.

 

Papers reveal the idea was put forward in 1969 amid growing evidence

the UK was at risk of a biological attack.

 

Records of meetings show the Home Office asked MoD scientists to

develop methods of mass immunisation using aerosols in rooms and

public spaces.

 

While the government was reassuring correspondents there

were " considerable stocks " of respirators, this was only enough to

protect one in five of the population.

 

Defence spending

 

With civil defence spending being reduced, the government came up

with various ideas to vaccinate the population.

 

People sitting around would receive a sufficient dose of vaccine or

antibody to the appropriate disease

 

J.C Cotterill

 

The records show that other ideas included handing out mini-sprays

based on those used to deliver asthma drugs.

 

There were also hopes in the so-called " Open Air Factor " - a belief

that air pollution could combat biological attack by killing micro-

organisms.

 

The aerosol plan was listed for discussion at a Ministry of Defence

meeting in February 1969.

 

But minutes show that instead the meeting was dominated by

discussions on work to be done on detecting biological warfare

attacks.

 

JC Cotterill, of the Home Office, reported on a visit by officials to

the MoD's Microbiological Research Establishment (MRE) at Porton Down

in Wiltshire in September 1970.

 

His record of the visit suggested that the aerosol idea was still

being considered.

 

Medical experts

 

He wrote: " This approach would be to release an aerosol in a room and

people sitting around would receive a sufficient dose of vaccine or

antibody to the appropriate disease. "

 

However, his report also showed the spraying plan came up against

opposition from the MRE and medical experts who said dosages could

not be controlled by spraying in rooms.

 

In the visit to the MRE, the officials also learnt of different

tests.

 

In one experiment, scientists released a cloud laden with micro-

organisms off Portland Bill and measured how spores were able to get

into a building three miles down wind.

 

The spending on such research was dominated by the MoD. The Home

Office was also keen to be included, but could only offer £10,000 a

year for 1969-70 and 1970-71.