|
Trust sells skin to Porton Down NHS patients not told of chemical weapons tests Jeevan Vasagar Saturday February 10, 2001 Chemical weapons were tested on human skin removed from NHS plastic surgery patients without their knowledge, a hospital admitted yesterday. The skin, which was removed during breast and abdominal surgery at Salisbury district hospital, was used by scientists at the nearby Porton Down chemical warfare facility to test how human tissue was damaged by corrosive chemicals. It was also used to investigate how drugs could be injected through the skin, and to develop barrier creams to protect against chemical attack. Consent forms signed by patients said the skin would be used for "medical research" without explaining that it was being used by the defence evaluation and research agency (Dera) which runs the facilities on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. Skin removed during the normal course of surgery was sold to military researchers for an annual fee of £17,000. The practice began in 1995 and was stopped two weeks ago in the wake of the Alder Hey report. The hospital said it recognised some patients might object to their skin being used for defence experiments, and offered apologies. But Salisbury community health council, which represents patients' interests, said it was surprised to learn of the sale of body parts. Chief officer Mark Woodcock said: "Patients will understandably be extremely distressed to hear of this news. "The CHC believes that the trust needs to provide answers to the following questions: "First, who in the trust in May 1995 authorised the trust to sell body parts to Porton Down? "Second, why did the trust continue to sell after public awareness of problems at Alder Hey first occurred in November 1999?" A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman, speaking on behalf of Dera, confirmed the skin was used in chemical warfare tests. "Some of the tests were to find out how the skin absorbs chemicals that might be used to attack our armed forces. But they were solely for defence purposes - we stopped developing chemicals for attack at Porton Down in the 1950s. "Most of the chemical tests done were for the benefit of civilians. They were with corrosive chemicals that are used in the home and work place, to see how the skin would be affected by a spillage." A hospital spokesman said it was calling a halt to the process until it obtained further guidance from the Department of Health. The money it received from the Dera went back into patient care. No complaints had been received from patients yesterday. Left-over skin was also used by the hospital to investigate wound healing and the preparation of artificial skin, as well as the treatment of burn wounds. The hospital trust said in a statement: "The trust had thought it appropriate for patients' consent to be sought for the use of surplus skin in all forms of medical research through a consent form. "The trust now recognises that this did not inform patients of the specific use of the skin and that some individuals may not have wished for the skin to be used by Dera and offers its sincere apologies for this." The shadow health secretary, Liam Fox said: "This simply reinforces the need to have rigorous regulations in place to ensure proper informed consent for all patients. "One of the points I made in the aftermath of Alder Hey was that patients should be clearly informed of the purposes for which organs and tissues would be used." |
|
Menu |
|
Home |