FISSIONLINE Issue 64
INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF NUCLEAR VETERANS AND CHILDREN
BREAKING NEWS
EXCLUSIVE
THE LINK Brunel scientists discover genetic link between A-Bomb tests and damaged babies born to nuclear veterans
July 2022
FISSIONLINE When I first broke the story of the 'Atom Bomb Kids' back in 1984 I was branded "a mischievous reporter".. I was accused in parliament of "causing unnecessary alarm" for reporting that scores of deformed babies had been born to servicemen who witnessed nuclear bomb tests. Well it's taken forty years, but The Brunel University findings that the DNA of a significant number of children of nuclear veterans were damaged by radiation proves that the story was right all along. This is the solid scientific evidence successive governments have been demanding before they would act. Margaret Thatcher said in 1989 letter that the "government would be willing to pay compensation if there was firm evidence..." Well now there is evidence and It's up to Boris Johnson to deliver on that pledge. It is now sadly too late for most of the nuclear veterans. But their grieving widows must be awarded pensions immediately. The children of those veterans who have passed must also be compensated. Their desperate plight has been shamefully ignored by governments too terrified to face the truth. This historic stain on Britain must be cleansed. The government must now act. There can be no more excuses. ALAN RIMMER EDITOR
A-BOMB KIDS SENSATION: MAJOR REPORT FINDS LINK BETWEEN BIRTH DEFECTS AND RADIATION EXPOSURE. A SENSATIONAL study by a major university has uncovered a "statistically significant" link between sick children and their nuclear veteran fathers. Geneticists at Brunel University carried out a three year study into the health of 49 families of ex-servicemen who witnessed British nuclear bomb of the 1950s and 60s. Initial findings of the study, the first of its kind looking into whether there is a genetic legacy associated with being a UK nuclear test veteran are reported in a paper published today in the Journal of Radiological Protection. Statistically significant differences between the test and control veterans have been found, including a higher proportion of nuclear test veterans who said that at least one of their children or grandchildren had been born with a congenital anomaly, such heart and limb defects. And the study also showed a higher proportion than the control veterans who reported chemical or radiation exposure through their jobs, such as nuclear power
workers. The bombshell results will send shock waves througout the world as the implications of the study become clearer. Never before has a major study reached such a controversial conclusion. Governments may now have to rethink their whole nuclear power strategy. The full Brunel findings are due to be released later this year to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Britain's first atomic bomb explosion, codenamed Operation Hurricane, on October 3rd, 1952. The study does point out that nuclear test veterans may have been more likely to take part if they thought their family had been adversely affected, whereas other servicemen may have been more likely to participate if they were concerned about their chemical or radiation exposures. “These are unique families whose contribution has enabled our study team to carry out genetic studies, for which we and the community are grateful,” said Dr Rhona Anderson, radiation biologist of
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN RIMMER
Brunel University, London. The 49 nuclear test veterans in the study were selected from those of the original cohort of more than 20,000 who were present at the sites, including Christmas Island and the Australian outback, where the UK tested nuclear weapons in the 1950s and 60s. The study also included, for comparison purposes, a matched control group of 42 veterans of similar age and military service profile who hadn’t been at test sites. Researchers admitted selecting veterans for invitation to the study was a complex task because available records were limited. “When the tests were conducted, not all veterans were issued with film badges to record how much radiation, if any, they were exposed to,” said Dr Anderson, the radiation biologist from Brunel University London who led the study, which was supported by the Nuclear Community Charity Fund (NCCF). “Very few nuclear test veterans have any recorded information on dose. So the study was designed to invite test veterans to participate based on their potential for radiation exposure, such as the
number of test sites attended and various high-risk roles undertaken at the time.” Because the study is looking into whether any potential genetic changes are present in children as a result of their father’s historical exposure to ionising radiation, the researchers needed blood samples
from family trios: the father, the mother and their surviving biological child conceived soonest after the father returned from nuclear test sites. To comply with data protection law, participants were invited through their GPs in a multi-step recruitment process. “Recruitment to the study was a challenge,” said Dr Anderson. “Overall, 14% of invited nuclear test veteran families and 4% of invited control families took part. This low response rate was anticipated due to the advanced age of veterans and the need to recruit complete family trios, but
this may have resulted in bias related to reasons to participate, for both test and control groups, such as concerns about their health or that of family members.” Further genetic analysis work will be reported on in papers published later this year. The Genetic and Cytogenetic Family Trio study at Brunel University London, also involves the University of Leicester and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The interim findings by Christine Rake, Clare Gilham, Martin Scholze, Laurette Bukasa, Jade Stephens, Jayne Simpson, Julian Peto and Rhona Anderson, is published in the Journal of Radiological Protection. NIgel Heaps for the Nuclear Community Charity Fund said: "The implications for this are still sinking in. I am heartened by these results which are a vindication of what nuclear veterans have been claiming for decades. If this study had been carried out 30 yearsd ago we wouldn't have had any need to fight all these years." Ken McGinley, President of the Nuclear Tests Veterans Association said: "Successive British governmements have demanded proof of our claims....well now they have it. There must be no more excuses. Britain's nuclear veterans must be given the justice they deserve."