Probe into Sellafield 'body parts tests'

Alistair Darling will address the UK's House of Commons today over claims that nuclear workers who died in the 1960s and 70s had body parts removed without their families’ knowledge.

The Trade and Industry Secretary is to appoint a leading QC to head up an independent investigation into the issue.

It follows calls for an inquiry by the GMB, who said it had learned that the workers’ body parts had been removed for medical examination.

The union said up to 70 people who worked at the Sellafield plant in Cumbria may have had tissue, bones and body parts removed without permission.

National officer Gary Smith said: “Our chief concern is for the families of those who died during this period and the anguish they face.

“We need information from the company and we expect a quick reply to clarify what has happened.”

A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: “The prime concern is the feelings of the families.

“There are clearly a number of matters that need investigating dating back to the 1960s.”

Prospect, which represents workers at Sellafield also called for a public inquiry after claiming that from the early 1960s until the early 1990s vital organs were removed from the bodies of former Sellafield workers who had died from cancer, apparently without the consent of their families.

The union said organs were removed from more than 60 workers at several BNFL sites as well as the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston.

The union expressed “alarm” at the distress caused to families of former workers.

In a letter to BNFL it said the only way to counter concerns was for the company to clarify its policies and actions at an independent public inquiry.

General secretary Paul Noon said: “We don’t want to rush to judgment but we do want the facts.

“Removal of organs from deceased radiation workers without consent would be ethically, morally and possibly legally wrong. Whatever the motives it should not have happened.”

Mr Noon said there should be an independent inquiry, and the issue treated in an “open and transparent way” to protect the interests of the affected families and employees across the nuclear industry.“

A spokesman for BNFL said: “This is an historic issue not a current one, however our prime concern is the feelings of the families of those involved.

“The sampling of autopsy material began in the 1960s and ceased in the early 1990s. Files exist at Sellafield for 65 cases. An examination of the data has shown that in 56 of those cases the sampling was done associated with coroners’ post-mortems or inquests.

“In five other cases it was done under instruction from other legally correct bases, such as family solicitors.

“For the remaining four cases there is no record of instruction or consent on file although this does not mean that appropriate requests were not made.

“The subject of sampling autopsy material came about at the present time because of a request to re-examine the historic research data to support new studies.

“That request was made by the Westlakes Research Institute to the Westlakes/NDA Research Governance Group and this is being considered by that group, the company and the unions. We are aware of work carried out by and published by other organisations.

“Tissue samples waiting to be analysed were stored appropriately, on occasions for several months, however the samples were destroyed by the actual analysis process.

“There is no tissue stored on site today and the practice of taking samples for radiological analysis ceased in 1992.

“We will consider with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority any information we have and will discuss with other interested parties in order to agree a way forward.”