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by PAUL LASHMAR

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CLAIMS that British ser- and the Maralinga test range
vicemen. have died and in Australia.
Dr Srewart’s figures have
suffered illnesses from be-

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lear tests in the 1950s and
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to substantial doses of radiatien.

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from names

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letters

from former servicemen wrillen to BBC Nationwide and
THE OBSERVER.
A second letter in yesterday’s Lancet from a group af

seven eminent doctors and
professors, all experts on
radiation and its effects, supports Dr Stewart’s dara and
calls for a full independent
inquiry.
One of the group, Dr Jack
Fielding,
Honorary
Conant Haematologrst
at
St
Mary’s Hospital, Paddingtan,
described Dr Stewart's gures as ‘amazing and unex-

pected.”

°

In a. ferver to the medical
He said vesterdav: ‘It is
journal, the Lencet. pub- clear that tne sample of 330

lished: yesterday, Dr Stewart are self-selecting but Dr Stewal that statistically she art has already found a much
weuld have expected only 17 greater incident of cancer of
deaths from these cancers in the
blood-forming
organs
|
:
the entire batch of 8.000 men than you would expect from
t
:
;
|1 who served op Christmas the entire sample of 8,000
Island: ..
men.’
.
{
& group of British nuclear
Dr Fielding:is certain that
5 test veterans has formed an many of the men have been
q association to fight for com- exposed to radiation. ‘ What
;
i pensation for men and the is also striking is the amount
relatives of men who they of additional evidence from
{ say suffered as a result of the data that many of the men
have been expesed to radiabeing at the tests.
»
|
Py
-So far, the Ministry of tion. If you include those who
“Y
eo.
Defence has maintained that died of other causes but had
1
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mo one suffered from the cancers like leukaemia and
suffering from these cancers
Lo
I tests and has refused to pay like leukaemia and incluce
pensions to men who claim
~
cf
y have suffered illnesses men still alive burt suffer! *:
these cancers you
‘1
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t
being
exposed
to from
48 cases—15 per cent of te
'{
|\ radiation. The ministry says sample.
-¥
that. safety rules at the tests
:
‘Ten of the sample have
were. ‘stringently observed.’
cataracts, whch in men of
Im January,- three days these ages are rare except for
7
| after a-front-page article in those exposed to radiation.’
rt:Tae
Osserver highlighting
The seven doctors and
‘the plight of the veterans, professors want the ministhe. - Ministry of Defence ury’s survey to be turned
announced it would organise over to an independent body
@ mortality survey of- the and extended 10 cover ser312,000 servicemen who had vwicerpen who are Jiving and
been at the tests at Monte ‘To test the sons and daughtBello and Christmas Island ers of veterans.
,

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aemia, has a high incident
rate among people exposed

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cancer,-which urcludes jeuk-

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died of cance of the biloodforming organs. This kind of

|

ative'

‘Dr Alice Stewart, of tre
Umiversiry of Birmingham,
has established that 27 men
fram a sample of 330 veterans
of aromic tests an Chrismas

Island in che Jate 1950s have’

en
.
'
*

camcer expert

compiled

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