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Sellafield organ removal inquiry Sellafield organ removal inquiry
(about 1 hour later)
An official inquiry has been launched into the removal of body tissue from 65 nuclear workers, Trade Secretary Alistair Darling has announced.An official inquiry has been launched into the removal of body tissue from 65 nuclear workers, Trade Secretary Alistair Darling has announced.
He confirmed that the majority of workers had been employed at Sellafield between 1962 and 1991. He confirmed most of workers had been employed at Sellafield, in Cumbria, between 1962 and 1991.
The inquiry would examine why the tissue was taken, whether next of kin were informed and if proper procedures were followed. The inquiry will ask why tissue was taken, whether next of kin were told and if proper procedures were followed.
Sellafield owner BNFL said tissue was taken for "legally correct" purposes. Sellafield's owners British Nuclear Group say tissue was taken for "legally correct" purposes.
Mr Darling appointed a lawyer, Michael Redfern QC, to lead an independent investigation into the claims. Mr Darling has appointed a lawyer, Michael Redfern QC, to lead an independent investigation into trade union claims permission was not sought to remove tissue, which included bones and body parts.
The GMB claims workers' body parts were removed for medical examination without the knowledge of families. We owe it to the families as well as to the general public to find out what happened and why Alistair DarlingTrade Secretary onClick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({storyId:6568009, fileLoc: '/player/nol/newsid_6560000/newsid_6568000/', nbwm: 1,bbram: 1,bbwm: 1,nbram: 1});return false;" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6560000/newsid_6568000?redirect=6568009.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1">Darling statement
These included tissue, bones and body parts removed without permission, it is claimed. In many the tissue was removed at the request of a coroner and was used to investigate the effects of radioactive material, said Mr Darling.
GMB national officer Gary Smith said: "Our chief concern is for the families of those who died during this period and the anguish they face. "This is clearly a difficult situation covering events that took place up to 45 years ago. Nonetheless, we owe it to the families as well as to the general public to find out what happened and why," Mr Darling told MPs.
'Limited' records
GMB union 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.""We need information from the company and we expect a quick reply to clarify what has happened."
Inquiry call Mr Darling told MPs records at BNFL, which formerly operated the site, showed six of the workers were from Aldermaston, one from a site at Capenhurst, in Cheshire,
A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said: "The prime concern is the feelings of the families. Other data - but not medical records - relates to a worker who had transferred from Sellafield from Springfield, Lancashire.
"There are clearly a number of matters that need investigating dating back to the 1960s." The rest worked at Sellafield.
The widow of a Sellafield worker told the BBC she had "suspicions" after her husband died in 1977. He described Sellafield's records as being of "limited nature".
"I put my head on his chest and I went into (like) a hollow. There did not seem to be anything there. I'm terribly upset and I hope there is going to be an inquiry," said the woman who wanted to be identified by her first name, Evelyn. "Because they are medical records which dealt with analysis carried out at Sellafield, they do not provide an audit trail which would show in every case who asked for such an examination, under what authority and for what purpose.
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 workers who had died from cancer. "Nor do they disclose whether or not the appropriate consent from next of kin was received."
The union said organs were removed from more than 60 workers at several BNFL sites, as well as workers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston. Destroyed
The organs were apparently examined to establish the cause of death - "but we cannot be sure of that because there is not an audit trail to establish that as a fact," Mr Darling said.
The tissue was destroyed in the analytical process, he said.
BNFL had told him the tissue samples no longer exist but "they are not certain at this stage what procedures were followed".
Of the samples, 23 were taken following a coroner's request, 33 after a post mortem, three were associated with legal proceedings and one was a biopsy from a living person.
In four cases there is no information about how the request came about.
Trade union Prospect, which represents workers at Sellafield, called for a public inquiry.
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.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.
'Historic issue'
General secretary Paul Noon said: "We don't want to rush to judgement but we do want the facts.General secretary Paul Noon said: "We don't want to rush to judgement 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.""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."
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.
Have you worked at the Sellafield nuclear plant? Have you, or anyone you know, been affected by the issues raised in this story?
"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."
Have you worked at the Sellafield nuclear plant? Have you, or anyone you know, been affected by the issues raised in this story?
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