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| Porton Down victims awarded £3m | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to award £3m in compensation to 360 veterans of Cold War experiments at the Porton Down research centre. | |
| Defence minister Derek Twigg said: "The government sincerely apologises to those who may have been affected." | Defence minister Derek Twigg said: "The government sincerely apologises to those who may have been affected." |
| The money is "in full and final settlement" of claims and without admission of liability, Mr Twigg added. | The money is "in full and final settlement" of claims and without admission of liability, Mr Twigg added. |
| Many of those in the trials at the complex in Wiltshire thought they were finding a cure for the common cold. | |
| "The government accepts that there were aspects of the trials where there may have been shortcomings and, where, in particular, the life or health of participants may have been put at risk," Mr Twigg added. | "The government accepts that there were aspects of the trials where there may have been shortcomings and, where, in particular, the life or health of participants may have been put at risk," Mr Twigg added. |
| "The Ministry of Defence is grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK Armed Forces." | |
| The government owed a debt to all those who had taken part in the trials, a statement added. | |
| Many of the soldiers were given forms of the sarin nerve agent developed by the Nazis in World War II. | |
| Many say they have suffered a lifetime of ill-health, including skin diseases and psychological problems, as a result of their exposure to the gas. |