Over 1,000 troops were intentionally excluded from an official government study regarding their exposure to radiation, raising concerns about the accuracy of the findings.
Scientists opted to omit the data while investigating the cancer rates among veterans who participated in nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War era.
The final report concluded that there was no evidence linking the deaths of these veterans to the weapon trials, attributing any cancers to random chance.
Decades later, an updated version of the research established a significant correlation between serving at nuclear test sites and subsequent mortality, although the direct connection between cancers and radiation exposure remains inconclusive.
Campaigners are now urging the Ministry of Defence to discontinue reliance on the discredited study, which faced criticism for alterations made to its conclusions by officials.
Alan Owen from the advocacy group LABRATS expressed skepticism towards the study, stating that it was based on flawed science that the MoD can no longer use to conceal its actions.
The revelation stems from a summary of dose records known as “the Blue Books,” which were kept as classified documents by the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
The Mirror obtained access to these records after a prolonged Freedom of Information battle, revealing that a significant number of servicemen were involved in the trials in Australia and the Pacific region.
While 6,053 individuals had recorded radiation doses, a portion of them, including 1,031, were later excluded from the government’s cancer and mortality study conducted in 1985.
Former RAF technician John Folkes, who participated in the atomic tests, recounted his experiences and expressed concerns about the removal of data related to radiation exposure from the study.
The Ministry of Defence defended the research methodology, citing rigorous verification processes and the exclusion of troops due to missing medical records from the NHS.
They clarified that the Blue Books served as a starting point for participant identification, with extensive efforts made to confirm records and eliminate inaccuracies.
