Newsgroups: sci.military
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: Mr David Morning <dam@cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: unconventional terror tactics (Iraq)
Organization: Comp Sci, Glasgow Univ, Scotland
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 90 02:26:51 GMT
Approved: military@att.att.com
Message-ID: <1990Nov1.022651.9092@cbnews.att.com>
Keywords: anthrax, survivability
References: <1990Oct15.033902.13042@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct19.032534.12635@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct30.051016.5118@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Lines: 23



From: Mr David Morning <dam@cs.glasgow.ac.uk>

In article <1990Oct30.051016.5118@cbnews.att.com> howard@cos.com (Howard C. Berkowitz) writes:
>
>There was an Allied test of anthrax (called Agent N) in approximately
>1942 on one of the uninhabited Scottish isles (Surtsey?).  At least

The island involved was Gruinard Island about a mile off the west coast of Scotland. Some sheep were left on the island to test the effect. It killed everythingSubsequent to this many attempts were made to disinfect the Island including burning it and removing about 3" of topsoil from the entire island but to no avail.
The island was marked on OS maps as "DANGER ZONE" for years and tests were
carried out to check on the anthrax spores. They were still there in the early
70's but interestingly the rabbit population had become immune to the anthrax
by then. A full scale attempt to clear the island of anthrax was made in the
early 80s. This involved pouring ZILLIONS of gallons of formaldehyde all over the island. It was finally given a clean(?) bill of health in 1988 and sold to a 
trust who are now trying to decide what to do with it. I spent this summer up that way. It's a real pretty island with a nice quite beach on the mainland
facing it. I went on the beach but I didn't fancy going over to the island.
(Would you?????)

Dave (the Pict) Morning



