Porton Down is a secretive research facility in England, established in 1915 for chemical warfare research. It has expanded to include nerve agents, biological agents, and riot control tactics. The lab uses animals for testing and has attracted controversy from the animal rights community. It also uses human volunteers in tests, sometimes in controversial ways.
Porton Down is a research facility located near Porton, England. It houses government and military research laboratories, which do largely top-secret work. The precise nature of the research and experiments at Porton Down is obscured by a veil of secrecy, and periodically the laboratory is the subject of controversy in Britain as a result of research and politics at the site.
This facility was established in 1915 for chemical warfare research, with a particular focus on mustard gas. After the conclusion of the First World War, Porton Down dwindled considerably, but in 1920 the government recognized the value of the research being carried out there and expanded its staff and facilities. During World War II, personnel worked on chemical warfare, learning about chemical weapons and devising methods of defense against them.
After the Second World War, research at Porton Down expanded to include nerve agents, biological agents and riot control tactics. Although the use of chemical weapons is prohibited by the treaty, the government believes the research still has value because it is important to know what other governments might be able to do. Porton Down staff also carry out a great deal of research into methods of coping with exposure to chemical weapons, including the development of antidotes, some of which are now standard issue for soldiers traveling to areas where suspect the use of chemical agents.
The laboratory facilities at Porton Down are of the highest quality and are also highly vetted, due to safety concerns. Scientists work with a variety of hazardous substances, so they must observe high-level laboratory protocol to prevent exposure and monitor themselves. Several Porton Down researchers have died mysteriously, possibly from exposure to dangerous substances, although the government has denied that these deaths were related to research at the facility.
This lab uses animals for testing, mainly mice, and has consequently attracted the attention of the animal rights community. Like other European laboratories, Porton Down is reducing the amount of animal testing it carries out in response to government mandates and public outcry. The lab has also used human volunteers in tests, sometimes in highly controversial ways, and several lawsuits involving human test subjects have been settled by the Porton Down team.
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