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CAMPAIGNER SHOCKED AT LACK OF CARE

 
09:00 - 21 January 2003
 
 Liz Sigmund, a Cornwall-based campaigner against chemical warfare,
spoke of her shock at the discovery of the anthrax vaccine on a
Westcountry beach.

The former member of the independent group Working Party on Chemical and
Biological Weapons, said the find was "horrifying" and needed a thorough
investigation.

She said: "Anthrax is a very nasty disease which causes severe lesions
on the lungs and can kill very quickly.

"Two years ago anthrax was spread around America and a high-profile
politician died after being exposed to it.

"It started to be developed during the Second World War and then during
the Cold War when Western Europe and America feared the Russians were
producing it."

Mrs Sigmund said the discovery of the antidote washed ashore in Dorset
could "raise many questions which should be answered by those
responsible in the Government."

"I shall talk to my colleagues at the University of Leeds and Sussex
about the implications of this discovery. I cannot believe that this has
happened. It will certainly cause outrage with the general public. I
shall also speak with my MP and ask him to take this matter to the House
of Commons. It is a very serious incident."

The campaigner is mostly known for her stalwart attitude against
chemical poisoning from organophosphates which she believes can cause
severe brain damage.

She argued that patients suffering from chemical poisoning can
experience severe cognitive and behavioural problems and the symptoms
could be largely due to exposure to chemicals.