Roundup: British most top-secret lab unveiled

o mark the 100th anniversary of Britain's most top secret location, officials Monday lifted the lid on the defense science lab complex, Porton Down.

The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) uses cutting edge science and technology to counter threats to the public and the armed forces.

It includes research into the development of the latest generation of chemical and biological countermeasures.

Dstl chief executive Jonathan Lyle said Monday, "Dstl seeks to be open about the type of work that we do at Porton Down and at our other sites across the UK. However, for obvious reasons of national security, there are some aspects of our work that must remain secret.

"I am immensely proud of the work Dstl staff are doing to protect our armed forces and citizens. We are making a vital contribution to countering terrorism both at home and overseas."

Porton Down has issued a fact file to answer myths and misconceptions about its activities.

The lab carries out researches to ensure that Britain's military and wider public benefit from the latest technical and scientific developments.

"In the interests of national security much of this work is secret. Inevitably this has led to many myths and misconceptions springing up about Porton Down and the wider work carried out by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl),"said a spokesman.

Since the 1950s when Britain's chemical and biological weapons program closed, Porton Down has been active in developing effective countermeasures to the constantly evolving threat posed by chemical and biological weapons.

To help develop effective medical countermeasures and to test systems, Dstl produces very small quantities of chemical and biological agents. They are stored securely and disposed of safely when they are no longer required.

Safe and effective protective measures could not, says Dstl, be achieved without the use of animals, citing nerve agent pretreatments and a combo pen used when individuals show signs of exposure to nerve agent poisoning, as well as antibiotics used in the event of exposure to high threat biological agents such as plague and anthrax.

"All of these countermeasures are available for use by both the UK's military and wider civilian population."

."Dstl is committed to reducing the number of animal experiments, using less than half of one percent of the total number of animals used in experimentation in the UK," the lab said.

Since 1916, over 20,000 volunteers have taken part in studies at Porton Down, near Portsmouth, helping the development of highly effective protective clothing and medical countermeasures.

Each year small quantities of old chemical weapons are found in Britain. Dstl possesses the only licensed facility in Britain for the receipt, storage, breakdown and safe disposal of old chemical weapons.

Dstl says it currently has around 1,000 munitions in the process of being safely disposed of.

"We share our world leading expertise on the disposal of legacy weapons with other nations," added Dstl. Endit