Chemical weapon and radiation fear at Scottish RAF base

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) may have sold off land contaminated with chemical weapons and radioactive material buried at an RAF base in North-East Scotland, according to reports. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is already investigating radioactive contamination at RAF Kinloss, believed to be from Second World War aircraft coated in radium and buried at the site. It has now emerged that sulphur mustard chemical weapons, which can cause severe burns and cancer, may also be buried at the site. The risk was highlighted in a land assessment report from 2004 and obtained recently by BBC Scotland. Some of this contaminated land may have been sold off to communities living close to RAF Kinloss. The MOD currently insists its investigations had so far revealed 'no indication of significant risk to public health'. The Scottish Environment Minister Richard Lochhead has called for a quick and transparent investigation into any possible contamination.