Scientist confirms nuclear tests on HK corpses

HONG KONG, China -- A U.K. scientist who led Cold War tests on nuclear fallout has confirmed that corpses from Hong Kong were used, local media reports.

Lawrence Kulp, a leader of Project Sunshine, was quoted in the South China Morning Post as saying that British scientists carried out tests on the corpes of babies, children and adults in Hong Kong, then a British colony.

U.S. scientists turned to Taiwan in their search for corpses, Kulp was quoted as saying, though the story did not specify whether any bodies were obtained there.

British newspapers reported last week that around 6,000 stillborn babies and dead infants had been sent to the U.S. and Britain from hospitals in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and South America over 15 years without the permission of parents.

Project Sunshine began in 1955 when University of Chicago doctor Willard Libby -- who was later awarded a Nobel prize for his research into carbon dating -- appealed for bodies, preferably stillborn or newly-born babies, to test the impact of atomic fallout, the reports said.

The project aimed to measure Strontium 90 released in atmospheric nuclear tests. Kulp later led the project which he said was not a government project, the Post reported.

Access to China

Hong Kong was a British colony for more than 150 years before being handed back to mainland China in mid-1997.

Kulp was quoted as saying that Project Sunshine had been organized on a "doctor to doctor" basis and that it had drawn the participation of British scientists.

Britain turned to Hong Kong because neither they nor the Americans had access to the "Red" China to study irradiation.

He dismissed charges that the use of bone samples from cremated dead babies was immoral and unethical.

"What's unethical about chemically analysing ash? There was a huge benefit for mankind," he was quoted as saying, noting that their findings led to the 1963 world treaty banning atmospheric tests.

The Hong Kong Health Bureau has said it is looking into the use of local bodies in project.

Health officials were not available for further comment on Sunday.

Australian officials on Thursday confirmed that cremated bones from some Australian babies, children and adults had been shipped to the U.S. and Britain to test for fallout from nuclear tests.

Reuters contributed to this report.