Draft:Royal Marines asbestos exposure controversy

Royal Marines Asbestos Exposure Controversy

Background

In 2018 and 2019, Royal Marines participated in military exercises at Skrunda-1, an abandoned Soviet base in Latvia. These exercises, named Saber Strike 18 (SS18) and Baltic Protector 19 (BP19), involved urban warfare training in buildings later found that the MoD hierarchy knew to contain asbestos dust.

Skrunda-1 was taken over by the Latvian armed forces in 2016 and first used in military exercises in 2017 by NATO forces. In 2018 the Latvian military invited British Forces to use the training area.

The first known reports of asbestos in the building by forces outside of Latvia appear to have arisen from a report by ‘1 Royal Welsh Battle Group (1 R Welsh) as alluded to by the ‘Service Inquiry Report (1.4.50)’. Despite the MoD being aware of the risk Exercise SS18 took place in July exposing approximately 150 Royal Marines of Zulu Company 45 Commando with supporting units from the Canadian Armed Forces all operating in the contaminated dust.

The Canadian Armed Forces on becoming aware of the potential for the dust to contain asbestos conducted a post-SS18 asbestos survey of Skrunda-1 dated August 2018. The results found that levels of asbestos were considered so dangerous that all Canadian Armed forces were blocked from training in the contaminated buildings in the foreseeable future.

Following the positive asbestos report conducted by the Canadian Armed Forces of July 2018, in March 2019 the Royal Marines conducted a further assessment of Skrunda-1 identifying asbestos within the buildings on the training camp.

Regardless of the reports from ‘1 R Welsh’, the Canadian Armed Forces and the assessment conducted just weeks before the Royal Marines deployed approximately 200 service personnel from various British units to exercise in Skrunda-1 in June 2019 on exercise BP19.

After BP19 in July 2019, 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers, carried out a retrospective Environmental Industrial Hazards Assessment (EIH) that again confirmed the presence of asbestos in buildings at Skrunda-1 training camp.

In October 2019, Royal Marine Edward Hill took a sample of the dust he and others were asked to sleep in to Environmental Service (Exeter) where the test results proved positive for pure loose fibres of Chrysotile (white asbestos) of the kind found in insulation. Exeter Environmental Services concluded that the risk to health was 10/12 on an industry-standard risk matrix. 12 being the highest risk.

On 17 June 2021, an investigation into ‘the alleged exposure of UK defence personnel o asbestos during overseas exercises and training since 2018’ was conducted. Taking 1 year and 2 months to complete it was published on 18 August 2022. The investigation did not conduct an independent asbestos survey of Skrunda-1 and was therefore unable to confirm the presence of asbestos or the likelihood that anybody who trained there had been exposed. This was despite the University of Toronto publishing its findings by Maj Gary Johnston of the Canadian Armed Forces in November 2020. The BBC’s Rebecca Ricks later confirmed that asbestos had been found in 68% of dust samples taken from Skrunda-1. Maj Johnston’s survey of 2018 resulted in a ban on Canadian Armed Forces from training in Skrunda-1 camp.

During the Service Inquiry and while an ‘Urgent Safety Advice’ (USA) was in force, a warning was circulated to all UK military units. ‘A’ Company 2nd Battalion Lancashire Regiment failed to heed the advice and planned an exercise in Skrunda-1 due to start in October 2021 as part of Exercise Namejs 2021. The Service Inquiry panel became aware of the planned exercise and reissued the advice.

In June 2022, (2 months before the conclusion of the Service Inquiry) the Canadian ‘Deployable Health Hazard Assessment Team’ conducted a second asbestos survey of Skrunda-1 and found chrysotile asbestos in 20 of the 200 samples collected from the site. As a result, Canadian Armed Forces remain banned from training in the Skrunda-1 camp. (Ricks March 2023).

An MoD spokesperson said: "We take the health and safety of our service personnel and their families extremely seriously.

Exposure Incident

During these exercises, Marines were reportedly exposed to loose-fill asbestos, a highly hazardous form of the material. The exposure occurred while they were sleeping, eating, and working in derelict buildings at Skrunda-1. Edward Hill, a former Marine, collected samples from the site, which were later tested and confirmed to contain chrysotile asbestos.

Legal Action

In February 2024, a group of 260 Royal Marines filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence (MoD), claiming they were knowingly exposed to asbestos. The lawsuit alleges that the MoD breached the Human Rights Act by failing to protect the Marines from this hazardous substance. The case is being brought to the High Court, with the claimants seeking compensation for the exposure.

Health Concerns

The exposure to asbestos has raised significant health concerns among the affected Marines. Asbestos fibres, when inhaled, can cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. Marines reported finding dust in their hair, clothing, and sleeping bags, indicating widespread contamination.

Government Response

The MoD has stated that it takes the health and safety of its troops extremely seriously and had conducted a Service Inquiry into the alleged exposure. However, due to ongoing legal proceedings, the MoD has refrained from commenting further on the specific allegations.

Fundraising Efforts

Edward Hill, one of the former Marines leading the lawsuit, has initiated a crowdfunding campaign to cover legal fees.