Judgement on Bangladesh case

5 July 2006

The House of Lords today dismissed an appeal by Mr Binod Sutradhar against the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The decision of the five Law Lords was unanimous.

Professor Alan Thorpe, Chief Executive of NERC said, "We welcome the outcome of today's hearing, although our sympathies remain, as always, with the millions of people of Bangladesh who are suffering as a result of the continuing problem of arsenic contamination of the groundwaters in their country."

"We are particularly pleased for the future of our scientific work in general. The House of Lords has confirmed that, inevitably, choices must be made in deciding what research to do and that scientists cannot be held responsible for the research they decide not to do."

Mr Sutradhar had alleged that NERC was negligent in its conduct and reporting of a pilot research study into the hydrochemistry of groundwaters, carried out in central and north-eastern Bangladesh in 1991 and reported on in 1992.

At the time, there was no evidence that arsenic was present in water-soluble form on alluvial plains such as those in Bangladesh and therefore the scientists did not test for it. Subsequently, it was found that groundwater in Bangladesh was contaminated and, tragically, millions of people continue to suffer as a result of drinking water containing unacceptably high levels of arsenic.

NERC's British Geological Survey will continue to play, as it has throughout this litigation and before, a full part in finding a scientific solution to this tragic problem.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. NERC's solicitors are Manches LLP of Oxford. For further information on legal points, contact Julie Bond on 01865 722106 or Simon White on 01865 813712.

2. The full judgement can be found on the United Kingdom Parliament website.

2. NERC is one of the UK's research councils. It uses a budget of about £350m a year to fund and carry out impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment. NERC trains the next generation of independent environmental scientists. It is addressing some of the key questions facing mankind such as global warming, renewable energy and sustainable economic development.

Judgement on Bangladesh case

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