Gruinard Island is a small Scottish island, located in Gruinard Bay, about halfway between Gairloch and Ullapool. In 1942, it was the site of a biological warfare test. Transport in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland... Gairloch is a small village on the shores of Loch Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. ... Ullapool is a small town in the County of Cromartyshire in the western Scottish Highlands. ... This article is about the year. ... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ...

At that time, there was an investigation by the British government into the feasibility of an attack using anthrax; either to test the vulnerability of Britain against a German attack, or the feasibility of such an attack against Germany. Eighty sheep were taken to the island, and a bomb filled with anthrax spores was exploded; the sheep began dying within days. The conclusion of the test was that a large scale release of spores could render a city unusable for decades: due to the durability of anthrax spores, decontamination was unsuccessful, and the island was quarantined, with no-one permitted to visit, other than an occasional check on the level of contamination. Quarantine, a medical term (from Italian: quaranta giorni, forty days) is the act of keeping people or animals separated for a period of time before, for instance, allowing them to enter another country. ...

Beginning in 1986, a determined effort was made to decontaminate the island, with 280 tonnes of formaldehyde solution diluted in seawater being sprayed over all 520 acres (2 km²) of the island, and the worst-contaminated topsoil around the dispersal site being removed. A flock of sheep was then placed on the island, and remained healthy, and on April 24, 1990, after 48 years of quarantine, the then junior defence minister Michael Neubert personally visited the island and removed the warning signs to announce its safety. As of January 2002, there have been no cases of anthrax in the island flock. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The chemical compound formaldehyde (also known as methanal), is a gas with a strong pungent smell. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... For the Temptations album, see 1990 (Temptations album) MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Sir Michael Neubert (born September 3, 1933) was Conservative MP for Romford from 1974 to 1997. ... January, from the Très riches heures du duc de Berry January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Island is mentioned by Frederick Forsyth in his novel " The Fist Of God "

External links

• Gruinard Island photo