Publications 1997

107 - Gulf War Illnesses (pdf 43KB)
Four page report summary, December 1997
Since the 1991 Gulf War, many UK and US veterans have complained of a range of debilitating symptoms which they attribute to the after-effects of service in the Gulf. This has led to a substantial research effort on both sides of the Atlantic to try and determine the extent of such illnesses and whether they can be related to Gulf service. The POST report analyses this work, what conclusions can be drawn from it, and how soon the remaining uncertainties can be expected to narrow, if at all.

106 - Radioactive Waste - Where Next? (pdf 49KB)
Four page report summary, November 1997
After the refusal of planning permission for a key stage towards a deep radioactive waste repository, the £500 million programme by Nirex for the UK's waste is back to square one. This report explores the origins of radioactive waste, how it is regulated, the management and disposal options, and most critically, how such an important national priority went so badly wrong. The report also asks where do we go from here and reaches some uncomfortable conclusions over the prospect of making progress in the future.

105 - Vitamin B6 (pdf 45KB)
Four page POSTnote, November 1997
Proposals by the Government to restrict access to high dosage vitamin B6 supplements are encountering fierce opposition on a number of grounds€”principle as well as detail. This note explores what is behind the issue, whether dietary supplements should be regulated and if so, the basis on which safe upper limits should be set.

104 - Safer Eating (pdf 58KB)
Four page report summary, October 1997
Food safety has been an increasing focus of parliamentary and public debate, with the Pennington Group inquiry on E. coli O157, concerns over rising levels of food poisoning in general, standards of hygiene in abattoirs etc., as well as the debate over the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its remit. An important part of this debate concerns bacterial food poisoning, which POST has just reviewed. This note summarises the full report and its findings.

103 - BSE and CJD Update (pdf 74KB)
Eight page report, October 1997
Since a new form of human CJD emerged with its postulated link with BSE, the pace of scientific enquiry has intensified €”both in terms of understanding the passage of BSE into and between cattle, and in assessing the risks of BSE being transmitted to people. As a consequence, some uncertainties have narrowed. This note reviews the current state of knowledge on both BSE transmission in cattle and the occurrence of new variant CJD in humans.

102 - Ozone Layer Depletion and Health (pdf 50KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 1997
This note discusses the latest evidence on ozone depletion and UVR levels in the UK, their health implications and related issues.

101 - Bacterial Food Poisoning (pdf 58KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 1997
POST is preparing a report on bacterial food poisoning, the underlying causes, and the research and regulatory issues that arise. The report will be available in October 1997, but this interim briefing highlights some of the key trends and questions raised.

100 - Global Warming: Meeting New Targets (pdf 56KB)
Four page POSTnote, July 1997
This note examines the implications of the new Government's target to cut the UK's CO2 emissions by 20 per cent. by the Year 2010. Issues arising for the Kyoto Climate Conference in December 1997 are discussed, as well as for UK policies in areas such as energy, transport and industry.

99 - Striking a Balance - The Future of Research Dual Support in Higher Education (pdf 52KB)
Four page POST report summary, June 1997
Universities have been very successful at winning research customers (now worth £1.7 billion or more annually). This has, however, been at the expense of infrastructure investment, and there is a growing sense that things cannot go on as they are. Key to resolving this is to understand the old 'Dual Support' system, where it has gone wrong and what can be done about it.

98 - The Millennium Threat - an Update (pdf 48KB)
Four page POSTnote, June 1997
Many computer systems may fail in transition to the Year 2000, because of the way they store and manipulate dates. Initiatives to address this problem in the public and private sectors have grown in the last year, but much remains to be done. This note updates evidence on the potential scale of the 'date change problem' and the issues raised.

97 - Science Shaping the Future? - Technology Foresight and its Impacts (pdf 44KB)
Four page POST report summary, June 1997
This report is a review of the Technology Foresight Programme, its impacts and options for the Foresight Programme from 1997 onwards.

96 - Getting Opinion Polls 'Right' (pdf 65KB)
Four page POSTnote, March 1997
With the approaching UK general election, increasing attention is being given to opinion polls, which performed rather poorly in the last election. This note looks at what has been done since then to improve the accuracy of polls and their ability to predict voter behaviour.

95 - Ecstasy: Recent Science (pdf 29KB)
Two page POSTnote, March 1997
Recently some results of studies on the effects of Ecstasy on humans have started to shed light on the likely impacts of chronic use of the drug. There is now evidence that it does affect mood over the longer term (causing depression) and may also affect cognitive performance.

94 - Fetal Awareness (pdf 73KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 1997
There is concern in some parts of the British Parliament on the possibility that fetuses may feel pain, particularly in the context of abortion. This note summarises the basic biological development of the growing fetus, and the different views as to when it may be capable of awareness and feeling pain.

93 - Fraud and Computer Data Matching (pdf 49KB)
Four page POSTnote, February 1997
Technical advances in computers and telecommunications allow targeting in marketing and can also help combat fraud. This raises questions of compatibility with current data protection legislation which have resonated in Parliament. This note analyses these trends, including data matching, and the policy issues raised.

92 - Treating Problem Behaviour in Young Children (pdf 86KB)
Eight page report, February 1997
Ritalin is in the headlines as a way of calming down disruptive young schoolchildren. What is behind this, and is it justified to use medicine to treat behaviour?

91 - Sustainable Development - Theory and Practice (pdf 49KB)
Four page POSTnote, January 1997
The six members of the European Parliamentary Technology Association held a meeting recently to compare experience at looking at issues of sustainability. This note summarises some of the findings which suggest that real sustainability will require basic changes in the way we run our affairs.

90 - Tunnel Vision - the future role of tunnels in transport infrastructure (pdf 47KB)
Four page POST report summary, January 1997
This report asks why tunnels are not used more in sensitive schemes such as Twyford Down, examines the contribution of technological advances to cost reduction, and how the advantages of tunnels are effectively left out of the cost-benefit equation.