1990day.year
Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
Gruinard Island is declared anthrax-free after nearly half a century of government quarantine.
On April 24, 1990, the British government officially declared Gruinard Island free from the anthrax contamination that had persisted since World War II.
The island was used by the Ministry of Supply for biological warfare testing, leading to a 48-year quarantine.
Extensive decontamination efforts, including soil removal and formaldehyde spraying, were undertaken from the 1980s onward.
Scientific monitoring confirmed the elimination of Bacillus anthracis spores, allowing safe access to the island.
The end of the quarantine marked the successful collaboration between environmental scientists and government agencies.
Gruinard's restoration became a case study in handling hazardous site remediation and biological risk management.
Gruinard Island
anthrax
quarantine