The main aims of the BSSRS was to raise awareness of the social responsibilities of scientists, the political aspects of science and technology, and to create an informed public.
The organisation was concerned with the misuse of science and technological innovation and the impact on the environment, both for the health of workers and wider society.
[1] BSSRS was formed in 1968 in opposition to university research on chemical and biological weapons, and supported by 83 distinguished scientists, including William Bragg, Francis Crick, Julian Huxley and Bertrand Russell.
BSSRS also garnered attention through letters from its members to national newspapers and increasingly coverage in science publications such as New Scientist and Nature.
[5] BSSRS had close connections to other organisations such as The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Scientists against the Bomb and Radical Statistics.
[3] From the investigation of the use of CS gas in 1969, BSSRS developed a strong interest in Northern Ireland and the other "methods used to contain separatist protests", such as rubber bullets and water cannon and "interrogation in depth".
BSSRS worked with residents to carry out a survey into the smell, which in turn developed press coverage which led to Battersea council health committee investigating one of the local factories (Garton Sons and Co, a glucose manufacturer).