Depleted uranium test-firing resumes

LONDON, England -- New test firing of depleted uranium shells has begun for the first time since the ammunition sparked cancer fears across Europe.

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Tuesday's planned testing at Dundrennan in south-west Scotland was routine and posed no health hazard.

But campaigners have described the move as "unacceptable" and claim their environment would be polluted.

Controversy over the use of depleted uranium (DU) weapons used by NATO in the Balkans in 1999 erupted after reports from Italy claimed six soldiers had died of leukaemia.

Cases of cancer were also reported among soldiers from France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Portugal and widespread screening programmes have taken place.

REFERENCE Balkans Syndrome   •  Uranium facts   •  Search for truth   •  Depleted uranium effects   •  Q&A: NATO fears   •  Cause for doubt   •  Cancer, leukaemia reports   •  What they say   •  In-depth: Kosovo   •  News search

An MoD spokeswoman said the new testing programme had been "planned before any of the recent scares."

"We are testing the accuracy of the shells by firing them against soft targets and the alleged health risks occur when the shells are fired at hard targets, like tanks," she said.

Investigations by NATO and the World Health Organisation have found no link between exposure to depleted uranium and the onset of cancer or other illnesses in troops.

Top medical officers from all 19 NATO armies met in Brussels last month to compare data and announced a day later there was no "Balkans syndrome" and no unseen health risk from DU.

Depleted uranium is prized as the best armour penetrator in anti-tank shells. About 40,000 rounds were fired in Bosnia and Kosovo, all by U.S. ground attack aircraft.

Local MP Alasdair Morgan, who has campaigned for several years for DU shelling in Dundrennan's Solway Firth to end, said he wanted the shells to become as "unacceptable" as land mines.

"There is a basic environmental principle here, that we should stop polluting our environment. The MoD do seem to use a lot of Galloway as a dump," the SNP member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale said.

"We have got 7,000 shells landing in the Solway already. I realise there is a fairly minimal health risk, but I still think minimal is too much."

The controversy over depleted uranium weapons came to greater prominence after details of a United Nations report emerged in January.

Experts in the UN Environment Programme, based in Geneva, said that their preliminary findings called for precautions to be taken when dealing with ammunition containing depleted uranium.

Just days after the UN's claims were reported, the MoD announced a voluntary screening programme for tens of thousands of service personnel and civilians who served in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Troops demand probe into DU briefings
February 8, 2001
Uranium arms cancer link ruled out
February 1, 2001
NATO chief: We will use uranium again
January 24, 2001
NATO group: DU does not cause cancer
January 24, 2001
EU ministers play down uranium row
January 22, 2001
U.S. faces EU anger over uranium
January 22, 2001
Europe to debate 'Balkans syndrome'
January 17, 2001
NATO to investigate uranium threat
January 10, 2001

NATO
National Gulf Veterans and Families Association
World Health Organisation
European Union
Depleted Uranium
UK Ministry of Defence

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