Veteran's death linked to Gulf War

Around 300 tonnes of depleted uranium weapons were used in the Gulf War

PARIS, France -- A French Gulf War veteran has died from symptoms linked with the conflict, a veterans' group has claimed.

Joseph Durand, who was 40 when he served as quartermaster during the 1991 conflict, died on Friday.

He suffered a three-year illness which initially affected his behaviour and gradually impaired his memory, speech and writing.

The Avigolfe group, which represents civilian and military victims of the Gulf War, said in a statement on Sunday that Durand was the seventh French veteran of the war to die from a mysterious disease.

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It is urging the government to compensate relatives of victims of "Gulf War Syndrome."

About 200 French veterans have applied for pensions due to illnesses they say are linked to their Gulf service.

Symptoms range from chronic fatigue to depression and memory loss.

An official French study by an independent panel last month found no hard evidence of a "Gulf War Syndrome," but the Defence Ministry said it would nonetheless examine all veterans of the conflict to investigate their health complaints.

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Avigolfe called on the ministry to grant financial compensation and emergency aid to the families of the victims "based on the principle of probability, presumption and the benefit of doubt."

It also asked for talks with the Health Ministry in order to set up a global detection system.

As many as 100,000 of the 700,000 U.S. Gulf veterans have complained of ailments linked to the so-called Gulf War Syndrome.

All three armies participating in the conflict distributed the powerful anti-nerve drug pyridostigmine bromide as protection against chemical warfare, but the French say they used less of it than the Americans and British.

U.S. and British doctors also administered more vaccinations against other threats such as botulism, plague and anthrax.

Earlier this year, fresh health fears were raised over missiles used by NATO during conflicts in the Balkans and the Gulf after the U.S. confirmed some uranium-coated munitions may also have contained traces of plutonium.

NATO confirmed that faint traces of radioactive uranium 236 (U-236) and plutonium could be present in some depleted uranium (DU) ammunition fired during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s.

Defence and health experts dismiss suggestions of a "Balkans Syndrome," denying a direct link between cases of sickness among veterans and the ammunition.

According to some medical experts, a particle as small as a millionth of an ounce of plutonium can cause a fatal cancer if inhaled.

U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen said DU was no more dangerous than "leaded paint."

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French Government
Avigolfe Victims' Group
UN Environment Programme: Balkans
World Health Organisation
NATO
Gulf War Syndrome

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