New fears over uranium weapons

Some soldiers could face an increased risk to their health from depleted uranium say UK researchers

LONDON, England -- New fears about the health risks of depleted uranium (DU) weapons were raised by British researchers on Tuesday.

A report by the Royal Society, an independent academy of leading scientists, said DU could cause an increased risk of certain cancers and kidney damage, although levels soldiers were exposed to were not high enough to damage their health.

It explained that the radiological risks from the use of DU in munitions were mainly low. However, the report called for more research, saying that for a small number of soldiers there could be an added risk to their health in certain circumstances.

Fears about the effects of the toxic, radioactive element used to enhance the ability of weapons to pierce armoured vehicles arose after the Bosnia and Kosovo wars of the 1990s.

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. When a uranium tipped weapon hits an object it produces a vapour that is weakly radioactive.

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

Six Italian soldiers died of leukaemia after serving in the Balkans.

Other European nations, including France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Portugal, also reported an increase in the number of soldiers suffering from cancer, in what has been dubbed the "Balkan Syndrome."

NATO, the World Health Organisation and the European Union all say there is no scientific evidence to link the illnessess to the weapons.

The Royal Society report said many soldiers could be exposed to small amounts of DU, but the risks of cancer would be very low.

But it said in some soldiers in very extreme circumstances, such as survivors in a vehicle struck by a DU weapon, levels would be high enough to seriously damage their health.

"In such circumstances, and assuming the most unfavourable conditions, the lifetime risk of death from lung cancer is unlikely to exceed twice that in the general population," the scientists added.

However, they said there was insufficient scientific evidence about the levels of DU that could occur in different situations and the amounts that could be inhaled by soldiers.

And they called for an improvement in the monitoring of the health of soldiers exposed to high levels of depleted uranium.