Wednesday, January 10 8:20 PM SGT
Government assurances on depleted uranium do not satisfy veterans

LONDON, Jan 10 (AFP) - Britain's offer of medical tests to any soldiers worried about the risk to their health from exposure to depleted uranium shells failed to satisfy veterans' groups on Wednesday.

Junior defence minister John Spellar bowed to pressure Tuesday and agreed to screening for troops who had served on peacekeeping missions in the Balkans, but stressed he did not believe there was any risk. That angered veterans' groups, who complained the government had not gone far enough in addressing concerns about depleted uranium (DU). Kevin Rudland, a former army engineer who claims he has been suffering from hair loss and osteoarthritis since a tour in Bosnia, said he was "devastated" by Spellar's statement.

"I was just so shocked, and it took me an hour to come round," Rudland said. "There was nothing for the soldiers whatsoever. It was all said so arrogantly. They are just trying to cover up by saying there wasn't a problem when there obviously was."

Michael Burrows, senior coordinator of the National Gulf Veterans and Families Association also dismissed Spellar's response.

"The screening that he is talking about is for uranium, not depleted uranium and from what we have been told... there isn't anywhere in the country that can carry out checks for DU," said Burrows. Professor Malcolm Hooper, who advises parliament on the so-called 'Gulf War syndrome' accused the defence ministry of deliberately ignoring potential risks from DU shells.

"It seems as though they are hell bent on not getting any information that would put any block on the development of these depleted uranium munitions," he said.

"It is a typical ploy to avoid getting reliable information and rigorous examination. The Ministry of Defence are past masters at doing poor science and not setting up experiments that need to be done and not doing them with sufficient rigour," added Hooper.

Battlefield munitions are often tipped with depleted uranium, an extremely dense substance which allows them to penetrate tank armour. But some scientists fear that servicemen exposed to radioactive dust they emit on impact could contract leukemia and other cancers. There has also been concern about the safety of people living near the battlefield.

The current scare over DU shells centres on their use by US bombers in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Italy claims that a number of its troops have died or are suffering from leukemia, possibly as a result of exposure to spent DU shells while on peacekeeping duty in the Balkans.

Other countries, including Germany, Belgium and Portgual have put pressure on NATO chiefs to look again at the use of DU munitions by the forces under their command.