THE INDEPENDENT (London)
7 January 2001
Britain plays down Balkan cancer risk
By Raymond Whitaker

Britain and the US were holding out yesterday against the growing insistence of politicians, military veterans and scientists in other countries that the use of depleted uranium ammunition in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans posed health hazards.

In London the Ministry of Defence said there were "minimal risks" associated with the use of depleted uranium, adding: "At the moment we are confident in our position that there is no significant risk to our personnel." The Pentagon says it has conducted extensive studies, but no evidence had been found that depleted uranium might be linked to the mysterious illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans, collectively known as "Gulf War syndrome".

Depleted uranium, a radioactive heavy metal left over after the extraction of Uranium 235 for use in nuclear power and atomic weapons, is twice as heavy as lead. It is used in ammunition to penetrate vehicle armour, and in shielding. American aircraft fired some 31,000 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition against Serbian targets during Nato's 1999 campaign in Kosovo, and about 10,000 rounds in Bosnia in 1994-95. But together this is only 12 tonnes, compared with the 300 tonnes fired in the 1991 Gulf War.

The intensifying debate over the health risks, expected to come up at a Nato meeting next week, began last month in Italy. The Minister of Defence, Sergio Mattarella, announced an investigation of 30 cases of illness involving soldiers who served in the Balkans, 12 of whom developed cancer. Six have died. The Prime Minister, Giuliano Amato, said alarm about the "Balkan syndrome" was "more than legitimate".

Since then more cases of cancer and other illnesses have been reported among soldiers who served in the Balkans. Nine countries which have taken part in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia or Kosovo, as well as the EU, have said they would screen troops and check radiation levels where their soldiers are stationed. Yesterday, Spanish newspapers reported that seven Spanish soldiers and a civilian volunteer who served in the Balkans have developed cancer and two have died. The Spanish military has begun testing the 32,000 soldiers who served in the Balkans.

The UN Environment Programme, which has investigated 11 of the 112 sites in Kosovo identified by Nato as having been attacked with depleted uranium munitions, said last week that it had found signs of radioactivity at eight of them. Tests will be completed within the next three months. On the dangers of depleted uranium, scientists agree only that more study is needed. The British and American authorities say the ammunition is less radioactive than materials used in smoke detectors. The Pentagon spokesman, Kenneth Bacon, commenting on suggestions that the substance had caused leukaemia among Italian servicemen, said smoking was thought to contribute, but not depleted uranium.

Claims that soldiers have developed cancer within months of returning from the Balkans are also questioned by doctors, since exposure to radioactivity normally takes years to show effects. The authorities in Belgium and Germany have said that the number of cancers reported so far among former peacekeepers is well within statistical norms.

In Serbia, a government official tried to allay fears that Nato's use of depleted uranium in the 1999 bombing campaign could pose a health threat to Yugoslavs. "There is no danger of radiation unless a person finds himself on the very spot hit with the depleted uranium or holds such ammunition in his bare hands," said Jovan Djukanovic, a Serbian government spokesman in Bujanovac, one of the sites targeted by Nato.

A review ordered by President Bill Clinton of the US Department of Defense's handling of "Gulf War syndrome" concluded last month that the department was correct in finding that chemical, biological and environmental factors had limited or no impact on the Gulf War troops.



Commento: gli inglesi sono più spendibili di tutti. E i morti continueranno, purtroppo. Ci si chiede a quale scopo e a vantaggio di CHI.