The chance of cancers suffered by veterans of the Gulf and Balkan conflicts being caused by exposure to depleted uranium (DU) in ammunition was "infinitesimal", a defence minister said today.

Lewis Moonie - recently appointed minister for veterans' affairs - said that the Ministry of Defence had long been aware of the potential risks of DU.

But he told the Commons Defence Select Committee that these were "minimal compared to the other risks faced by troops in combat or peace-keeping operations".

DU was one of a number of potential factors being investigated by a series of inquiries into illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans, said Dr Moonie.

The inquiries are not due to report for around nine months, but no evidence had yet emerged to suggest that veterans were suffering from a single identifiable Gulf War Syndrome, Dr Moonie said.

And he said that, given the current scientific evidence, the MoD was not prepared to go to mediation to settle financial claims from veterans claiming to have the Syndrome

He told the committee: "At present, we have not identified a single Syndrome, despite all our efforts. That is why our research is proceeding in so many different branches. At present, I think we have to assume that there is no single Syndrome.

"From the evidence available, a causal link can't be identified between DU and the complaints or pathologies of some peacekeepers, specifically those few who have cancer or leukaemia.

"What we have to be very clear about is that all the scientific evidence on DU is that, were it to produce any cancer at all... it would take years or decades before these cancers would appear.

"The chances of any of these cancers being related to DU is infinitesimal."

Although it was accepted that a number of veterans of the Gulf and Balkan conflicts had grown ill or died, mortality rates among this group were in fact lower than among the population at large, said Dr Moonie.

Veterans will be able to be tested for traces of DU once a reliable test has been selected, which is expected to be done by the end of this year.

He said: "If anybody comes out with a higher than expected level, they will be offered long-term monitoring to make sure that no adverse effects emerge.."

The MoD was phasing out the use of DU in the Royal Navy's Phalanx shells, but this was because new tungsten alloys had been shown to offer enhanced range, not because of
health fears.

There were no plans to stop using DU in rounds for Challenger tanks, he said, adding: "DU is a remarkably effective penetrator. Nothing has yet proved to give anything like the degree of penetration that DU does."

     All the proponents of DU ignore the simple fact that DU concentrates into the lymph nodes and damages the macrophages and sets up inflamatory Th1 profile that sustains the damage effect long term and keeps the immune system triggered.  The macrophage ROS chemistry even promotes the conversion of metals into insoluble oxides that retain for very long periods.    After the macrophages shut down various cell products build up in the tissues and triggers the Th2 response and antibody system, which leads to the general Th2 response that is seen in CFS, Gulf War Syndrome, MCS, HIV, etc.    Immune systems locked into the Th2 response leave the body vulnerable to many inner cell pathogens that cause many progressive ills.