A U.S. Army medical expert has said that depleted uranium could not have caused leukemia in allied troops who served in Kosovo.

COL Eric Daxon, the DU consultant to the Army surgeon general, recently told NATO officials that there is no link between depleted uranium munitions and leukemia.

Daxon briefed the military medical chiefs from each of the NATO nations, telling them there is no evidence that dust from expended DU munitions causes cancer or any other health problems. He said 35 scientific studies back that up.

Daxon said the incidence of leukemia among Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans is no higher than that in the general population.

DU is actually 40 percent less radioactive than uranium found in the natural environment, he said.

Daxon, who holds a doctorate in radiation hygiene and a master's degree in nuclear engineering, is making it his business to dispel myths about the dangers of depleted uranium.

He said the false link between DU and leukemia began with a report issued in Iraq two years ago.

"If you read the Iraqi report, it's just not scientifically valid," Daxon said. He pointed to studies by the National Academy of Sciences that show no evidence of an increase in leukemia due to uranium exposure.

But the Iraqi report has been cited by some to try to link DU ammunitions used in Kosovo to leukemia in allied soldiers there, Daxon said.

"I cannot understand from a scientific medical point of view what the furor is over this safe, effective material," he said.

Depleted uranium is used in armor-piercing munitions fired by tanks and some aircraft. It's also a component of the M-1 Abrams armor. The metal's density -- one-and-a-half times the density of lead -- makes it an effective armor plating for combat vehicles. Also, DU reportedly has self-sharpening characteristics when used as a munition.

But only those in or near armored vehicles at the time they are struck may internalize DU in excess of safety standards, Daxon said.

Daxon said maintenance personnel who routinely work inside struck vehicles are advised to wear protective gear. But he added that the precautions are not just for DU, but should be taken because a number of toxic substances -- such as Benzene and burnt plastics -- might be present.

Daxon said there's no reason to be afraid of depleted uranium -- unless you're the enemy.

"It's tactically a significant advantage," to use DU instead of tungsten in armor-piercing rounds, Daxon said. M1 Abrams rounds with DU can effectively engage targets at 3,000 meters, he said, adding that tungsten rounds fired by the Iraqis in the Gulf War were only effective at about 2,000 meters. -- ARNEWS