Soldiers returning from the Gulf will be offered tests to check levels of depleted uranium in their bodies to assess whether they are in danger of suffering kidney damage and lung cancer as a result of exposure, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said last night.
The ministry was responding to a warning earlier in the day from the Royal Society, Britain’s premier scientific body, which warned that soldiers and civilians might be exposed to dangerous levels. It challenged earlier reassurances from British defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, that depleted uranium was not a risk.
A ministry spokesperson said that if soldiers followed instructions correctly and wore respirators in areas where depleted uranium might have been used they would not suffer dangerous exposure, but all would be offered urine tests. The overall results would be published.
The ministry said it would also publish details of where and how much depleted uranium was used, and hoped the Americans would do the same.
Brian Spratt FRS, chairman of the society’s working group on depleted uranium, said: ”It is highly unsatisfactory to deploy a large amount of a material that is weakly radioactive and chemically toxic without knowing how much soldiers and civilians have been exposed to it.
”It is only by measuring the levels of DU in the urine of soldiers that we can understand the intakes of DU that occur on the battlefield, which is a requirement for a better assessment of any hazards to health. It is vital that this monitoring takes place and that it takes place within a matter of months.”
He said civilians in Iraq should be protected by checking milk and water samples for depleted uranium over a prolonged period. Some soldiers might suffer kidney damage and increased risk of lung cancer if they breathed in substantial amounts.
He added: ”It is essential that we measure exposures in a sample of soldiers across the battlefield, not just those who may have had substantial exposures, but also foot soldiers and field hospital staff across Iraq.
”We also need to know the exposures of Iraqis living in any residential areas where DU munitions were deployed. We believe that exposures to DU will be low for most individuals, but we need to take measurements.”
Last month Hoon was dismissive about the threat. He told the Commons that there was ”not the slightest scientific evidence” to suggest that depleted uranium left a poisonous residue.
The report from the society was released on the same day as assessment by the United Nations environment programme (Unep) on the situation in Iraq, which also included concerns about depleted uranium.
Depleted uranium is standard in a number of anti-tank weapons. Amounts in bullets, shells and bombs vary from 300 grams to 7 tonnes in the bunker-busters of the type dropped on Baghdad. The bombs used on the restaurant in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Saddam Hussein are believed to have contained tonnes of depleted uranium which would have contaminated the surrounding area.
Experts have calculated that from all sources between 1 000 and 2 000 tons of depleted uranium were used by the coalition in the three-week conflict.
Unep said immediate priorities should include restoring the water supply and sanitation systems, and cleaning pollution hot spots and waste sites to reduce the risk of epidemics.
Prof Spratt added: ”About 340 tons of DU were fired in the 1991 Gulf war. The coalition needs to make clear where and how much DU was used in the recent conflict.
”Fragments of DU penetrators are potentially hazardous, and a recent Royal Society study recommended that they should be removed, and areas of contamination around impact sites identified, and where necessary made safe.”
Impact sites in residential areas should be a priority and he urged long-term monitoring of water and milk.
”The question of who carries out the initial monitoring and clean-up is a political rather than scientific question,” he said. ”Monitoring, however, is likely to be a long-term task, spanning many years, so it is vital that Iraq acquires the capabilities to undertake this itself.
”The coalition needs to acknowledge that depleted uranium is a potential hazard and make in-roads into tackling it by being open about where and how much depleted uranium has been deployed.” – Guardian Unlimited Â