Depleted Uranium

First we had the mysterious ‘Gulf Syndrome’ and now the ‘Balkans Syndrome’, with many reports of illnesses and deaths among veterans of the Bosnian and Kosovan wars. Iraqi authorities have blamed thousands of civilian cancer deaths, and deformities in babies, on contamination by certain Western weapons.

An accusatory finger is pointed at Depleted Uranium, but NATO says it’s all public hysteria. Who is right?

DU is a cheap, man-made, mildly radioactive by-product after processing of uranium has extracted the most useful isotopes for use in nuclear power reactors or weapons. Dense, strong and heavy, it is used in balancing airplanes, and as hardened tips for munitions to greatly enhance their penetrative power.

DU weaponry was first used by US and British forces against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War, and later in the 1994-95 Bosnian and 1999 Kosovan conflicts.

When a DU-tipped bullet or missile hits, for instance, a tank (which may itself have armour-plating hardened with DU), the heat created in the impact instantly volatilises the DU into a long-lived radioactive gas. In this form, extremely minute particles of DU attached to dust can move wherever the wind blows and be inhaled - or can contaminate water and soil, and enter the food chain. They can also enter the body through an open wound. Once lodged in lungs, kidneys or liver, DU slowly decays, releasing radioactivity.

What do authorities know about the health impact of DU? The Pentagon scientist who briefed Britain and America on health risks of using DU shells claims he warned the allied powers in 1991 of potential cancer, mental illness and birth defects. Professor Doug Rokke, ex-director of the Pentagon's Depleted-Uranium Project, says the USA and UK have covered up the hazards.

A recently released US Joint Chiefs of Staff document (of July 1999) on ‘hazard awareness’ contains warnings that allied troops take special precautions in Kosova because remnant DU posed possible health risks.

A document from the US defence nuclear agency from 1992 described DU particles as a "serious health threat".

A secret report written by the British Atomic Energy Authority in 1991 states that more than 40 tonnes of DU was left in Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War and that was enough "to potentially cause 500,000 deaths."

Dr Roger Coghill, a Wales-based experimental biologist states, "One single particle of depleted uranium lodged in the lymph node can devastate the entire immune system."

The European Council Parliamentary Committee stated that NATO bombings in Kosova will have long-term effects on health and life-quality of future generations. The 15-country European Union has ordered its own inquiry into the possible noxious effects of the uranium-tipped ammunition and any potential link to the recent cancer deaths among Balkan veterans.

A UN report in May 2000 warned UN staff in Kosova not to approach any target which might have been hit by a DU weapon. Serbian and Kosovo Albanian media and authorities fear long-term DU pollution of soil, air and water. While other potential causes of Gulf/Balkans Syndrome (such as multiple vaccinations, or being exposed to other pollutants of war as in the burning Iraqi oil fields), should not be dismissed, DU remains a prime suspect. It is going to become harder for NATO to maintain the cover-up as evidence mounts.

Judy Blyth
January 2001