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London (pte042/25.04.2003/14:55) - The British Ministry of Defence has offered all British soldiers returning from Iraq tests for traces of depleted uranium (DU) in their bodies, as reported by the Independent http://www.indpendent.co.uk .
The tests should determine whether the soldiers have an increased risk of kidney and lung cancer. The optional urine tests were commissioned after the British Royal Society http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk issued a warning on the dangers of exposure to high amounts of DU.
A speaker for the defence ministry has claimed, however, that the risks associated with depleted uranium are much lower than the risks of other military operations. According to the ministry, the test results and information on the use of DU weapons are to be made public. Military experts estimate that about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium came to use during the war in Iraq.
Some veterans of the first Gulf war believe depleted uranium may be the cause of Gulf War Syndrome - a series of medical problems to which Gulf war veterans are two to three times more susceptible than veterans of other wars. Medical experts do not attribute the complaints of Gulf war veterans to post-traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome include joint and muscle pain, unusual fatigue and exhaustion, memory problems, depression, and disturbances in cognitive and emotional functions.
According to the recent study by the Royal Society, it is nevertheless highly unlikely that soldiers and civilians were exposed to dangerous amounts of depleted uranium during the recent war in Iraq. Yet the science academy concludes that soldiers who did inhale large amounts of DU are likely to face kidney damage and an increased risk of lung cancer. (newsfox-special Iraq)
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