Caution urged over 'Balkans syndrome'

Around 300 tonnes of depleted uranium weapons were used in the Gulf War

By Douglas Herbert, CNN.com Europe writer

LONDON, England (CNN) -- It could be many years before scientists are able to say for sure whether shells tipped with depleted uranium really are to blame for so-called "Balkans syndrome."

What they do know is that NATO countries have so far reported 16 deaths and 57 illnesses among former Balkans military personnel -- with the weapons blamed by some for cases of leukaemia and other illnesses.

Latency periods for leukaemia average about five years, and other forms of cancer can gestate for 10 years or longer.

And some experts wonder how it is possible to separate out exposure to depleted uranium weapons from exposure to other toxic chemicals released in modern warfare.

VIDEO NATO's concern over 'depleted uranium' Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Gulf War vet Shaun Rusling explains to CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney the symptoms of uranium exposure illness Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Mark Laity Nato spokesman downplays the risk of uranium to human health. 0.37 MB/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Shaun Rusling, Chairman of the UK Gulf Veterans and Families Association talks about "Balkans syndrome" 691K/64 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    REFERENCE Balkans Syndrome   •  Uranium facts   •  Search for truth   •  Depleted uranium effects   •  Q&A: NATO fears   •  Cause for doubt   •  Cancer, leukaemia reports   •  What they say   •  In-depth: Kosovo   •  News search     ALSO Russia accuses West over uranium NATO to probe uranium threat

In NATO's 78-day bombing campaign against Serbian targets in Kosovo in 1999, U.S. jets fired some 31,000 rounds of depleted uranium ordnance.

About 10,000 rounds, or nine tonnes, were unleashed by Western jets against Yugoslav forces in the Bosnian campaign of 1994-95.

In the 1991 Gulf War, an estimated 300 tonnes of weapons using depleted uranium were fired.

Depleted uranium, a waste product derived by removing the isotope from its enriched counterpart, the highly radioactive uranium-235, is used on the tips of bullets, shells and missiles to enhance the weapon's ability to penetrate armour.

In solid form, experts say, depleted uranium munitions emit only trace amounts of radiation -- certainly not enough to pose a risk to humans.

But upon impact, an intense heat reaction pulverises the munitions into a toxic radioactive dust that is at the crux of a controversy over the weapons' long-term health ramifications.

Last week, a U.S. Defense Department spokesman said research conducted on U.S. service personnel after the Gulf War failed to produce evidence of a link between the use of the weapons and reports of ill health from former servicemen.

The department has also denied that the weapons posed a health risk to former Balkan peacekeepers.

Britain's defence ministry has echoed the U.S. position. At the same time, it has promised to investigate the case of a former army engineer who attributed the weapons to a range of health problems from hair loss and fatigue to severe bowel problems.

Nuclear experts are cautious about rushing to judgement based on what they consider patchy evidence.

"Our belief in Vienna is that a much more detailed study will have to be done than sending 14 people for 10 days to Kosovo," David Kyd, a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency, based in the Austrian capital, told CNN.com.

He was referring to a fact-finding mission to the Serbian province in November by a team of investigators from the U.N. Environment Programme that included two officials from his agency.

Depleted uranium ammunition is used to enhance the weapons ability to penetrate armour

In their preliminary report, issued last week, the team said it found slightly higher levels of radiation at eight of 11 sites culled from a NATO-provided list of 112 targets.

Those targets were hit by weapons containing depleted uranium in NATO's 1999 bombing campaign to repel Yugoslav forces from Kosovo.

Kyd says he believes the Americans and British acted in good faith when they first used depleted uranium weapons in the Gulf War. At the time, the military prized the weapons as a cheap and convenient substitute for metals such as titanium and tungsten.

"It had an overriding advantage that as it penetrated armour, it sharpened as it went through," Kyd said.

"So the military said this is a great munition. It was very appealing because it allowed you to scoot and shoot … attack armour from a distance and not have to go head-to-head with an adversary. … Perhaps now we are seeing the after-effects of that policy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NATO issued warning over uranium
January 8, 2001
Conflicting research on radiation in Kosovo
January 6, 2001
Peacekeepers' deaths linked to 'Balkans syndrome'
December 30, 2000

NATO
Gulf War Illnesses
U.N. Environment Programme
International Atomic Energy Agency
World Health Organization

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