Fwd.: The Balkans Syndrome

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Fears Grow About Depleted Uranium

By JEFFREY ULBRICH
.c The Associated Press

  
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European governments are disturbed. Some of their 
soldiers are falling sick and dying, and they don't know why. Every day the 
question grows louder: Can the armor-piercing munitions made of depleted 
uranium that NATO used in Kosovo be causing cancer? 

There is no answer. Nobody has made the connection scientifically. Certainly 
not NATO. 

The United States, the only NATO ally to use depleted uranium weapons during 
the 78-day air campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999, insisted again Thursday 
that the munitions pose no health threat. 

In Washington, the Pentagon said it is aware of the concerns being raised by 
some allies. 

``We share those concerns,'' said Lt. Col. Paul Phillips. He said the United 
States has conducted many studies on depleted uranium, particularly since the 
1991 Gulf War when the weapons were first used. 

``In each study, we've come away convinced that the use of depleted uranium 
munitions does not present significant or residual environmental or health 
risks,'' Phillips said. 

NATO spokeswoman Simone de Manso in Brussels, said: ``According to our 
knowledge from independent research ... there is no study that can prove a 
direct link between certain types of diseases of which people are now afraid 
and contact with depleted uranium.'' 

The reassurances haven't calmed jittery Europeans, and Thursday the 15-nation 
European Union added its voice. 

``There will be an informal inquiry,'' said EU spokesman Jonathan Faull. He 
said it was too soon to say if soldiers who served in the Balkans under NATO 
were suffering from illnesses as a result of contact with depleted uranium. 
``What we know is that community citizens have been affected.'' 

Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, 
said the EU ``needs to know the truth.'' 

``If there exists the slightest risk, then these weapons should be abolished 
immediately,'' Prodi told Italian radio. 

A year ago, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson confirmed that American 
jets had fired about 31,000 depleted uranium rounds at Yugoslav armored 
vehicles in Kosovo. 

The U.N. Environment Program is expected to release a report on the subject 
next month. And the subject will be discussed at NATO's regular weekly 
political committee Tuesday. 

Italy launched an investigation last week into a possible link between 
depleted uranium munitions and about 30 cases of serious illness involving 
soldiers who served in missions Kosovo and earlier in Bosnia, 12 of whom 
developed cancer. Five of the soldiers have died of leukemia. 

And France said Thursday that four French soldiers who served in the Balkans 
during the 1999 bombing campaign are being treated for leukemia. 

Spain, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey announced 
plans to screen peacekeepers. 

Some don't believe the screening is worth the effort. 

Wendla Paile of the Finnish Center for Radiation and Nuclear Safety in 
Helsinki said such screening was ``pointless.'' 

``The radiation from uranium depleted ammunition is so little that it could 
not explain these extra cases (of leukemia),'' Paile said. 

Paul Beaver, an analyst at Janes Defense Weekly, said the countries screening 
their troops have no idea what to look for. 

``The problem is there hasn't been any really good work done on it,'' Beaver 
said. ``There is no concrete information. There has been research carried out 
by the U.S. Army, the British and the French as well, but it seems 
inconclusive. I've read all the literature I can find on it, but I have no 
straight answer.'' 

AP-NY-01-04-01 1408EST

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