Uranium fears denied

By Michael Evans, Defence Editor - Timeonline.com
Nov 14 2006

THE firing of depleted uranium (DU) shells in Iraq had caused no long-term health problems either for British soldiers or for Iraqi civilians, the Ministry of Defence said.

After allegations that cancers and birth defects among Iraqis living in southern Iraq were increasing, the MoD said that there was no evidence that depleted uranium weapons had contributed to their health problems. Professor Randall Parrish, of the British Geological Survey, told the BBC Radio programme Today that, at international conferences, Iraqi medical physicians had said incidents of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and birth defects were particularly noticeable in the Basra area. He added: “We have to conduct environmental and health assessments where people are exposed.”

The MoD said that many tests had been carried out, including urine checks on 456 soldiers. “No evidence of DU was found,” an official said.