14 April 2003
Arms Expert Says Depleted Uranium Poses Low Health Risk
(Effective alternative for penetrating armor does not exist) (650)
By Kathryn Schmidt
Washington File Special Correspondent
Washington -- Depleted uranium (DU) poses a very low and temporary
health risk to troops and veterans, says an international expert and
former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq.
Terrence Taylor, chairman of a permanent monitoring panel on risk
analysis for the World Federation of Scientists, says recent
independent studies by the European Commission and the British Royal
Society validate his conclusion that there is a minimal risk of
disease from exposure to DU.
Speaking in Washington to an audience in Wellington, New Zealand via a
digital video conference (DVC) on April 7, Taylor said munitions made
with DU are highly accurate and used to penetrate a tank's armor
without causing an explosion. These munitions were used in the 1991
Persian Gulf conflict in Kuwait and along the Saudi-Iraqi border as
well as in Kosovo in 1999, according to Taylor, an expert in the laws
of armed conflict.
Many armies use DU munitions, Taylor said, "not just U.S. and British
forces." DU munitions are "very localized," he said, not something
"that's spread around the battlefield in large quantities."
"In thinking about the total risks on the battlefield ... risks from
depleted uranium would not be at the top of my list," Taylor said. He
added that in his view there is "no such thing as zero risk," but the
risk of leukemia or lung cancer from ingested DU material "seems to be
very low indeed." Even if DU is ingested or absorbed, "the normal
disposal systems of the body" eliminate a great deal fairly rapidly,
he said.
Taylor based his judgment on numerous studies, four by the U.S.
Department of Defense and two by the British government, that examined
the radiation levels of DU.
Drawing on his experience serving as a U.N. inspector in the 1990s in
Iraq, Taylor said that any data the inspectors received from the Iraqi
government under Saddam Hussein was manipulated.
"The Iraqis were very adept at using issues such as the use of
depleted uranium as a propaganda tool to portray themselves as
victims," said Taylor. He said he saw no direct evidence that
supported Iraqi allegations that DU has caused congenital deformities
in Iraqi children.
"There are all sorts of other unfortunate reasons, like deprivation of
food and proper nutrition" that could explain their condition, Taylor
said. He urged a detailed epidemiological study of medical records in
Iraq when conditions permit.
Given the rapid onset of physical symptoms in Iraq children after the
1991 Gulf War, Taylor said it seems very unlikely that DU could be the
source of illness. He also said he would not trust any data generated
by the Iraqi Ministry of Health during Saddam Hussein's reign. He
described Iraq under Saddam Hussein as "a terribly difficult political
environment in which to do any reliable...truly scientific work."
Taylor said he does not support the view that there is insufficient
knowledge about the effects of DU in anti-armor munitions and that
"therefore we should perhaps not use it in the future."
Due to its effectiveness in piercing armor, Taylor said it would be
very difficult for a military person "to think of a technology at the
moment that would replace this with less risk."
Taylor also pointed out that DU is relatively easy to locate and clean
up in a post conflict environment -- unlike highly dangerous
unexploded ordnance. "I think (unexploded ordnance) is probably at the
top level of risks in the environment," he added.
DU has many civilian uses as well as military purposes, according to
Taylor. It is used for diagnostic purposes in hospitals and as a dense
material in civilian aircraft. DU is around 40 percent less
concentrated than uranium that occurs naturally, he said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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