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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>From the new Spiked web site
[www.spiked-online.com]</FONT></DIV>
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<P><SPAN class=DocumentTitle>Depleted uranium: who are
the victims? </SPAN></P></TD></TR>
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<TD colSpan=2><SPAN class=ReadOn>by </SPAN><A
class=Author>Joe Kaplinsky</A></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p_intro>Canadian scientists' findings, that British
veterans of the Kosovo war have higher than expected levels of
depleted uranium (DU) in their bodies, has set off a wave of
concern. NATO countries Italy and Germany have called for a ban on
the use of DU weapons.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR
class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>But what should shock us is not that DU shells,
designed to kill, are not 'safe', as Germany and Italy demand. More
outrageous is that, while the people of Kosovo and Iraq have to live
permanently with DU, it is only when NATO soldiers complain that
anybody sees it as a problem.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR
class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>DU is the leftovers after uranium is enriched for
use in nuclear fuel or bombs. The effects of radiation from uranium
on human health are well known from many studies, most notably on
uranium miners. Uranium poses very little risk so long as it is
outside the body. It is more dangerous when inhaled as dust. The DU
shells which vaporise on impact are effective at creating such dust.
The chemical toxicity of uranium is also well known, though somewhat
less well understood.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR
class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>On balance, however, it seems unlikely that DU has
caused many of the problems complained of by veterans. Their
exposures appear to have been relatively modest. Cancers, in any
case, would be expected to take many years to develop. The
possibility that there are effects of chemical toxicity from DU may
deserve further research, but as yet there is no compelling support
for it.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>So what explains the problems experienced by
veterans? War - especially in the last century - has always shaken
up the participants. Some have coped better than others, and some
have always gone to pieces. The social expectations that surround
people profoundly influence the way in which they interpret their
experiences. Today we see veterans mouthing a script provided by the
current cult of victimhood. Physical and psychological problems, no
doubt both related and unrelated to their military service, are
lumped together, medicalised, and blamed on an official cover-up.
But there was no cover-up.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR
class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>We live in times when distrust of government is
pervasive. Even if there were no such substance as DU, we can expect
that a denial by government scientists of the dangers of DU would be
enough to spark panic. The experience of Gulf War Syndrome - the
existence of which has not been established, despite thorough
investigation of complaints - suggests that the latest fears over
'Balkan War Syndrome' may prove as insubstantial.<BR
class=NetscapeDummy><BR class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>Set against that, the record of the military
openness over health risks is even worse than that of the tobacco
industry. After winning the Second World War, the British government
carried out experiments in military research at Porton Down, in
which army volunteers who were told they were helping find a cure
for the common cold were poisoned with nerve agents. Several
died.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>The war in Kosovo, even more than the Gulf War, was
a media event fought across TV screens and front pages. The
politicians were not only open about launching military action, they
revelled in it. Yet it was their actions, broadcast to the world,
whose consequences we are now seeing.<BR class=NetscapeDummy><BR
class=NetscapeDummy></TD></TR>
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<TD class=body_p>The impact of depleted uranium on human health
remains controversial. But there can be no doubt about the impact of
NATO's bombing campaign upon the countries on the receiving end.
While NATO veterans can expect to have their complaints carefully
investigated, it may be some time before anybody carries out the
research into how to help the real casualties of the West's
humanitarian wars. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>