In some instances the information is anecdotal due to difficulties in data collection. And US military is very happy to sweep these under the carpet, of course. I wonder if there were any other studies done since then, including in Kosovo.
15 times the number of deformities was observed in Falluja ..
(quote) In 1999, NATO fired some 30,000 rounds of depleted uranium munitions in Kosovo as part of the military intervention in Kosovo (KFOR). According to Lt. Col Alexander Willing, a KFOR spokesman, "NATO's use of DU in the Kosovo conflict did not cause any continuing health risk and therefore no further action was required on our part," he wrote.
The KFOR/NATO position is backed up by an assessment conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which concluded that "There was no detectable, widespread contamination of the ground surface by depleted uranium. This means that any widespread contamination is present in such low levels that it cannot be detected or differentiated from the natural uranium concentration found in rocks and soil. The corresponding radiological and toxicological risks are insignificant and even non-existent."
The KFOR/NATO/IAEA reports, however, were contradicted by a study published by the National Institute of Health regarding an increase in hematological malignancies (HM) in Kosovo that appear to be linked with DU exposure. This report stated that the "incidence of HM increased by 3.19/100,000 persons (82%)" in regions where the use of DU ammunition was high.
"Despite these findings," the report concluded, "this study warrants further investigation and does not lead us to a conclusive finding on the existence of a causal relationship between the use of DU during the war and the rise in incidence of HM in Kosovo."
The same cannot be said about the use of DU munitions by the United States in Iraq. Human Rights Now (HRN), a Japan-based non-governmental organization, performed an independent analysis of the impact DU had on the civilian population of the city of Fallujah, the scene of heavy combat involving US forces who employed DU munitions. According to the HRN report, "an extraordinary situation of congenital birth defects" were detected "in both nature and quantity. The report concluded that the presence of DU in the environment resulting from combat "may be playing a significant role in the observed rate of birth defects."
The US military itself points to the potential health hazard posed by exposure to DU. says depleted uranium ammunition is safe, for the most part. "When fired, or after 'cooking off' in fires or explosions, the exposed depleted uranium rod poses an extremely low radiological threat as long as it remains outside the body," the US Military Health Agency notes. "Taken into the body via metal fragments or dust-like particles, depleted uranium may pose a long-term health hazard to personnel if the amount is large. However, the amount which remains in the body depends on a number of factors, including the amount inhaled or ingested, the particle size and the ability of the particles to dissolve in body fluids." (/quote) -- Cont'd at https://archive.is/rEaQe
on March 22, 2023, 3:33 am