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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the findings of (a) his Department's Medical Assessment Programme and (b) independent scientists concerning the level of depleted uranium in the urine of some sick Gulf War veterans. [142032] Mr. Spellar: My Department's policy on testing Gulf veterans for uranium was set out in the paper: `Testing for the presence of depleted uranium in UK veterans of the Gulf conflict: The Current Position', dated 19 March 1999, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The paper describes the possible health effects of exposure to depleted uranium and the circumstances that might lead to an individual being tested for the presence of uranium. Tests would be conducted only on the basis of clinical indications. Between one and five people examined by the Ministry of Defence's (MOD's) Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme physicians have exhibited symptoms that, in the judgment of the examining physicians, have indicated a clinical requirement for testing to detect uranium and have been tested. These test results show that uranium, in any form, is not a contributory factor to the patient's ill health. MOD is aware of the various testing work which has been undertaken in Canada and the United States. Despite numerous requests, we have still yet to see scientifically robust results from the work from Dr. Durakovic, Dr. Sharma and Dr. Horan. MOD will continue to make requests for such evidence so that we can move forward on a scientific basis. Recognising that this has caused veterans some concern, my Department has offered to arrange independent depleted uranium testing for those UK veterans who had their urine tested for depleted uranium in Canada. A draft protocol under which that testing might take place was sent to veterans' representatives on 1 November 1999 for comment. My officials are hoping to have further discussions on this protocol with veterans and their representatives early in the new year. Since 1993, a clinic based at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center has run a depleted uranium follow-up programme for 33 US Gulf veterans (namely those whose records showed they had been hospitalised for wounds received in friendly fire incidents), which includes 15 who have embedded depleted uranium shrapnel in their bodies. To date, any health impairments among those being monitored appear to be related to their original injuries rather than to depleted uranium. Their scores on standard neuropsychological tests showed no divergence from the normally expected responses. None of the 33 is excreting higher than usual levels of uranium, except those with embedded shrapnel. We continue to monitor the work. My Department is keeping an open mind on the issue of depleted uranium, pending further research.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

359 c69-70W;359 c67-8W; 142032

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Ammunition Armed forces Health hazards Iraq-Kuwait conflict Medical examinations Research Gulf War syndrome Depleted uranium Veterans

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk