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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests have been received from the European Commission for information gathered by monitoring programmes on exposure to depleted uranium of British troops who have served in the Balkans; what assessments of depleted uranium dangers are being undertaken by NATO; and if he will make a statement on the current state of knowledge gained from the United Kingdom depleted uranium monitoring programme. [145281] Mr. Spellar: The European Commission has made no requests for information gathered by monitoring programmes on exposure to depleted uranium of British troops who have served in the Balkans. The NATO Chiefs of Medical Military Services Committee (COMEDS) met on 15 January to discuss health concerns related to service in the Balkans. The COMEDS concluded that: there is no evidence of a link between depleted uranium and reported cancers; there is no indication of any atypical illness linked to the Balkans, and, those soldiers with health complaints must be given the best appropriate medical care. The COMEDS have, however, made recommendations for further investigative work. In recognition of the fact that recent press coverage concerning depleted uranium will have caused some concerns among our people, I announced an initiative to identify an additional appropriate voluntary screening programme for our service personnel and civilians who have served in the Balkans on 9 January 2001, Official Report, columns 877-79. It is currently envisaged that this programme will also be available to Gulf veterans. The first phase of work has been completed and, on 13 February, we published a consultative document setting out the technical issues associated with such a programme, inviting advice and comment from a wide range of expert bodies. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library of the House. UK Gulf veterans who are concerned that their health has been adversely affected by service during the Gulf conflict, including by possible exposure to DU, are entitled to seek a referral to the Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme for a full medical assessment. Any tests that are considered clinically appropriate by the examining MAP physician, including those to detect the presence of uranium, will be arranged. Out of 3,000 patients examined by MAP physicians, two 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.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

145281; 363 c557-8W

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Ammunition Armed forces Radiation exposure Monitoring Screening Balkans NATO Depleted uranium

Link

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