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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department is monitoring the health checks being conducted by Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Norway, France and Belgium, on peacekeeper troops who may have come into contact with depleted uranium whilst deployed in the Balkans; [145289] (2) what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts about the health effects of depleted uranium on military personnel and civilians during Operation Granby in the Gulf in 1991. [145287] Mr. Spellar: In my statement to the House on 9 January 2001, Official Report, columns 877-90, I stressed the importance of co-ordinating our approach with allies. The Ministry of Defence, both independently and through NATO, is therefore monitoring very closely the health checks being proposed or conducted by our allies on troops who believe they may have been exposed to depleted uranium (DU). The North Atlantic Council met on 10 January 2001 to consider the possible health effects associated with the use of DU munitions. After that meeting, the Secretary General affirmed that NATO allies are committed to ensuring the health and safety of their Service personnel and to avoiding any ill-effects for the civilian population and personnel of the non- governmental organisations as a result of NATO military operations. Allies agreed that NATO should continue to co-operate fully with investigations by nations or multinational organisations on the possible effects of exposure; to produce information on the use of DU munitions during operation Deny Flight and Deliberate Force in 1994 and 1995; and to consult fully with all present and past NATO SFOR and KFOR contributing countries. On 15 January 2001, the NATO Chiefs of Medical Military Services Committee (COMEDS), the senior medical advisory committee of NATO, held a meeting to discuss the health concerns of Balkan peacekeepers. At this meeting, a common NATO medical approach was agreed. This was that each nation should analyse the mortality rates of its Service personnel; analyse the rate of illness among its Balkans veterans; compare them with control groups and national matched statistics, and correlate the collection of morbidity data with known health hazards in theatre. A NATO meeting was also held on 16 January 2001 to establish a working group to act as a clearing house for the exchange of information, between the allies and more widely, on any health risks associated with the use of DU munitions. While this activity has arisen in the context of concerns about use of depleted uranium in the Balkans, the discussions are also relevant to the suggested health effects of DU in the Gulf.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

361 c418-9W;361 c419-20W; 145289;145287

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Ammunition Armed forces Health hazards Peacekeeping operations Screening Research Balkans NATO Depleted uranium NATO countries

Link

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