ThGreen MEP Ms Nuala Ahern has said she is appalled by the irresponsibility of NATO spokespersons who minimise the risks of depleted uranium (DU).
Speaking at a special hearing in the European Parliament on the risks posed by DU Ms Ahern said: "I am appalled by the irresponsibility of NATO spokespersons, who systematically minimise the risks from DU by claiming that uranium is natural product and who talk about DU being less dangerous as it is depleted. This is complete nonsense as DU is highly radioactive."
Ms Ahern said that the United Nations Environment Programme has confirmed that pieces of DU penetrators found at sites targeted by NATO during the Kosovo conflict contain Uranium 236 (U-236). The presence of U-236 indicates that part of the DU came from reprocessed uranium.
Meanwhile Irish Army experts have concluded that the risk to Irish troops of radiological contamination from DU is negligible. However, medical examinations are to be carried out on about 600 army personnel who are serving or have served, in the Balkans on peace keeping missions. The examinations are to re-assure the troops and their families.
The Army experts had spent five days in Kosovo and Bosnia assessing the risk to Irish troops from DU munitions. Through radiological surveys the experts found normal levels of background radiation on sites targeted by NATO and camps occupied by Irish forces.