Health data from NATO's 19 member countries show no sign that debris
from depleted uranium (DU) munitions causes cancer and there is no identifiable Balkans Syndrome, the chairman of NATO's top medical committee said today.
After two weeks of mounting controversy, the alliance said its chief medical officers had compared evidence and seen nothing that pointed to a serious health risk from depleted uranium munitions used in the Gulf War and the Balkans.
But it stressed that NATO soldiers would not face any unnecessary health risks during operations and more efforts would be made to determine what lay behind unexplained symptoms reported by some soldiers. At least seven Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans have died of Leukaemia and critics claim the use of DU-tipped weapons could be the cause.
Other cases of cancer have been reported among Belgian, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese soldiers who served as peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo. Italy has called for an investigation though US and British Army officials say there is no link. There have not been incidents reported among Irish troops who currently have a unit of 200 serving near Pristina in Kosovo and a survey at the camp indicates uranium levels are normal.
"We cannot identify any increase in disease or mortality in soldiers who have deployed to the Balkans as compared to those soldiers who have not been deployed," General Roger Van Hoof said after a day-long meeting with his 18 counterparts on yesterday.
However, there are a number of military personnel reporting symptoms. While these symptoms are not linked to depleted uranium exposure, these should warrant further peer-reviewed scientific studies.