LONDON: Children of British soldiers who fought in wars where depleted
uranium ammunition was used are at greater risk of suffering genetic diseases
passed on by their fathers, new research reveals.
Veterans of the
conflicts in the Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo have been found to have up to 14 times
the usual level of chromosome abnormalities in their genes. That has raised
fears they will pass cancers and genetic illnesses to their offspring. The study
is the first to analyse chromosome deformation in soldiers.
British MP
Paul Tyler, a member of the Royal British Legion Gulf War Syndrome working
group, said it would be 'outrageous' if the findings were ignored by the UK
Government. "High levels of genetic damage do not occur naturally. It increases
the probability of cancer, deformed babies and other genetic conditions
significantly," said Professor Albrecht Schott, a German biochemist who
coordinated the research.
Schott collected blood samples from 16 British
veterans last year. Fourteen had fought in the Gulf war, one of whom also served
in Bosnia. Of the remaining two, one served only in Kosovo and one only in
Bosnia. Two of the veterans are women. The former soldiers, who were sent the
results of their tests last week, have between double and 14 times the usual
level of chromosome abnormalities. The average was five-and-a-half times higher
than found in tests on civilians. None had less than double the normal rate.
Ex-Warrant Officer Ray Bristow, who served at 32 Field Hospital in Saudi
Arabia during the 1991 Gulf war, has previously been found to have hundreds of
times higher than the safe limit of depleted uranium in his urine. The father of
three from Hull, now a wheelchair user, suffers problems with his memory,
respiratory system, liver, kidney, bowels and hearing. He recently had a large
tumour removed from his hand.
Schott, who has a $45,000 debt from the
tests, said that in the 18 months since the tests were taken the condition of
many of the veterans had worsened and some were suffering from cancers.
Last month the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced it was launching
an investigation after a study revealed 19 Gulf veterans had developed lymphatic
or bone marrow cancers compared with 11 in a control group of men of similar
age.
A US survey of 21,000 veterans has also shown that those who served
in the Gulf were two to three times more likely to report birth defects in their
children.
Depleted uranium is used in shells because its high density
allows maximum penetration of hard targets such as tanks and underground
bunkers. The US and Britain have admitted using 350 tons of depleted uranium in
the Gulf war. Iraqi scientists have reported high levels of childhood cancers
and deformed babies in local populations exposed to the ammunition.
Some
53,000 British troops served in the Gulf. Of these, at least 552 have died and
more than 5,200 have reported a range of illnesses.
Once in the body,
depleted uranium can remain for years emitting small doses of alpha radiation.
Soldiers who were heavy smokers, or who had undergone chemotherapy or X-ray
treatment were excluded from the study as these factors could also lead to
higher than normal levels of chromosome aberrations.
A spokesman for the
MoD dismissed Schott's findings. "We consider the tests undertaken neither well
thought out nor scientifically sound," he said. However, he said the MoD had yet
to receive full details of Schott's scientific methods in the study.-Dawn/The
Guardian News Service.
http://www.dawn.com/2002/08/12/int14.htm
Title: Message
Depleted
uranium causing illness
By Nic Fleming &Mark Townsend
