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on Tuesday 24/06/2003 Depleted Uranium Summary:A discussion about the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) on the long term health effects from exposure to depleted uranium. Depeleted uranium (D.U.) is used widely, to make bullets, shells and bombs capable of piercing armoured vehicles and fortified buildings. It is used by several countries (although not by Australia), because of this unique armour piercing ability, and many thousands of D.U. weapons were used in the 1991 Gulf War, in the former Yugoslavia, and in Iraq this year. While there is no doubting the effectiveness of these weapons, there’s an unanswered question that’s been hanging for over a decade … what impact does exposure to depleted uranium have on soldiers and civilians in war zones? There are many veterans – American, British, Canadian and Australian - who believe D.U. is at least partly responsible for their subsequent illnesses … like Gulf War Syndrome for example … but the jury is very much ‘out’ on the long-term health effects of D.U. The U.S. and British military both cite a lack of scientific evidence to support the claim … although the British Ministry of Defence is offering urine tests for soldiers returning from Iraq. So, just what do we know about the dangers or otherwise of depleted uranium? Guests on this program:
Further information:
Musical Items:
Story Producer and Researcher: Chris Bullock |  |
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