http://www.sundayherald.com/40306MoD ‘lied’ over depleted uranium
Army advises troops in Iraq of health risk but insists Scottish firing range is safe, despite growing international concern
CLAIMS by the Ministry of Defence that depleted uranium (DU) is not a risk to life have been undermined by a Sunday Herald investigation that found the British army is telling soldiers in Iraq that it can cause ill-health.
The revelation has outraged the military, scientists and politicians. Studies have shown DU leads to cancers, birth defects, memory loss, damage to the immune system and neuro-psychotic disorders. But the MoD has claimed since the first Gulf war that “DU does not pose a risk to health or the environment”.
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The MoD had fired more than 6350 DU rounds into the Solway Firth from its testing range at Dundrennan by 1999. In the first Gulf war 320 tonnes of DU were used, in the second more than 1000 tonnes were used .
Locals in the Dundrennan area and their political leaders are angry that British troops are being warned about the risk of DU, while they are not.
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It has led to birth defects in the children of veterans and Iraqis and is believed to be the cause of the “worrying number” of anophthalmos cases – babies born without eyes – in Iraq. A study of veterans showed 67% had children with severe illnesses, missing eyes, blood infections, respiratory problems and fused fingers.
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67% ! sixty seven percent!
women the world over should be screaming non-stop about this.