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No Plan to Screen British Balkan Veterans: Defense Ministry
Britain's Ministry of Defense ( MoD) said on January 5 that it had no plan to screen British soldiers who served in Kosovo and Bosnia, for illnesses despite reports that a former army engineer had fallen victim to so-called "Balkan Syndrome."
A MoD spokesman said there was no evidence that NATO's use of weapons tipped with depleted uranium, which campaigners say has caused mystery illnesses in veterans, had any adverse effect on British peacekeepers.
"From what we understand of its use and where British personnel served ... we don't believe depleted uranium (DU) exposure poses any significant health risk," the spokesman said.
Earlier, a BBC report quoted former army engineer Kevin Rudland as saying that his contact with DU dust in Bosnia had caused hair loss, chronic fatigue and severe bowel problems.
"I may be the first in this country at the moment but I believe there are more that have not come forward or do not know," Rudland told the BBC.
But the MoD spokesman said the ministry, already under pressure from veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War who say DU caused cancer in some servicemen, was unaware of any soldier returning from the Balkans blaming DU exposure for their illness.
He said the ministry would investigate Rudland's case.
"Balkan Syndrome" came under the spotlight following reports that six Italian soldiers who served in the former Yugoslavia had developed leukaemia and died after exposure to spent ammunition.
On Friday, European Commission President Romano Prodi has demanded an investigation and several European nations including the current holder of the European Union presidency, Sweden, have echoed his concern.
Depleted uranium is used in the tips of missiles, shells and bullets to increase their ability to penetrate armor and can be pulverized on impact into a toxic radioactive dust.
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