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 http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=10544

Bill on depleted uranium in Senate 
by Rebecca S. Bender, 4/25/2006 
  

A bill now working its way through the state Senate would set up a health screening system for U.S. veterans who may have been exposed to depleted uranium.

SB 1720, the Veterans’ Health and Safety Act, was introduced by State Sen. Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata) in February.

Recognizing the extensive use of depleted uranium by U.S. Armed Forces since the 1991 Gulf War and the health risks associated with the radioactive heavy metal — including kidney and lung damage, cancer and genetic mutations — the bill designates health screenings for veterans who may have been exposed.

“The purpose of this act is to safeguard the health of California’s veterans by assisting them in obtaining federal treatment services, including ‘best practice’ health screening tests capable of detecting low levels of depleted uranium,” it stated. 

It requires the adjutant general and the secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs to provide outreach and assistance to eligible veterans, defined as those who return to California following service in an area where depleted uranium was known to be used, or in an area that was designated as a combat zone by the U.S. president after 1990.

The health screenings would include a bioassay procedure capable of detecting depleted uranium at low levels and discriminating between different uranium isotopes.

An annual report on the efficacy of pre- and post-deployment training related to detecting exposure would also be submitted to the state legislative policy committees dealing with veterans’ affairs.

Last week, the bill was re-referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Another bill introduced by Chesbro and co-authored by Assemblymember Patty Berg (D-Eureka) expresses support for the federal Veterans’ Right to Know Act. 

That bill, HR 4259, was introduced in Congress by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa). It signed into law, it would create a commission to investigate chemical and biological tests involving members of the armed services, particularly Project 112 and the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project. It has been in the Subcommittee on Military Personnel since the end of November. 

The California lawmakers’ bill of support was also re-referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs last week.