Re: German defence minister talks down uranium risk

[RICHARD.T.WHITMAN@customs.treas.gov]

FYI.  Yesterday's storms are calming.

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: German defence minister talks down uranium risk
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at smtplink
Date:    1/10/01 12:05 PM


Personal note: It is very refreshing to see many professional, as 
well as govt. agencies, moving beyond the current "hysteria", and, 
evaluating this issue based on the facts, and not simply joining the 
"high rhetoric bandwagon" which has been a very popular tactic in the 
past....
     
German defence minister talks down uranium risk
     
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping Wednesday 
played down the possibility of health risks to soldiers from contact 
with ammunition containing depleted uranium used by NATO in the 
Balkans. 
     
"All scientific evidence and all medical evidence shows that the 
radiation risk to soldiers in operational areas is negligible," 
Scharping told a news conference. 
     
Under heavy opposition attack in recent days for his handling of 
concerns over the safety of German peacekeepers serving in the 
Balkans, Scharping said claims that too little had been done too late 
"have no basis in fact." 
     
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Monday he backed an Italian demand 
for NATO to investigate claims that Balkans peacekeepers had fallen 
ill from exposure to depleted uranium-tipped ammunition used in the 
Kosovo conflict and in the war in Bosnia. 
     
Schroeder said tests on German soldiers serving in risky areas had 
shown no cases of illness related to depleted uranium, but he did not 
support the use of the munitions in principle. 
     
NATO insisted Wednesday there was only a minimal health risk from the 
ammunition but promised an action plan to reassure both troops and 
civilians. 
     
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