The "study published this week in the American academic journal Health Physics......is believed to be the first study of the issue to appear in an academic, peer-reviewed journal," but apparently its still merely "casting doubt on claims that [soldiers] faced toxic exposure to radiation from armour-piercing bullets." No end of this issue in sight, I guess ? .....just a couple of days ago, BBC world news aired another feature report about a DU-inflicted cancer epidemic in Iraq.
Jaro
Sent: Friday April 05, 2002 8:37 AM
To: Cdn-Nucl-LISTSERV (E-mail)
Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] Gulf War syndrome not caused by DU exposure: Canadian study.
FYI - published in the National Post, 2002-04-05:
<http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20020405/550565.html&qs=nuclear>
Soldiers' illness not caused by radiation: study
Researchers find normal uranium levels in troops who served in Gulf War, Balkans: Bullets suspected source
Adrian Humphreys National Post
A scientific study of Canadian Forces soldiers who served in the Gulf War and Kosovo has found normal levels of uranium in their bodies, casting doubt on claims that they faced toxic exposure to radiation from armour-piercing bullets.
An analysis of urine and hair samples from soldiers and, in one case, a piece of skeleton from a dead veteran, found no elevated levels of depleted uranium, according to a study published this week in the American academic journal Health Physics.
Many soldiers who served in campaigns oversees, some of whom are now ailing or have since died, have pointed to the use of depleted uranium in ammunition and armour plating as the likely culprit for health problems.
While the Department of National Defence has long dismissed a connection between mysterious ailments of Canadian soldiers and the use of depleted uranium, this is believed to be the first study of the issue to appear in an academic, peer-reviewed journal.
That means the study's sampling methods and handling of the data were accepted as sound by a panel of independent scientists.
"There are a lot of numbers that are floating around out there that the media picks up on or people quote. What we wanted to do was make sure that we quantify it and put it into writing," said Dr. Brent Lewis, an analytical chemist at the Royal Military College in Kingston, an author of the study.
"The numbers we are getting [for the soldiers] are comparable to what we should see in the general population," he said.
The scientists analyzed urine from 103 Canadian Forces personnel who volunteered to provide two samples; 79 had served during the Gulf War and 39 had been stationed in the Balkans -- with 15 of the subjects having served in both.
The levels of uranium found in the samples was extremely low, so low in fact that separating naturally occurring uranium -- found in everyone because it is in water and soil -- from depleted uranium could barely be done, according to the paper.
The scientists then turned to hair samples, which allow a better measure.
Only 19 soldiers provided hair samples, which were found to have no unusual levels of depleted uranium, the paper says.
The bone sample, provided by the family of a soldier who died when he was 27 after serving overseas, was also studied. That sample had higher than normal levels of naturally occurring uranium but showed no sign of exposure to depleted uranium.
The study was funded by the defence department and conducted by professors at the Royal Military College in Kingston, a university operated by the federal government.
Dr. Lewis said that should not make the findings suspect.
"Nobody gave us any marching orders about we had to find," he said.
"Nobody tells us what to say. We say what we want to say based on our best judgment of what the data shows and all of the available information. Nobody from DND said this is what you bunch of scientists have to go ahead and say."
Depleted uranium is a mildly radioactive by-product left after highly radioactive isotopes are extracted for use in nuclear weapons or reactors.
The high density of the depleted uranium gives bullets added punch -- allowing for the penetration of tanks or other armoured vehicles -- and enhances the strength of armour plating.
Critics say the depleted uranium in the bullets, when crashing into a target, is pulverized into dust that, when breathed in, can cause a variety of illnesses. It is often blamed for an array of symptoms found among military personnel who served in recent conflicts, often called Gulf War Syndrome.
The military has produced several past studies, including a health survey distributed in 1997 to thousands of Canadian Forces personnel, that showed no unusual rates of illnesses such as cancer.
ahumphreys@nationalpost.com <mailto:ahumphreys@nationalpost.com>