MOD uranium screening due

Some British soldiers serving in Kosovo may have been exposed

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is likely to announce some type of uranium screening programme for Kosovo veterans by the end of this week.

The MOD had been criticised for not joining other European forces in testing soldiers who may have been exposed to the controversial ammunition.

The US military fired more than 30,000 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition, used for anti-tank purposes, during the fighting in Kosovo.

The ammunition has been implicated in the deaths of three Italian soldiers and eight European armies are testing its Kosovo veterans for uranium contamination.

Uranium 'safe'

The American authorities say the uranium shells only give off small amounts of radiation and are therefore safe.

But senior defence sources have told the BBC that a screening programme for British veterans is "more than likely" to be announced on Thursday.

It is understood that no final decision has yet been taken and it is not known whether any screening programme will cover veterans of the Gulf conflict along with soldiers stationed in Kosovo.