NI Balkans vets offered health tests

DU-tipped weapons were used to destroy tanks in Kosovo

About 500 Royal Irish Regiment soldiers are among thousands of British soldiers to be offered screening after being exposed to depleted uranium in the Balkans.

The troops, who belonged to the 1st battalion, were part of the peacekeeping effort with the K-FOR reaction force in Kosovo.

Troops from the Irish Guards, who were among the among first soldiers sent to Kosovo from Britain immediately after the bombing, are also expected to be offered the chance to be screened for health problems, after coming into contact with the debris from depleted uranium shells.

Armed Forces Minister John Spellar made the announcement on Tuesday, but said depleted uranium would continue to be used.

The news came as the European Union revealed it would investigate the suggested link between uranium-tipped weapons and cases of cancer among Balkan peacekeepers.

Several European countries have already carried out medical tests on soldiers who served in the Kosovo conflict who may have been exposed to radiation from the ammunition.

Kevin Rudland developed health problems after serving in the Balkans

Britain says there is no evidence of a link between the weapons and cancer and Mr Spellar told the UK Parliament that depleted uranium would remain part of British forces' arsenal for the "foreseeable future".

But he added: "We do recognise that some of the recent coverage would have caused some concerns among our people and we recognise a need to reassure them."

He said there would be a voluntary screening programme for military personnel who had served in the Balkans and were worried about their health.

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But he stressed that if handled correctly DU shells "present no hazard to our forces" and said there was no evidence of higher cancer rates or other illness amongst Gulf veterans.

Shadow defence secretary Iain Duncan Smith welcomed Mr Spellar's statement, but questioned why the Ministry of Defence's position on the need for health checks appeared to have changed over the last 24 hours.

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

Portuguese soldiers examine soil for contamination in Kosovo

The armour-piercing weapons were also used during the conflict in Bosnia and in the Gulf war.

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

Tank fitter Kevin Rudland, who has developed many serious health problems since returning from Bosnia in 1996, said the MoD had taken too long to get screening sorted out.

Tony Flint, of the National Gulf Veterans' and Families' Association, told BBC Radio 4's The World at One programme that troops who had served in the Gulf war should also be screened.

"Cancer is only one of the things you can get from depleted uranium poisoning. The other things are illnesses of the kidneys.

"We have got children born with birth defects similar to those children in Iraq with birth defects," he said.

British soldiers were part of the peacekeeping force in Kosovo

Gulf veterans tested for depleted uranium poisoning had been shown to have between 25 and 75 times the normal level of the chemical in their bodies, he added.

Six Italian soldiers, five Belgians, two Dutch nationals, two Spaniards, a Portuguese and a Czech have died after tours in the Balkans. Four French soldiers and five Belgians have also contracted leukaemia.

Depleted uranium (DU) is used in munitions to make bullets or missiles more dense so they can pierce armour.

The material gives off relatively low levels of radiation, but is toxic can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled in dust or if it enters the body through cuts or wounds.

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