Exposure to Depleted Uranium Worries Lawmakers

WASHINGTON -- A new weapon in the war on terror could be putting American troops at risk, and that has some lawmakers on Capitol Hill asking questions about depleted uranium.

Lawmakers are worried that veterans exposed to the heavy metal are at risk for serious health problems.

The Depleted Uranium Munitions Study Act, introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-WA, in May of last year, would require the Pentagon to conduct a long-term study on the effects of exposure to depleted uranium. McDermott also is a physician, and he says the increase in birth defects among Iraqi children since the first Gulf War shows a need for this study.

"The military keeps saying there's no problem, but what I saw in Iraq makes me feel like I'm going though Vietnam again with what they said about Agent Orange."

The U.S. military uses depleted uranium in many of its weapons because of its armour-piercing capabilities. When depleted uranium strikes a target, small particles of the high-density metal are released into the air. Soldiers on the battlefield may inhale those particles, or worse, have depleted uranium fragments embedded in their bodies.

"We should not expose our troops to something that we have not studied carefully and know what the problems may or may not be," says McDermott.

A study by the Department of Defense finds little health risk to soldiers who inhaled the airborne particles of depleted uranium. Since 1993, the Veterans Affairs department in Baltimore has been monitoring 74 soldiers exposed to depleted uranium during the first Gulf War.

"To date those individuals do not show any medical effects from their exposure to depleted uranium," Dr. Michael E. Kilpatrick, deputy director for Deployment Health Support in the Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, tells WTOP.

Another study by the DoD found that even in extreme cases, exposure to depleted uranium did not pose a health risk. The Capstone Study measured the amount of airborne depleted uranium particles in an armored vehicle after it was hit with a round made from depleted-uranium. No soldiers were physically examined in the five-year, $6 million study.

Kilpatrick said of the 2,122 individuals from Operation Iraqi Freedom who were tested for depleted uranium exposure, eight tested positive.

"I don't think their study is thorough enough, nor broad enough nor long enough in time for us to really know. I think that they just want to get the situation off of the radio and out of the newspapers." says McDermott.

Despite assurances from the government that exposure to depleted uranium is safe, some states want extra measures taken.

Connecticut and Louisiana have passed laws providing state funded testing for troops returning from Iraq to determine if they have been exposed. At least 10 other states have similar bills pending approval.

There are federal tests available to some troops returning from Iraq to determine if they have been exposed to D-U. Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, said these tests are outdated. Robinson added there are newer, more sophisticated tests to detect for depleted uranium exposure.

Meanwhile, the Unites States Navy as well as the British Royal Navy are phasing out the use of depleted uranium munitions.

Rob Arcamona contributed to this report

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