Media Release The Hon Bruce Scott MP Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Â· Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence Â· Federal Member for Maranoa

21 Jan 2001 MIN 4/01

5 POINT PLAN DEALS WITH DEPLETED URANIUM EXPOSURE The acting Minister for Defence, and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Bruce Scott, today announced a five-point plan to deal with the possible exposure of Australian Defence Force personnel to depleted uranium munitions used in the Balkans.

Mr Scott said the plan will:

establish the risk to personnel from exposure to depleted uranium munitions, 1.   identify and contact ADF personnel potentially at risk, 2.   conduct health screening on those personnel, 3.   provide support and counselling services to those members and their families,

and

4.

provide for continued health monitoring at least every five years 5.

"I am advised that 216 ADF personnel have served in the Balkans, for periods of 30 days or more, since 1993 in areas including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," Mr Scott said.

"The Department of Defence is currently compiling a nominal role of personnel who performed temporary duties in the Balkans for periods of less than 30 days.

"At present there is no conclusive scientific or medical evidence that exposure to depleted uranium munitions is a health risk.

"Nonetheless, the Federal Government recognises it has a duty of care to the men and women who have served in the Balkans and is committed to meeting this duty through a comprehensive and appropriately targeted health management strategy.

"All current and former ADF personnel who have served in the Former Yugoslavia since the Balkans conflict began will be contacted in writing by the Defence Health Service and asked to complete a questionnaire and to participate in blood and urine screening in order to gather baseline clinical and exposure data. That process will commence next week (week commencing Monday 22 January).

"An independent review of those questionnaires and health screening test results

will then be carried out by the Repatriation Medical Authority and appropriate independent scientists," he said.

The service of ADF personnel on attachment or exchange with US, UK or other Allied forces in the Balkans, dependent up period of service, are covered under the Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986 and/or the Military Compensation and Rehabilitation Scheme.

"Veterans of the Gulf War will be tested for possible exposure to depleted uranium munitions as part of the current Gulf War Health Study."

To date, no claims have been lodged with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for a disease or condition arising from exposure to depleted uranium.

Mr Scott urged any current or former ADF personnel who believe they are suffering a medical condition as a result of their service in the Balkans to contact the Defence Health Service on Freecall 1800 502 771.

Media Contact: Mark Croxford 02 6277 7820 or 0408 645 787



Attachment to Min 4/01

5 POINT PLAN DEALS WITH DEPLETED URANIUM EXPOSURE



BACKGROUND INFORMATION

FOR THE MEDIA

Depleted uranium (DU)

Depleted Uranium is a heavy metal that is also slightly radioactive. Heavy metals (uranium, tungsten, lead, etc) have chemical toxicity properties that, in high doses, can cause poisoning and adverse health effects.

For perspective, we can compare this to natural uranium. Uranium ore is present in most rocks and soils as well as in many rivers and in seawater. Uranium is found in concentrations of about four parts per million in granite, which makes up 60% of the earth's crust. There are normally between two and four tons of naturally occurring uranium in the top foot of soil per square mile.

Like depleted uranium, natural uranium’s primary health hazards are associated with its chemical properties, not its radiological properties. Natural uranium is one of the least radioactive substances among unstable isotopes (a form of an atom which has a different atomic weight from other forms of the same atom but the same chemical structure) on the planet because of its high percentage of Uranium 238.

Depleted uranium is approximately 40% less radioactive than natural uranium and is classified in the lowest hazard class of all radioactive materials. Depleted uranium is the inert by-product of converting or enriching natural uranium for use in nuclear power plants. During the enrichment process for nuclear fuel, Uranium-235 is removed from uranium ore. The by-product of this process is DEPLETED URANIUM (DU).

To summarize, natural uranium has very low radioactivity and is a naturally occurring substance in the environment which we come into contact with everyday; DU has 40% less radioactivity than naturally occurring uranium and is an inert, man-made substance that is a by-product of enriching natural uranium for other uses.



DU use in commercial and military applications

DU’s physical properties make it desirable for both commercial and military applications. It is a very dense material - nearly twice as dense as lead. DU is used commercially in medicine (radiation shields), aviation (counterweights), space (satellite ballast), and petroleum exploration (drilling equipment).

For military applications, DU’s density makes it a desirable material for both munitions and armour plating - primarily for tank warfare. DU can be applied defensively to protect against penetration by projectiles made of less dense metals, such as tungsten-carbide projectiles, or offensively as projectiles to defeat armoured targets.

DU munitions were first used in combat by the United States during Operation Desert Storm (the Gulf War) with great success. The primary uses in the Gulf War were by tanks protected with DU armour using 105mm DU rounds and attack aircraft (notably USAF A-10 "Warthog" and USMC AV-8B "Harrier") firing 30 mm and 25 mm DU rounds. The British, French, Russian, and Chinese military forces also have DU armour piercing projectiles for anti-tank warfare.

The ADF used DU munitions in certain Navy ships prior to 1986 as part of the Phalanx anti-missile system on these ships. After 1986, the RAN switched to a tungsten carbide based munition for these weapon systems.



DU use in the Balkans

Because of the very limited (if any) use of ground forces in a combat role by NATO in the Balkans, NATO’s DU usage in the Balkans was primarily through aircraft firing DU rounds (30 mm and 25 mm rounds) during the bombing campaigns that occurred in Kosovo.

Approximately 31,000 rounds (9 tons) of DU munitions were fired at Serb targets during NATO’s 1999 campaign (Operation Allied Force) to drive the Yugoslav army out of Kosovo. These rounds were fired into approximately 112 sites in Kosovo.

Approximately 10,000 rounds (3 tons) were also fired into neighbouring Bosnia in 1994-95.

According to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, "very little" of the DU munitions were expended in what is now the British sector of Kosovo. This is significant because most ADF personnel in the Balkans served with British units

For perspective, approximately 320 tons of DU munitions were expended during the Gulf War, a much greater amount than was expended in the Balkans.



Health hazards associated with Depleted Uranium

The health hazards from DU munitions are generally classified into two categories - radiological and chemical. Most of what we know regarding health effects from DU munitions comes from studies performed as a result of the Gulf War. It is very important to recognise that health hazards from DU are likely to affect only very specific personnel in very specific circumstances. Additionally, just because you happened to be in the Balkans does not mean that you were necessarily exposed to DU.

For example, as a result of some of the very high intensity tank battles that occurred during the Gulf War, "friendly fire" incidents involving US tanks firing DU munitions at US tanks protected by DU armour occurred. These incidents resulted in DU exposure to inhabitants of the tank (with DU fragments embedded in their bodies) and combat rescue personnel entering the tank immediately after the incident (breathing fumes from vaporised DU munitions that entered the tank). This represented the highest level of DU exposure during the Gulf War. Because of the nature of the battle in the Balkans (eg, no ground combat by NATO forces of this nature), it is reasonably safe to say that peacekeepers in the Balkans were not exposed to intense levels of DU. The chemical and radiological hazards are explained in detail below.



Radiological health hazards associated with Depleted Uranium

Based on best available information, the external radiological hazards associated with Depleted Uranium appear to be very slight.

Once in the body, DU can potentially cause damage by ionizing radiation. The principal radiation hazard from internal deposits of DU is the intense ionization in tissue produced by alpha particles emitted during the radioactive decay process.

The environmental effects of DU were studied comprehensively by a wide range of organizations both before and after the Gulf War. The most recent toxicological profile developed by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) confirmed that the health hazard from DU was primarily a heavy metal, chemical toxicity concern and not a radiological hazard.

The ATSDR cites that "no human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium" and further states that because of the low radiation from natural and depleted uranium, "no radiological health hazard is expected from exposure to natural or depleted uranium."

To illustrate this, the most exposed US Army personnel in the Gulf War were involved in friendly fire incidents where a DU round penetrated a tank with DU armour. This exposure, based on test data and this worst case scenario, estimated the radiation exposure was equivalent to the dose a person would get from living in the US for four years.

It is also important to note that the most exposed personnel from the Gulf War, including those with embedded DU fragments in their bodies, have been studied by the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs. These studies have shown no untoward medical effects to date from DU radiological or chemical toxicity.

In similar studies for those personnel possibly exposed at a lower level, risk assessments indicated that radiological and chemical risks for those events were well within legal limits for industrial workers.



Chemical health hazards associated with Depleted Uranium

Depleted uranium is a toxic heavy metal which may cause kidney problems because of its toxicity.

Depleted uranium may pose a long-term health hazard to personnel if it gets into the body via metal fragments or is ingested/ inhaled through dust-like particles. The magnitude of this effect depends on factors such as the size of the particles, solubility, and the amount of uranium uptake.

Inhalation of DU is the most significant mode of entry. DU particles can be dispersed in the air by fires involving DU or from DU ammunition impacting armoured surfaces. Only very small particles can be inhaled. Of those inhaled particles, some will be soluble in lung fluid and others will not.

Those particles that are soluble will be absorbed by the body to become a heavy metal poison (chemically toxic) primarily to the kidneys.

The particles in the lungs that are not soluble will remain in the lungs and may be a radiation hazard. The body dispels insoluble particles that remain in the lungs very slowly. Uranium can be toxic to the kidneys. Uranium that makes it into the bloodstream (soluble) damages the very small tubules in the kidney. However, even after exposures to high levels of uranium the kidneys recover.

A recent review done by the US Institute of Medicine for Gulf War Health concluded that there is limited/ suggestive evidence of no association between exposure to uranium and clinically significant kidney dysfunction. Research on depleted uranium associated health hazards are continuing as a result of inquiries resulting from the Gulf War.



Would someone experience adverse health effects from either radioactivity or chemical toxicity by handling an unfired DU round

No. The DU penetrator rod is encased within the munition. One would have to hold the rod, which is not possible in an unfired munition, in their bare hands for over 200 consecutive hours - not a common practice.



If a fired DU penetrator rod was found on the ground and handled, would the handler experience adverse health effects from either radioactivity or chemical toxicity by handling this

In a word - no. Even when the bare DU penetrator rod is outside the munition, one would have to hold the rod in their bare hands for over 200 consecutive hours - not a common practice. Incidentally, the risk from handling unexploded ordnance would certainly be much higher and much more acutely hazardous to your health.



Are there any health effects expected from firing DU rounds (eg, at the firing point) from a tank or an aircraft

As detailed above, the DU penetrator rod is physically encased within the munition when it is loaded and fired. Of the various risk groups to DU exposure that were generated from the Gulf War, personnel who actually fired DU munitions (either in tanks or aircraft) were not included in any DU exposure group.

Again, the group at risk of highest DU exposure from the Gulf War included personnel riding in or on a vehicle struck by a DU munition and those that performed combat rescue on these personnel.

Prior to the Gulf War, it was believed that personnel that were riding in or on a vehicle struck by a DU munition had very little chance of surviving this event, making long term risks from inhaling dust generated from the vaporisation of the DU round immaterial. However, as a result of the various friendly fire incidents that occurred, it was learned that these incidents were survivable. These personnel have since been enrolled in medical monitoring studies that specifically address DU exposure. To date, none of these personnel have experienced adverse health effects related to their exposure to DU. These studies are continuing.



If the health hazards from DU are so limited, why are recent media reports highlighting possible links between DU and cancer or leukaemia

As mentioned above, the external radiation health hazard from DU, which is one commonly associated with various forms of cancer, is very slight.

The form of external radiation emitted by a fired DU munition that might be found in Kosovo or Bosnia primarily consists of alpha particles. These particles would

present a potential hazard only if internalised (eg, as in the case of shrapnel in the body or inhaling particles immediately after a DU round has vaporised - as in the case provided above).

Therefore, extreme caution should be exercised when considering recent media reports that appear to link radiological hazards from DU exposure to leukaemia and cancer cases in Balkan veterans that have been recently reported.

These reports do not appear to be consistent with medical or scientific research or literature reviews conducted to date.



Testing all ADF personnel who served in the Balkans

This effort is being undertaken solely as a precautionary measure under our duty of care to ADF personnel.

Based on the material you have read so far and the very small number and limited role of ADF personnel in the Balkans, we do not expect that ADF personnel have been exposed to levels of DU that would be medically significant and that would cause a health problem for either the individual or current / future family members.

These test results will be entered in the members medical record, along with a medical insert stating that the member has served in the Balkans. The urine and blood tests being conducted are routine tests to check for possible adverse effects on kidney function and the blood forming system.



Test results show something unusual

If the test results show something unusual, the member will be notified and further health screening will occur.



Why answer the questionnaire

It is important for the ADF to get details concerning exactly what roles our personnel performed in the Balkans. Certain personnel, such as explosive ordnance personnel or battle damage assessment personnel, MAY have had a higher risk of exposure to DU munitions through the course of their normal duties.

Additionally, through the British and US forces with whom most of ADF personnel served, we can get access to a range of environmental surveillance data collected by their medical personnel (eg, concentrations of pollutants in the air, water, and soil for various sectors). This data is coded by location, time, unit, and base camps in the various parts of the Balkans where we served. We would assume that ADF personnel would have been exposed to similar environmental pollutants as their allied counterparts.



Further information on DU

If you would like further information concerning the effects of depleted uranium, there are a number of Internet sites that can be easily accessed regarding DU health effects.

A recommended site is: http://www.gulflink.osd.mil - this site provides a wealth of information regarding DU and is a site established as a result of health concerns regarding DU from the Gulf War.

Another recommended site is the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Website (http://www.mod.uk), which also has information regarding DU from the Gulf War and recent policy statements concerning Balkan service and DU.

The NATO website (http://www.nato.int/kosovo/010110du.htm) has a special section devoted to depleted uranium information.



Independent Review by the Repatriation Medical Authority

In 1994 the Australian Government requested the Repatriation Commission, in consultation with veterans' organisations, to prepare legislation to reform the process of decision making about disease causation. The aim was to create a more equitable and consistent system of dealing with claims for disability pensions received from Australian veterans and their dependants.

One of the outcomes of the legislative reform was the formation of the Repatriation Medical Authority (RMA) which is an independent statutory authority responsible to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

The RMA consists of a panel of five practitioners eminent in fields of medical science.

Their role is to determine Statements of Principles (SOPs) for any disease, injury or death that could be related to military service, based on sound medical-scientific evidence. The SOPs state the factors which "must" or "must as a minimum" exist to cause a particular kind of disease, injury or death.

In carrying out its duties the RMA is bound by relevant sections of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986: s196, PART XIA & s5AB(2).

The SOPs are disallowable instruments which are tabled in both Houses of the Australian Parliament and they are binding on the various decision makers.

The matters of fact relating to an individual veteran's case, including the nature of service and any connection between eligible service and the factors in the SOPs, are still determined by the various decision makers.

These decision makers include the delegates of the Repatriation Commission, the

Veterans' Review Board and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.





Media Contact: Mark Croxford 02 6277 7820 or 0401 145 787

Phone: 61 (02) 62777820 Fax: 62734140 Email: Bruce.Scott.MP@aph.gov.au Website: http://www.defence.gov.au

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