Presentation on depleted uranium to the European Parliament by Keith Baverstock (Source grassrootspeace.org)

Keith Baverstock PhD, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kuopio, KUOPIO, Finland. Presentation held on 23 June 2005.

Abstract: I have, during a career of some 30 years, developed expertise in evaluating risks regarding the environmental and occupational exposure to ionising radiation and radioactive materials in many different situations. I have done this in the context of employment by the UK Medical Research Council (1971 to 1991) and the European Regional Office of the World Health Organisation (1991 to 2003), both ostensibly "independent" organisations.

Between 2000 and 2002 I examined the evidence relating to risks from the mildly radioactive depleted uranium. My concern was especially raised by the specific exposure context of inhalation of the dust particles produced when a depleted uranium munition impacts a hardened target and burns, producing fine particles of DU oxide (DUO). This material has no natural analogue and does not arise in the normal refining and processing of uranium for nuclear fuel. There is, therefore, no prior experience of exposure to this material than its use in Iraq in 1991.

Read the full text: http://www.grassrootspeace.org/keith_baverstock_23june05.htm