Depleted uranium, depleted health concerns

Published on Swiss Federal Institute of Technology website on 20 October 2007.

Abstract: As a growing number of Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans meet their death due to serious illness, the specter of 'Balkan Syndrome' and the effects of depleted uranium are again in the spotlight.

An increase of the number of Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans during the 1990s who are falling seriously ill due to depleted uranium exposure is causing a public outrage in Italy, as the government downplays the extent of the problem, widely referred to as "Balkan Syndrome."

According to an October study by the Italian Military Health Observatory, a total of 164 Italian soldiers have died thus far due to exposure to depleted uranium while serving in the Sarajevo suburbs and in Kosovo during the 1990s. In 2007 alone, the study said there were nine such related deaths and 97 new cases of uranium infection.

Read the full text: http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=18290