***************************************************************** 01/09/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.8 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Leaking water probed at plant - By Bill Bartleman 2 STATES MULL STOCKING PILLS THAT MAY CUT RADIATION RISK 3 Bush draws from nuclear industry for energy team 4 NRC asks NAS to investigate recycling waste into products 5 Millstone missing fuel rods 6 Letter to the EPA about Yucca Standards 7 India and Vietnam to cooperate in nuclear energy. 8 Guard tried to sabotage nuclear reactor 9 UK NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS TIGHTEN UP SECURITY 10 Dounreay jobs strategy plan 11 U.S. TO SEEK NEW WAYS TO DISPOSE OF NUCLEAR WASTE 12 Disaster Of The Day: Lost Nuclear Waste NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Energy secretary to visit Jackson, Boise 2 Meeting will discuss options for waste storage in Idaho 3 Local board backs Flats plan 4 Safety errors signal 'trend' at Rocky Flats 5 Boulder, Arvada hit bump in road 6 FLATS CLEANUP VIOLATIONS CITED 7 U.S. Warned Allies Against Uranium Shells/Memo contradicts 8 Editorials & Opinion: Study uranium shells 9 Officer links Gulf War, Balkan ills to ammo 10 NATO details DU use - Jane's Defence News 11 DEPLETED URANIUM - FAQs - Jane's Defence News 12 Market Review: Nuclear Biological Chemical 1999-2000 13 Turner's Ł168m anti-nuclear quest 14 Test Ban Backers Face Uphill Battle 15 Burning of plutonium called safest option 16 Canadian soldiers tested for depleted uranium show no problems 17 NATO Shoots Down Italy's Plea 18 Aftershocks from anti-tank shells 19 A Bullet Gone Too Far? 20 Radioactive Ammunition Still Litters Kosovo 21 Shells could be linked to cancer 22 Soldiers will be screened for uranium exposure 23 Veterans to be tested for uranium 24 Pressure mounts over DU arms 25 UK relents over uranium tests 26 Bush makes astoundingly bad appointment 27 British statement on uranium weapons 28 Pressure mounts over DU arms 29 Kosovo doctors play down uranium scare 30 NATO and EU discuss weapons fears - 31 MOD CLIMBDOWN ON DEPLETED URANIUM 32 EU and NATO to discuss depleted uranium 33 Croatia Demands Information From NATO on Possible DU 34 Russia: Baltic Region Still Nuke-Free 35 Business (Uranium Deal Draws U.S. Flak) 36 Espionage Trials Stoke Fear of KGB Return 37 Israel denies depleted uranium use 38 INEEL gets new mission, money 39 INEEL scientists hope to zap pollution with radiation ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Leaking water probed at plant - By Bill Bartleman The Paducah Sun The Paducah site had burst pipes in two unused buildings with 'a fair amount of contamination.' Some water leaked to the outside. Tests are under way to determine if water that leaked from two Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant buildings was contaminated with chemicals or minor levels of radioactive material. About 100,000 gallons leaked after water pipes burst in the C-410 and C-420 buildings, said Greg Cook, spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs Co., which manages the plant's environmental cleanup. The buildings, which have been decommissioned, were once used to process materials used in the production of enriched uranium. The leaks were discovered at 2:56 a.m. Monday after a transformer in one of the buildings malfunctioned when it became wet, Cook said. The power outage was confined to the buildings, a few street lights and an alarm system protected by a battery backup. He said no one works in the building, but monitoring equipment inside is checked regularly. The pipes contained potable water. However, Cook said "there is a fair amount of contamination in the buildings," including an old ash receiver pit. He said water samples are being tested to see if the water became contaminated. "The last time we had a water leak (in October), we found some PCBs in the water," Cook said. Cook said a small amount of water leaked out of the building through doors and other openings. However, he said none of it left the plant and that there was no danger to the public or plant workers. "The building was checked on Friday, and everything was OK," Cook said. He said officials aren't sure of the cause of the broken pipes, but he speculated they might have frozen. After testing is completed, officials will decide how to remove the spilled water, Cook said. ***************************************************************** 2 STATES MULL STOCKING PILLS THAT MAY CUT RADIATION RISK toledoblade.com Article published January 8, 2001 BLADE STAFF WRITER OAK HARBOR - States again are being encouraged to protect their residents against the deadly effects of a nuclear meltdown by stockpiling special pills for those who live within 10 miles of a nuclear plant. But the debate among government agencies rages as to whether doing so would result in more harm than good. Reversing a decision it made two years ago, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed its offer to help states pay for stockpiling potassium iodide pills for the general public. The pills have long been recognized by medical experts as an effective way to keep cancer-causing radiation from being absorbed by the thyroid gland, if taken within minutes of a meltdown. While not necessarily a sure-proof antidote, the pills - which cost only about a dime apiece - could provide an extra layer of protection during an evacuation from a nuclear accident, officials have said. They are kept in reserve for emergency workers, health-care providers, hospital and nursing-home patients, prisoners, and others who could not be readily moved out of the 10-mile evacuation zone. States have debated for years whether to make them available to the general public, with the theory being that doing so could slow down an evacuation. The Ohio Department of Health’s decision on the matter will directly affect the lives of about 16,500 people who live within 10 miles of FirstEnergy Corp.’s Davis-Besse nuclear plant off State Rt. 2 in Ottawa County. The Ohio Department of Health had long been skeptical about making the pills available, then came out in favor after the NRC offered in 1997 to help states pay for costs. But, in April of 1999, the NRC - citing costs - withdrew its offer. The latest development occurred just before Christmas, when the NRC announced it had budgeted $400,000 to help states pay for costs during the 2001 fiscal year, and that it would be seeking similar funding for the 2002 fiscal year. Jay Carey, Ohio health department spokesman, said the state is still leaning toward stockpiling pills - but has not committed itself to the program. "We’re interested. But we want to find out more about the NRC proposal and pending [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] guidelines," he said. Jan Strasma, NRC spokesman, said the ultimate decision rests with state health departments and local emergency planning agencies. The NRC regulates the nuclear industry but is required by law to let state and local officials establish policies for evacuations, he said. Michigan’s decision will be a consensus of three state agencies: The Michigan State Police, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the Michigan Department of Community Health, according to Dave Minnaar, chief of the DEQ’s radiological protection section. Michigan remains "unconvinced" that it should distribute the pills, even if they’re provided free of charge by the NRC. But state officials will take a look at new information that is provided, he said. "We’ve never argued against the effectiveness of KI [potassium iodide], " Mr. Minnaar said. Michigan’s sole concern is whether evacuations would be impeded by the time it takes people to either find pills in their own medicine cabinets, or to stop by a distribution point, he said. The decision ultimately affects thousands of Michigan residents who live within a 10-mile radius of the Detroit Edison Co.’s Fermi II nuclear plant in northern Monroe County. The Toledo Blade Company, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660, (419) 724-6000 here. ***************************************************************** 3 Bush draws from nuclear industry for energy team January 09, 2001 BY BENJAMIN GROVE LAS VEGAS SUN WASHINGTON--A number of nuclear-power industry leaders who back the plan to bury the nation's high-level radioactive waste in Nevada are among the advisers President-elect George W. Bush assembled to counsel him on energy issues. Among those bending Bush's ear: Joe Colvin, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the industry's leading advocacy and lobby group; and J. Bennett Johnston, the former Louisiana senator who authored the 1987 "Screw Nevada" bill that designated Nevada as the only state to be considered as a nuclear dumping ground. Notably missing from the 48-member advisory team are environmentalists or anyone who opposes the plan to bury waste in Nevada, several activists said. "To include NEI, especially, without any attempt at all at balancing that with anyone who represents an environmental perspective, is telling, it's disappointing," said Lisa Gue, policy analyst with Washington-based Public Citizen. Bush's "Energy Transition Advisory Team" is a collection of leaders from mostly corporate backgrounds including energy company executives and lobbyists. "The list reads like a who's who of the nuclear power industry," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. Of the 48 members, at least 14 have strong ties to the nuclear power industry. Among them: Tom Kuhn, president of Edison Electric Institute, a lobbying arm of the electric power industry and active Yucca Mountain project advocate; and longtime Bush friend and fundraiser, TXU chairman Erle Nye. TXU operates two nuclear reactors in Texas. Also on the team are Johnston aide Alex Flint; James Langdon, Jr. and Gregg Renkes--leading lobbyists whose firms work for nuclear power companies; Steve Wakefield, executive with Southern Company and Tom Farrell, an executive with Dominion Energy--both companies operate nuclear plants; and Judy Walsh and Pat Wood, both members of the Texas Public Utilities Commission, which oversees the nuclear power industry in Texas. "It appears to me we have the industry directing policy," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. Of the 48 members, 34 gave donations to the Republican Party, in most cases through their companies' political action committees; 18 gave personal donations to Bush, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign money watchdog group. Four of Bush's energy advisory team members were so-called Pioneers -- Bush friends who raised at least $100,000 for his campaign: Occidental Chemical president and CEO J. Roger Hirl; Enron Corp. executive Kenneth Lay; Langdon and Nye. While no anti-dump activists sit on Bush's energy team, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., has said Bush promised an "open-door" policy for Nevada Republicans to voice objections to the Yucca Mountain plan. "After looking at the list, it's basically the same situation that it always has been in that obviously there are some members on there who have voiced strong support for Yucca Mountain," Gibbons spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said. "It's always been the same battle with 49 states against one." Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., declined to comment, spokeswoman Traci Scott said. Las Vegan Troy Wade is the only Nevadan on the team, but the former Nevada Test Site miner and a defense official for the Energy Department under President Ronald Reagan is a nuclear weapons and security expert. He is not privy to Yucca Mountain policy discussions, he said Monday. The entire energy advisory team has not yet met as a group, but it may soon, Wade said. Members of the advisory team act as an information resource for Bush's three-member "Energy Policy Coordination Group," which works out of the Bush-Cheney transition office in Washington. That group is: ˙Andrew Lundquist, chief of staff for the Senate Energy Committee, ˙atop aide to Energy Committee chairman Sen. Frank Murkowski, ˙R-Alaska, the leading Yucca supporter in the Senate ˙Paul Longsworth, staffer for the Senate Armed Services Committee ˙Joseph Kelliher, lawyer who specializes in energy issues for the ˙international 750-lawyer firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Green and MacRae. Their job is to brief Bush's Energy Secretary pick, former Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., as he prepares for Senate confirmation hearings. They also will turn Bush's campaign commitments into detailed presidential proposals, according to a press released from the Bush-Cheney transition office. The three were not available for comment on nuclear waste policy, said Angela Flood, who is serving as an energy team spokeswoman. "It would be too early to do any policy pronouncements," Flood said. Flood said Abraham is working with the three policy officers but has not yet set an agenda. "As far as developing policy, it's a little presumptuous to do that prior to being confirmed," Flood said. But she added that nuclear waste disposal will be "very high" on Abraham's list of priorities "given that one of the main functions of the department is to deal with that issue." As a senator, Abraham voted for legislation aimed at establishing the waste site at Yucca. Abraham is contacting senators to garner support for his nomination, Flood said. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 4 NRC asks NAS to investigate recycling waste into products Pollution Online News for pollution control professionals -->1/8/2001  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to sanction the practice manufacturing consumer products from materials mildly contaminated by radioactivity that are discarded from commercial nuclear power plants and government bomb factories. Richard Meserve, chairman of the NRC, made the request during the public portion of a special NAS committee meeting in Washington on Jan. 3. Meserve said this type of recycling is necessary to ensure the continued viability of the commercial nuclear power-plant industry and the Cold War decommissioning activities of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Meserve explained to the panel of NAS scientists, "It is our hope that we will get your findings and recommendations as to how we should proceed in a timely manner," since basically no guidance exists. The nuclear-power industry and the DOE currently possess tens of thousands of tons of solid materials contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, which they disposed of, prior to the early 1970s, in specially designed nuclear-waste-disposal facilities. The NRC and the DOE now allow their licensees and contractors to recycle some solid materials, but currently there is no national health based standard or generally applicable criteria governing the release of solid materials from commercial nuclear-power plants or government nuclear weapons facilities. At the NRC's request, the NAS's panel has agreed to examine the question of whether or not there are sufficient technical bases to establish a consistent system for controlling the release of what it is terming "slightly contaminated" solid materials. The panel is expected to evaluate several factors in making its recommendations regarding the release of these materials, including studies of critical groups, exposure pathways and scenarios, and individual and collective doses. Meserve asked the panel to consider a number of other factors in reaching its conclusion, including rulemaking actions taken by federal agencies, states, and the European Union. Meserve also outlined four (possible but not inclusive) conclusions that he said the NAS panel could reasonably reach: ˙permitting the release of radioactively contaminated solid materials ˙of dose less than a specified level; ˙restricting the release of such materials for only certain authorized ˙uses, which could prohibit recycling; ˙prohibiting the release of materials stored in areas where radioactive ˙materials were present; and ˙segregating reused materials for public and nonpublic use. Meserve noted the extraordinary expanse of disposing of radioactively contaminated solid materials through other means. Edited by Paul Hersch Managing Editor, Pollution Online --> ***************************************************************** 5 Millstone missing fuel rods Pollution Online News for pollution control professionals -->1/8/2001  The Millstone nuclear power plant (Waterford, CT), which is about to be sold, cannot account for two fuel rods last seen in April 1980. Officials, according to a report carried by the Jan. 8 edition of The New York Times, discovered the two rods missing in November during a routine inventory conducted concomitant with the permanent decommissioning of the plant's original reactor, Millstone 1. Millstone documents last account for the rods in April 1980, listing their location in a container in the plant's spent fuel pool. But as of September 1980, plant records no longer account for them. The U.S. government says that the situation is highly unique but very unlikely to present a radiation hazard. Officials explained that, for the rods to leave the facility’s grounds, the rods would have had to be encased in protective shielding to prevent having sounded safety alarms. Millstone managers at a hearing on Jan. 4 offered two possible theories on the rods’ whereabouts: they were still somewhere in the plant's spent fuel pool, or they were mistakenly been shipped to an out-of- state disposal center—the latter being a violation of federal regulations. Said federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesperson Diane Screnci, "Obviously we are concerned that … [we] are not able to trace where these rods are. We are maintaining close contact to stay up on the status of this investigation." In December, officials carried out an initial, futile search of the pool, more than 900 square feet of borated water, 40 feet deep, where old fuel rods and other radioactive garbage and debris are kept. The pool contains nearly 2,900 bundles of rods called fuel assemblies. One reason they are difficult to locate is that they were not part of a bundle that rods are usually kept in. The General Electric Company, which manufactured the rods, had removed them from the bundle in 1972 to make some repairs. In the process, one rod was damaged and the other could not be refitted into the bundle. They therefore were placed in a container and stored in the spent-fuel pool, said Peter Hyde, a Millstone spokesperson. A team of experts from GE’s nuclear division is now in Waterford to assist Millstone with a thorough search. Millstone officials said they are also searching through hundreds of thousands of pages of old records. Edited by Paul Hersch Managing Editor, Pollution Online --> Statement [*]WWW.POLLUTIONONLINE.COM ***************************************************************** 6 Letter to the EPA about Yucca Standards January 8, 2001 Carol Browner Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency 1101 A, Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. bsp; Dear Administrator Browner: As you move to finalize outstanding regulations before the change in Administration, I am writing to respectfully express Public Citizen's objection to weakened radiation protection standards for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. EPA radiation protection standards are of critical importance for public health and environmental protection. In its reluctance to issue strong standards for a Yucca Mountain repository, the Clinton Administration has failed to distinguish itself from nuclear industry interests that would sacrifice public and environmental safety for short-term economic gains. The most stringent standards considered in the proposed rule - 15 millirems per year all pathway standard, groundwater protection consistent with the Safe Drinking Water Act, a "point of compliance" 5 kilometers away from the repository site, and a regulatory period of 10,000 years - already represent a compromise. They rely on dilution, rather than containment, of dangerous radionuclides, and allow for a nuclear sacrifice zone between the repository and the point of compliance. In addition, the EPA's preference for a 10,000-year regulatory period contradicts the recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences and does not include the anticipated "peak dose" period of maximum radiation release. Any weakening of these proposed standards would be wholly unacceptable. We cannot agree to any further compromise on the principal that radioactive waste should be kept isolated from people and the environment. Sincerely, Lisa Gue Policy Analyst Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy & Environment Program cc. Linda Lance, White House Council on Environmental Quality ***************************************************************** 7 India and Vietnam to cooperate in nuclear energy. Radio Australia News - 9/01/01: Vietnam and India have signed an agreement to cooperate in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai made the announcement in Hanoi after a meeting with visiting Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. India will provide technical assistance to build an atomic power research institute in Da Lat on Vietnam's central highland, and a2.4 million US dollar grant to establish a computer software center. Vietnam plans to build its first atomic power plant in 2020 to meet growing electricity demand for industrialization and modernization. The two leaders also signed agreements to promote tourism and bilateral cultural relations. material from Pacnews, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Reuters ***************************************************************** 8 Guard tried to sabotage nuclear reactor Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Security checks tightened after high-level alert KEVIN MAGUIRE TUESDAY JANUARY 9, 2001 Tough new security checks are to be imposed at nuclear power stations after a guard employed to protect a complex attempted to sabotage the site's computers. The patrolman triggered a high-level security alert that led to a shutdown of the station's automatic access control system, locking doors electronically to effectively close it, as colleagues started searching for an intruder. Leaked documents obtained by the Guardian show that the guard had never been vetted and had two undisclosed criminal convictions. Internal Department of Trade and Industry memos marked "restricted" reveal that as a result all security staff, including existing employees, will from March be required to undergo security tests. Written by Peter Hatton, head of security in the government's office for civil nuclear security, the documents refer to a security breach at an unnamed station which was the "deliberate action of a member of the site security force". No details are divulged but the station is understood to be the Bradwell magnox reactor in Essex, run by state-owned BNFL and the nearest nuclear power generator to London. The guard is believed to have hacked into Bradwell's computer system to alter sensitive information. "He got into one of the systems and wiped the records. The security people are still very touchy when we try to find out exactly what happened," said an industry employee. BNFL said last night it was unable to provide further information but the incident, in June 1999, which was never disclosed nationally, was considered so serious that a working party was formed to review security. Mr Hatton says in his memo: "The incident did highlight the danger of not conducting retrospective vetting particularly of those individuals such as members of the security police force who enjoy a freedom of movement over the whole of a site and have a high degree of trust placed in their integrity." From March this year more than 500 guards, including hundreds of existing personnel, will be subjected to 10-yearly tests including security service, court and credit clearance, and taking up references. New recruits have since April 1998 been required to undergo less stringent checks but employees in post before that date, including the Bradwell guard, were not covered. The guard's two criminal convictions would not necessarily have led to clearance being denied, records the DTI note. Jack Dromey, who represents security staff as national secretary of the Transport & General Workers Union, said: "Employers have a duty not to put the public and fellow employees at risk by penny- pinching or through sloppy procedures." Another union official said: "Lunatics, industrial spies or terrorists could have walked through the gates with a badge that almost anyone could get." The new security tests will apply to British Energy civilian security staff at Dungeness B, Hartlepool, Hinkley B, Sizewell B, Hunterston, Torness and two Heysham power stations, plus BNFL magnox employees at Oldbury, Wylfa, Dungeness A, Sizewell A, Hinckley Point A, Berkeley and Bradwell. A spokesman for British Energy said: "We understand the need for such arrangements and are happy to comply." The department of trade and industry confirmed the new checks but played down the Bradwell incident, saying security was constantly under review. "There has been an incident in 1999 which, although it did not cause a breach of security, caused a review of security and in the light of that review revised procedures are to be introduced," a spokesman said. The bigger security companies, MPs and trade unionists have campaigned against "cowboy" guards for years. The government has published a bill requiring the 250,000 guards, bouncers, wheelclampers and private investigators working in the security industry to be vetted after a significant minority were found to have criminal convictions. Guardian Unlimited c Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 9 UK NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS TIGHTEN UP SECURITY By Matthew Jones in London Published: January 9 2001 11:19GMT | Last Updated: January 9 2001 12:47GMT Security at Britain's nuclear power stations is being upgraded following an incident in which a guard hacked into the computerised access system of the Bradwell plant. An official from the Department of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday that the incident, which happened in June 1999, had not led to a breach of security because people entering the plant still had to be manually checked. But he admitted that a review of procedures had since been conducted and tougher controls on security guards would be introduced from March. "The government's security regulator is confident that the existing procedures are adequate and effective but security checks can always be improved and a new procedure is going to be introduced," he said. News of the incident comes as confidence in Britain's civil nuclear sector is at an all time low. Bradwell, which is located in Essex and is the nearest nuclear reactor to London, is owned by British Nuclear Fuels, the state-owned company. BNFL is currently trying to rebuild its international reputation after admitting in 1999 that it had falsified quality checks on batches of mixed oxide plutonium-uranium fuel shipped to Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan. UK: financial times ***************************************************************** 10 Dounreay jobs strategy plan The Scotsman Online - Scotland's best selling quality national newspaper John Ross THE job opportunities provided by the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear plant are to be investigated by a special strategy being drawn up by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Neil Money, chief executive of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE), is to spend six months trying to maximise spin-off benefits from the rundown. It was confirmed last year that the Caithness plant will become a greenfield site by 2060 at a cost of Ł4 billion. It is expected employment levels will remain at about 2,000 for at least the next 20 years but few posts will remain by the time decommissioning is complete with the site mainly consisting of storage areas. Sandy Cumming, chief executive of HIE, said: "The decommissioning of Dounreay is one of the most important developments for the Highlands and Islands over the next three to four decades. It is essential we identify the opportunities this process can provide. "The potential economic benefits could drift away from the area and be lost forever if we do not undertake this process now." Peter Welsh, Dounreay’s site director, said: "Dounreay has been an important economic contributor to the Highland economy for many years and whilst we acknowledge that our role in the local economy as a major employer will eventually be less that it is now, we hope that by planning for the future we can maximise its effects after its completion." It has been suggested the site could be used in future as a centre of excellence for decommissioning other nuclear sites. ***************************************************************** 11 U.S. TO SEEK NEW WAYS TO DISPOSE OF NUCLEAR WASTE Chicago Tribune Traditional Version - Nation/World BY JUDITH GRAHAM Tribune Staff Writer JANUARY 09, 2001 DENVER In one of his last major acts in office, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson on Monday said the department would pursue new ways to dispose of dangerous nuclear wastes. In particular, Richardson said the government will investigate alternatives to burning nuclear wastes--a method of disposal that raised a huge public outcry in Jackson, Wyo., last year when plans for a nuclear incinerator in neighboring Idaho became public. Under that proposal, the department would have burned "transuranic waste," which mixes radioactive elements such as plutonium with hazardous chemicals such as PCBs, at its 890-square-mile Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in eastern Idaho. Critics charged that tiny particles of plutonium could be released in the process, drifting 100 miles east over the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park and harming animals and human health. At meetings Monday in Wyoming and Idaho, Richardson reversed earlier statements by department officials that no well-established alternatives to incineration existed. The secretary, who leaves office after President Clinton's term ends Jan. 20, formally accepted a report by a panel that examined other waste disposal choices. The panel was named as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by several prominent citizens in the Jackson area, including lawyer Gerry Spence. The panel reported there were several promising ways to dispose of transuranic wastes without the health hazards that appear to accompany incineration. These methods include plasma torching, thermal and vacuum treatments, and steam reforming. Although none is ready for immediate use, several deserve testing over the next few years and could be in use as early as 2003, the panel said. Researching new methods of nuclear waste disposal could cost nearly $91 million, the panel said, while warning against devoting insufficient resources to the effort. With aides and political supporters on hand, Richardson promised to increase funding for the effort in this year's budget by $3 million to $9 million, and to transfer another $1 million to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory for work on long-term environmental protection of department sites. "We feel that we here in Jackson have changed the course of how the country is going to deal with this enormous problem of what to do about these wastes," said Sophia Wakefield, an activist and businesswoman. "Hopefully, other communities won't have to go through what we've gone through." She added that the inauguration of Dick Cheney as vice president may well help the cause. Cheney hails from Wyoming, has a home in Jackson and has friends and close political allies throughout the area. "We will be vigilant in monitoring how the Bush administration handles these issues," Wakefield said. The Energy Department faces a time-sensitive problem, with 65,000 cubic meters of transuranic nuclear waste stored above ground in wooden boxes and metal containers in Idaho. According to a 1995 federal court order, the department has to begin treating that waste by 2003 and remove all of it from the state by 2018. Most of the waste stored in Idaho comes from the Rocky Flats plant outside Denver, a key nuclear weapons facility during the Cold War. Similar waste is stored at other Energy Department sites, including the Hanford reservation in Washington state, Savannah River in South Carolina and Oak Ridge in Tennessee, said Carolyn Huntoon, assistant energy secretary for environmental management. She said the department would continue to operate itsincinerator at Oak Ridge. Meanwhile, problems associated with buried transuranic waste may be even more pressing, according to the panel's report. In Idaho, it noted, anywhere from 57,000 to 186,000 cubic meters of such waste has been dumped in trenches and pits--far more than the 37,000 cubic meters engineering and environmental lab officials told the Tribune was there in an interview last year. Not only is this waste not contained in any fashion, no one knows the extent of it or even exactly what it consists of, and no clean- up plan exists, the report said. The buried waste has the potential to migrate through the soil and into water supplies and "poses a substantial threat to the Snake River Plain aquifer underlying the site," the panel's study said. The Snake River aquifer is one of the largest underground water supplies in the United States and a vital water source for Idaho farmers. "Buried wastes are a critical national concern, and the DOE has done a great thing in admitting that so publicly in this report," said Eric Ringelberg, executive director of Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free. ***************************************************************** 12 Disaster Of The Day: Lost Nuclear Waste Forbes.com: Patsuris, Forbes.com, 01.08.01, 4:23 PM ET NEW YORK - It's not Chernobyl, but neighbors of the MILLSTONE nuclear plant in Waterford, Conn., can't be too happy. Two fuel rods containing uranium dioxide, a byproduct of nuclear power, have been missing at the Waterford, Conn., nuclear reactor for twenty years. What's worse, plant officials didn't actually notice that the waste was unaccounted for until November 2000. "We've looked through our records to see if anything like this has ever happened before," says a spokeswoman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) DIANE SCRENCI, "and it hasn't." According to plant officials, the fuel rods were removed from the reactor in the early '70s and placed in what's called a cooling pool, which is about 40 feet deep and 900 square feet, where they generally stay for anywhere between six years and 20 years. The rods, which numbers and are regularly inventoried by the plant. "The rods were on the map we did of the pool in May 1980, but they came up missing in September 1980," says a Millstone spokesperson. No one at the reactor noticed that the rods were unaccounted for until this fall, and since then a search has been underway. Millstone is searching its cooling pool, which now holds about 2,900 of these fuel assemblies. It's also reviewing records of all shipments out of the plant made in the past two decades to see if the rods were accidentally sent to a low-level waste facility. Millstone has been struggling to gain respectability, and the missing fuel rods will only make that harder. The plant was on the NRC watch list of those that required heightened scrutiny from 1996 to 1999, and in 1999 Millstone and its parent company NORTHEAST UTILITIES Energy Act and six violations of the Clear Water Act. "We don't believe [the lost rods] will have any impact on public health and safety," says Screnci, "but obviously we're concerned about the missing rods." She says that whether the NRC takes legal action will depend upon where the rods are found. Nevertheless, after being out of the reactor for nearly 30 years, the rods probably don't hold much radiation, if any. "As long as you don't break them apart with your hands and eat them, you're probably okay," says Ted Rockwell, a founder of the Radiation Science and Health, a nonprofit organization. His real concern may not be these particular missing rods, but what losing them says about the rest of Millstone's operations. "If [waste disposal] protocol wasn't followed," says Rockwell, "you have to wonder what other protocols aren't being followed." ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Energy secretary to visit Jackson, Boise January 08, 2001 JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Energy Secretary Bill Richardson is expected to visit Jackson, Wyo. and Boise on Monday to talk about alternatives to radioactive waste storage in southeastern Idaho. Scheduled to accompany him is Mario Molina, vice chairman of a panel that studied alternatives to incinerating waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Molina is the 1995 winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his theory that fluorocarbons deplete the ozone layer. The panel has concluded there are alternatives to incineration but each would require extensive research. The panel has requested setting aside $90 million for research. The Energy Department created the panel after putting construction of an incinerator at INEEL on hold to short circuit a court challenge to the project. The lawsuit was filed by Jackson-based Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free after residents charged that the incinerator would bring toxic air pollution to northwestern Wyoming. Richardson will be at Snow King Resort Monday morning and in Boise that afternoon. Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer was asked to attend but cannot, spokeswoman Rachel Girt said. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has the Boise meeting on his schedule. ***************************************************************** 2 Meeting will discuss options for waste storage in Idaho Oregon Live Monday, January 8, 2001 Energy Secretary Bill Richardson is expected to visit Jackson, Wyo., and Boise today to talk about alternatives to radioactive waste storage in southeastern Idaho. concerns, ranging from salmon protection and federal logging legislature to urban growth and water quality control. Scheduled to accompany him is Mario Molina, vice chairman of a panel that studied alternatives to incinerating waste at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Molina is the 1995 winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his theory that fluorocarbons deplete the ozone layer. The panel has concluded there are alternatives to incineration but each would require extensive research. The panel has requested setting aside $90 million for research. The Energy Department created the panel after putting construction of an incinerator at the Idaho laboratory on hold to short circuit a court challenge to the project. The lawsuit was filed by Jackson- based Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free after residents charged that the incinerator would bring toxic air pollution to northwestern Wyoming. Richardson will be at Snow King Resort this morning and in Boise in the afternoon. Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer was asked to attend but cannot, spokeswoman Rachel Girt said. Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has the Boise meeting on his schedule. Copyright 2001 Oregon Live. All rights reserved. This material ***************************************************************** 3 Local board backs Flats plan BY BETH WOHLBERG Camera Staff Writer The Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments on Monday officially endorsed legislation to turn the former nuclear weapons site into a national wildlife refuge after it closes. Support of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act, which will be introduced this winter by Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., and Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder, was approved unanimously by the board. The coalition's board consists of representatives from Boulder, Westminster, Superior, Arvada and Broomfield, and Boulder and Jefferson counties. "I want to send a message of gratitude and support to Congressman Udall and Senator Allard for their work on this bill," said Boulder City Councilwoman Lisa Morzel. But the endorsement wasn't without conditions. The board approved amendments that: OPPOSE a proposal by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for the construction of a firing range. A shooting range currently in use now at Rocky Flats will be used until deconstructed during cleanup. Board members agreed that the current facility should be moved elsewhere instead of demolished. GUARANTEE access by Broomfield to their water ditches on the site. ENDORSE using the southwest corner of Rocky Flats for a transportation corridor. The Allard-Udall bill currently allows for a 150-foot expansion of Indiana Street, but representatives from Arvada want an option that allows Indiana Street to be expanded by 300 feet. The board approved the 300-foot expansion option as well. Any road construction on Rocky Flats would go through a public comment process and environmental impact assessments. Rep. Udall said he was pleased by the endorsement, but that he would need to discuss any changes to the bill with Sen. Allard. "This is a real example of how you can work with citizen groups, government entities at the federal level, local governments and the congress to draft legislation that has widespread support," Udall said. "The land there clearly has been impacted by nuclear weapons production activities...and we want to safeguard the health of citizens around there." Contact Beth Wohlberg at (303) 473-1364 or wohlbergb@thedailycamera.com. January 9, 2001 Copyright 2000 The Daily Camera. All rights reserved. Any ***************************************************************** 4 Safety errors signal 'trend' at Rocky Flats ROCKY FLATS DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS STAFF WRITER A federal official voiced concern Monday with "the number and severity" of safety problems at Rocky Flats in recent months. The comments by Paul Hartmann, the acting assistant Rocky Flats manager who oversees safety issues, came after workers twice last month violated safety rules designed to prevent the sort of radiation release that killed one Japanese nuclear worker and contaminated 438 others in October 1999. Those incidents, on Dec. 21 and Dec. 28, came shortly after it was discovered that 10 workers had ingested small amounts of plutonium, an element that remains in the body and can cause cancer years later. Jennifer Thompson, a spokeswoman for Kaiser-Hill Co., the firm coordinating the cleanup of the defunct nuclear weapons plant, said the company is also concerned about the incidents. The company has stopped work several times because of safety problems, officials said. Hartmann also cited accidents going back to last spring, ranging from several instances in which fork-lift operators dropped containers of low-level radioactive waste to others in which workers dismantling buildings cut through live wires with power tools. Last February, workers fouled up a ventilation system, sending plutonium into a room. No one was in the room, which has since been decontaminated. "We haven't been asleep at the switch - we've seen a trend and we don't like it," Hartmann said. The U.S. Energy Department, which owns Rocky Flats, levied $410,000 in penalties on Kaiser-Hill for the accidents early in 2000. Additional penalties are a "definite possibility" for the latest incidents, Hartmann said. Just how much money will be involved isn't clear because the incidents are under investigation, and Kaiser-Hill gets to respond and outline steps it will take to improve safety, Hartmann said. Workers at the plant are also concerned, said James Masingale, the safety representative for the United Steel Workers, the plant's main union. "The fact remains that we keep seeing event after event after event, " Masingale said. Under plant rules, any worker can halt an operation for safety reasons. That has been happening at least once a week since April, Masingale said. JANUARY 9, 2001 ©Copyright, Denver Publishing Co. ***************************************************************** 5 Boulder, Arvada hit bump in road Cities disagree on whether parkway should cut across corner of Rocky Flats DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS STAFF WRITER Officials from Boulder and Arvada tangled Monday over whether the proposed northwest parkway should cut across a corner of Rocky Flats. Under a bill backed by Colorado's congressional delegation, the defunct nuclear weapons plant would become a wildlife refuge. But Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman on Monday said the lawmakers shouldn't rule out the possibility of allowing a 300-foot-wide corridor for the parkway through the southeast corner of the 5,400-acre site. Fellman's comments came during a meeting of the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments, a group of seven entities that surround Rocky Flats. The idea drew opposition from Boulder and Boulder County officials. Both entities have long opposed the northwest parkway, fearing it will spur growth in the area. The road, under discussion since the 1980s, would skirt Rocky Flats on the east and south, incorporating the existing Indiana Avenue and Colorado 72. It would link Broomfield to Colorado 93, passing through areas Arvada has identified for growth. Fellman said the corner of Rocky Flats may be needed to build a sweeping curve to replace the 90-degree intersection of Indiana and Colorado 72. Arvada traffic engineers are studying the alignment, he said. But Boulder County Commissioner Paul Danish warned that some of the Rocky Flats land could be contaminated. He cited two ponds, which could contain contaminated water or sediments. However, Rocky Flats officials later said the small ponds, although on the weapons complex grounds, are in fact a transfer point for agricultural water. The ponds are in a different drainage than the waterways that were contaminated by weapons production during the Cold War, said John Rampe, the deputy assistant manager for the environment. Broomfield officials, who need better access to newer parts of the city, generally backed Arvada during the Monday discussion. Westminster, which fears that any stirring up of Rocky Flats soils could contaminate its drinking water, backed Boulder. The issue remained unresolved. In a resolution, the coalition called on Congress to include the parkway issue among items that will come up for discussion as part of public hearings that will be held if the area is designated as a wildlife refuge. JANUARY 9, 2001 ©Copyright, Denver Publishing Co. ***************************************************************** 6 FLATS CLEANUP VIOLATIONS CITED DenverPost.com - News: Colorado and Denver DENVER POST STAFF WRITER JAN. 9, 2001 - Workers overstuffed two drums with classified parts and uranium at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant last month, raising the specter of a radioactive chain reaction known as a "criticality." The chain reaction never occurred and no workers were injured in the two incidents, but officials consider the problem a serious violation of procedures designed to prevent just such events. The U.S. Department of Energy is deciding whether to fine KaiserHill Co., the contractor hired to clean up the plant. "How close did we get to criticality? We did not get close at all, " said Paul Hartmann, the Energy Department's acting assistant manager for field performance assessment at the plant. A criticality can occur when too much radioactive material is placed together, and it can kill those close to it or expose workers to high levels of radiation. The plant had 14 criticality incidents in 1999 and five last year. Kaiser-Hill has been fined $700,000 for safety violations since 1996. Also, in 1999 there were 138 worker-injury cases and 91 in 2000, Kaiser-Hill spokeswoman Jennifer Thompson said. The latest incidents occurred in Building 707 on Dec. 6 and 21, said Mark Spears, vice president of engineering, environmental safety and quality programs for Kaiser-Hill. A 10-gallon drum was filled with too many kilograms of uranium in the Dec. 21 incident, and a 55-gallon drum also contained too much weight in classified parts in the Dec. 6 incident, Spears said. The violations were revealed Monday at the monthly meeting of the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments. The coalition oversees the closure and future use of the 6,400-acre Rocky Flats, northwest of Denver. "Clearly the coalition is concerned about safety, and the events in the last month are quite disturbing," said David Abelson, the coalition's executive director. Hartmann said the incidents stemmed from "some element of the workers thinking supervisors told them it was OK to not check the limits or, with the 55-gallon drum, perhaps exceed the limits." James Masingale, a safety representative for United Steel Workers Local 8031, said the supervisor in the 55-gallon drum incident was clearly told a violation was about to occur and chose to ignore it. Also Monday, the coalition passed a resolution supporting a bill to turn the Superfund site into a wildlife area after the cleanup is complete, expected in 2006. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., and Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder, are sponsoring the bill. The resolution also opposed allowing the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to use the federal shooting range at the plant after it's closed. The resolution, however, left open the issue of whether the coalition would ask that the bill allow a freeway to cut through part of the wildlife area near Colorado 72 and Indiana Street. COPYRIGHT 2001 THE DENVER POST. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS ***************************************************************** 7 U.S. Warned Allies Against Uranium Shells/Memo contradicts Pentagon on safety Tuesday, January 9, 2001 [*][I] PARIS-- After the NATO bombing campaign of 1999, the United States urged allied armies to take special precautions entering Kosovo because U.S. ammunition littering the landscape contained depleted uranium that posed possible health risks. The warning is in sharp contrast with the oft-stated U.S. assertion that the ammunition is not a significant threat to health. It also comes to light on a day when NATO and the European Union said they will examine the possible risks of depleted uranium ammunition used in the Balkans, and the U.N. administrator in Kosovo made an "urgent appeal" to the World Health Organization for help in examining the issue. NATO's political committee and the EU's political and security committee scheduled talks today on the use of depleted uranium. There have been rising fears in Europe since Italy began investigating illnesses by soldiers who served in the Balkans. Twelve have cancer, and five have died of leukemia. The Pentagon said in a report last month that radiation levels from depleted uranium are much lower than natural uranium. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, quoted in the report, said: "No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium." But the 1999 document, called "hazard awareness" and issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned soldiers and civilians against touching spent ammunition or other contaminated materials. It said that personnel handling the heads of anti-tank shells or entering wrecked vehicles should wear protective masks and cover exposed skin. And people involved in the more hazardous clearing tasks should undergo health assessments afterward. The document, though identified as unclassified, had not been released. It was made available to the New York Times in Europe yesterday by a military official from a NATO country. While NATO officials said it was normal practice to inform troops about hazardous materials, the warnings about depleted uranium are likely to deepen concern in Europe. Uranium is one of the heaviest metals, which makes it effective in piercing targets such as tanks or concrete. A byproduct of enriched uranium, the depleted form is only mildly radioactive, but when it pulverizes in an explosion or fire, its dust is considered potentially hazardous if ingested or inhaled. Only U.S. planes fired such uranium-tipped weapons during the 11- week Kosovo air campaign, dropping 30,000 rounds. Experts advised soldiers and civilians not to overreact. Ljerka Obradovic, a hematologist in the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia, said the leukemia rate among the 500,000 residents of that area was the same as before the war. ***************************************************************** 8 Editorials & Opinion: Study uranium shells Seattle Times: Monday, January 08, 2001, 12:00 a.m. Pacific STUDY URANIUM SHELLS Depleted uranium, a bomb byproduct used to make armor-piercing shells, has been the subject of persistent stories of cancer. The Pentagon has denied any long-lasting health threat from exploded uranium fragments. But after 850,000 such shells were exploded in the Gulf War, and another 31,000 in the war against Serbia, the reports have continued. Following the death of a 24-year-old Sicilian solider from leukemia after two tours in Kosovo, Italy's defense minister has said the weapons should be banned. It's too soon to say that. That six Italians and two Dutch have died of leukemia since returning from the Balkans may not be enough to ban these weapons entirely. The world needs a scientific appraisal. If these weapons do litter the Earth with cancer-causing fragments - and depending on how potent these fragments remain - depleted uranium ordnance should at least be heavily restricted. Up to now, this issue has been the province of peace activists. Now the Italian defense minister has weighed in and the secretary-general of NATO promises an investigation of sites in Bosnia. That's a start, but it should not be left entirely in military hands. It should also be an issue for Congress. Copyright c 2001 The Seattle Times Company --> --> --> --> ***************************************************************** 9 Officer links Gulf War, Balkan ills to ammo Alabama Live: Birmingham News 01/09/01 DAVE PARKS NEWS STAFF WRITER A military officer who in 1997 warned of the environmental dangers of ammunition made from depleted uranium says the "Balkan Syndrome" is a repeat of Gulf War illness, a predictable outcome of U.S. forces using bullets and bombs made from radioactive waste. ''It's happening again," said Doug Rokke, an Army Reserve major and former director of the U.S. military's Depleted Uranium Project. ''They don't listen." Rokke was one of the military's leading authorities on the hazards of depleted uranium, a metal used by the U.S. forces in armor-piercing munitions for the first time during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In 1997, while living in Alabama, Rokke broke ranks with the Pentagon's position that depleted uranium was virtually harmless. He said studies in the field showed that its debris was dangerously toxic and radioactive. He blamed it for many of the illnesses associated with the gulf war, and said U.S. troops were not properly trained in its hazards. Now, there is growing concern about depleted uranium munitions used by U.S. forces during the bombing campaign in Yugoslavia in 1999 and in Bosnia during 1994 and 1995. Some European countries are reporting a ''Balkan Syndrome" and leukemia deaths among soldiers who fought in those conflicts. ''It's another toxic mess," said Rokke, who was based at Fort McClellan, taught at Jacksonville State University and now lives in Rantoul, Ill. ''We said don't use it. They used it. Lo and behold, it's happening again." Depleted uranium, a waste produced by enriching uranium for nuclear fuel, is used to make ''penetrators" for armor-piercing ammunition. The munitions are effective, but leave behind a fine oxide dust and radioactive shrapnel. There are contradictory studies and statements about the environmental health risks. The Pentagon insists that it is safe. Fears have been rising in Europe since Italy began investigating soldiers who have become ill since serving in the Balkans. Twelve have cancer and five have died of leukemia. In France, four soldiers are being treated for leukemia. One Portuguese soldier has been diagnosed with cancer since returning from Kosovo. Several other European countries have begun screening soldiers who served in the Balkans. Health experts say there has been no rise in leukemia rates among civilians. Rokke worked with a team of Army transportation troops, primarily from Alabama and Illinois, during and after the 1991 Persian Gulf War cleaning up U.S. armored vehicles hit by ''friendly fire" involving depleted uranium munitions. He named six team members who have died of cancer since the war, and said many others are ill. ''It's a real mess," he said. ''It's a nightmare." Rokke said the United States should take responsibility for using the toxic munitions. ''Clean up the mess and provide medical care for everyone exposed, " he said. Meanwhile, NATO's political committee and the European Union's political and security committee have scheduled talks for today on the possible health risks of depleted uranium ammunition used in the Balkans. The German Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that in July 1999, NATO warned of possible dangers from depleted uranium ammunition in the Balkans and called for proper precautionary steps to be taken. U.N. scientists recently visited 11 of 112 Kosovo sites identified by NATO as having been targeted with ordnance containing depleted uranium and found higher radiation levels at eight of them. The Associated Press contributed to this report. feud ;Alabaster Council passes budget of $9.3 million rates Nome jam to police bills POLICE BLOTTER --> ***************************************************************** 10 NATO details DU use - Jane's Defence News 08 January 2001 NATO details DU use NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson has revealed that US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft fired over 31, 000 rounds of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition from their 30mm cannon during last year's Operation 'Allied Force' in Yugoslavia. The firings occurred during some 100 missions against armoured targets. According to the Balkan Task Force (BTF), which was set up by the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme in May 1999 to assess the environmental and human consequences of the Balkans conflict, the information provided by NATO does not contain sufficient detail to facilitate an accurate field assessment. After reviewing the data provided by NATO, the BTF concluded that information was needed on the exact location of the depleted uranium ordnance to carry out a comprehensive, objective and scientifically-based environmental and human health impact assessment in Kosovo. ***************************************************************** 11 DEPLETED URANIUM - FAQs - Jane's Defence News 08 January 2001 WHAT IS DEPLETED URANIUM? Depleted Uranium (DU) is only used as a penetrator. It is not a warhead, bomb or explosive. FOR WHAT IS DEPLETED URANIUM USED ON THE BATTLEFIELD? It is used to penetrate the armour of modern, the residual penetrator (and the high temperature fragments created as it passes through the armour) striking everything inside the tank and setting fire to its fuel and ammunition. In the Balkans, this would include the M84A (Russian T-72) main battle tanks of the Bosnian Serb VRS and the Serbian VJ forces. In the Gulf war, some of the Iraqi tanks were of the same T-72 type, manned by Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards. WHO USED IT IN THE BALKANS? During the Balkans operations from 1992 to 1996, only the US Air Force acknowledges its use in some of its 30mm cannon shells fired from the GAU-8A cannon. It is true that some guided weapons used depleted uranium to increase the penetration effect and that the 20mm Phalanx close-in weapon system, used to protect warships at sea from sea-skimming missiles, also has a percentage of DU rounds. WHAT ABOUT THE BRITISH ARMY? The British Army fired 88 DU rounds against Iraqi tanks in the Gulf war; no such rounds were fired during the Bosnian and Kosovan campaigns. No British aircraft are equipped with DU warheads on their weapons, according to official reports. DU rounds are 'war-use only'. ANY OTHER USES? DU is very dense so is also used as a counter-balance for large commercial aircraft, including the Boeing 747, and in yacht keels. CAN DEPLETED URANIUM BE REPLACED? DU can be replaced (Britain, France, Russia and the US are the only commonly acknowledged users of DU as the penetrator material in kinetic energy munitions). The great majority of armies use kinetic energy munitions with tungsten alloy penetrators; however, these have a 20% lower penetrative performance, and the sintered materials used to make them are more expensive. Tungsten may not emit radiation, but, in common with DU, its particles are poisonous. IT IS ALLEGED THAT DU CAUSES LEUKAEMIA? Leukaemia is caused by (inter alia): -Ionising radiation - x-rays, for example -Derivatives of benzene (hydraulic fluid, lubricating oil, fuel oil, ceramic armour and other products found in modern armoured vehicles) -Viruses WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A DU ROUND HITS A TANK? The DU penetrator hits the tank armour, both the penetrator and armour partially liquefying under pressure. Once the armour has been perforated, that part of the penetrator which has not melted, together with the molten armour and fragments that break away from the interior, ricochet inside the vehicle. This usually causes a fire. Studies in the USA, UK and France show that when an armoured vehicle burns at about 10,000 degrees C, the resulting oxidisation of the materials aboard, including benzene products and depleted uranium, can create particulates that are harmful to the human body; ingested they can affect the lungs and kidneys. ***************************************************************** 12 Market Review: Nuclear Biological Chemical 1999-2000 JANE'S SERVICES JANE'S NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL DEFENCE 1999-2000 John H Eldridge July 1999 THE MILLENNIUM BUG A crisis, which fundamentally affects world peace and security, is unavoidable. Computer code which involves date or time may not work as expected across the turn of the millennium. It is impossible to accurately predict the impact of the `millennium bug' (also known as Y2K) for two reasons. Firstly, the quality of management reaction to it varies enormously and is independent of industry sector. Secondly, the majority of general-range integrated circuit modules (`chips') are hard-coded at manufacture and many are over 10 years old in design, if not in actual manufacture date. Inevitably these chips are victims of a two-digit date code but systems will not necessarily reveal shortcomings simply at the change of date. In fact several power failures in recent months have been attributed to Y2K. The effects will continue well into 2000. How many nuclear weapons systems in the UK, France, USA, Russia and China are affected is unknown. There are coded circuits in the full range of NBC defence equipment from nuclear warheads to CBW detectors and NBC filtration units. The US is particularly concerned over the assurances received from Russia over the risk of inadvertent missile launch or false alarms which trigger anti-ballistic missile defence systems. Industries which confidently declare themselves unaffected or fully prepared should be viewed with suspicion; likewise, presumably, ministries of defence. YUGOSLAVIA AND KOSOVO The explosion of war in the Balkans came as no surprise at all to those who had been warning the international community and urging better preparation. Since the end of the Second World War, Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito had developed a considerable nuclear programme, manned by a strong and competent team of scientists and engineers. Tito made at least two attempts during his tenure of office to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Although never fully realised, the development groundwork was not wasted and several nuclear facilities in Milosevic's Belgrade found themselves on the NATO target list this year. The list also included a number of CBW-related sites and media coverage showed that facilities at Krusevac and at Cacak were attacked and severely damaged The Yugoslav regime's Jastrebac CBW acquisition project ran from 1976 and was designed for an output of up to 8,000 blister and nerve agent-filled 120 mm shells and MLRS warheads by 1991 (see under NBC Capabilities for more details on the Serbian CBW programme). NATO'S USE OF DEPLETED URANIUM (DU) WARHEADS IN KOSOVO The use by NATO of Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition in the air campaign against the Serbs in Kosovo gained considerable media attention. Radioactive pollution was seen as a major hazard to NATO forces and to the returning Kosovan refugees. The UK and US defence departments were accused of covering up the extent of the hazard. In fact, balanced against the array of other hazards facing the population, the risks remain extremely low. Uranium is used as an alternative to tungsten in UK and US tank artillery and 30 mm armour-piercing ammunition. It is popular with manufacturers because, compared with tungsten, uranium is a vastly more plentiful and cheaper material. It is also much harder and denser. The armour-piercing warheads act like a nail punch, driven into the armoured turret by the kinetic energy of the propellant and the explosive charge. The friction generates immense kinetic heat on passage to the interior, causing shards of metal to break off inside, injuring or killing the crew. Clearly either tungsten or uranium will oxidise under these circumstances, leaving a residue. Physically, both are toxic. However, with uranium, there is a marginally increased radioactive risk to personnel through the oral or nasal route. In fact it is only slightly higher than the background. Depleted uranium is exactly as it is described: depleted. In naturally occurring uranium, the active isotopes are U235 (0.7 per cent by weight) and U234 (0.005 per cent), whereas DU is 40 per cent less active, being a by-product of the enrichment process. In short the general risk is low. However, the most dangerous places in this respect are inside the turrets of tanks destroyed by DU rounds. The people most at risk include engineer personnel tasked with disposal of damaged armour and, of course, children, for whom such features are an attractive playground. INDIA AND PAKISTAN Meanwhile, in South Asia, the nuclear arms race continues. With currently no further nuclear warhead testing, India and Pakistan have focussed their attention on extending the range of delivery systems. Against the unwillingness of either side to sign either the NNPT or the CTBT, the US is striving to gain agreement on other confidence-building mechanisms before it can lift sanctions. In this respect, work continues on the development of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). However, the stage is set for continued confrontation over Kashmir, where India is trying to dislodge Muslim `terrorists' which appear to have colonised a region on the Indian side of the Line of Control. The nuclear dimension to this is highly dangerous. The distance between capitals is so short that the warning of a nuclear launch by one against the other would provide no response time and a devastating gain by the launching nation. Pakistan's economic situation has been profoundly affected by this escalation of the regional nuclear arms race. With clandestine support by China and North Korea on regional ballistic missile development, there is a continued danger that neighbouring states may be drawn into the security debate. North Korea is known to have assisted Pakistan on the development of the Ghauri IRBM which was tested in Spring 1999. The US Defence Intelligence Agency believes video footage of the 6 April 1999 Ghauri test launch was in fact a sequence of a test which took place on 23 March, remastered to hide its origin. Pakistan's top nuclear scientist revealed development of the new 2,000 km Ghaznavi system as India continues to evolve its 2,500 km version of the Agni missile. ***************************************************************** 13 Turner's Ł168m anti-nuclear quest BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | Tuesday, 9 January, 2001, 10:53 GMT [I] Turner: Nuclear threat "more complex and dangerous" Media mogul Ted Turner has launched a new campaign to eradicate nuclear arms from the planet. Mr Turner, who founded worldwide news network CNN and is now vice- chairman of media conglomerate Time Warner, has pledged $250m (Ł168m) over five years to support his Nuclear Threat Initiative. His co-chairman will be former US senator Sam Nunn, who was tipped to be part of President-elect George W Bush's cabinet until he said he said he was not interested in returning to government. We thought that when the Cold War ended, we no longer had to worry about nuclear annihilation[I] Ted Turner "We should not miss this opportunity to make the world a safer place for all of us," Mr Turner told a press conference. Also part of the group are former US defence secretary William Perry, Republican senators Pete Domenici and Richard Lugar, Russian politician Andrei Kokoshin and Swedish diplomat Rolf Ekei, who led the United Nations' special commission on Iraq from 1991 to 1997. Mr Turner said: "Like everyone else, we thought that when the Cold War ended, we no longer had to worry about nuclear annihilation. "The progress that we made to reduce that threat in the last 10 years has been marginal at best, despite the fact that we are no longer enemies with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. "In many ways, the threat has become more complex and dangerous." OTHER DONATIONS The organisation plans to encourage private sector funding for efforts to curb weapons of mass destruction. Although it intends to concentrate on nuclear weapons, it also plans to address the issue of biological and chemical weapons. A possible project would be to provide money for companies wanting to hire Russian biological scientists for commercial work. It is not the first time Mr Turner, 62, has become involved in international politics. In 1997 he established a foundation worth $1 billion (Ł672m) over 10 years to help United Nations health and education projects. Last month he donated $34 million (Ł22.8m) to help cut US payments to the UN. ***************************************************************** 14 Test Ban Backers Face Uphill Battle January 09, 2001 ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP)--President Clinton is appealing to the newly installed Senate to take up the same Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty that the old one refused to ratify 15 months ago. Over the short term, Clinton's pitch is not expected to go far because the incoming administration seems satisfied with the status quo. President-elect Bush and all his top foreign affairs advisers except Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell oppose the treaty, which is designed to discourage nuclear proliferation by outlawing nuclear tests. The United States suspended testing in 1992. When the Senate defeated treaty ratification in October 1999 by a 51-48 vote--well short of the requisite two-thirds majority-- it was a bitter foreign policy setback for Clinton. Rarely has the Senate defied a president on a matter of such national import. A number of Republicans who voted against the treaty are no longer in the Senate, but proponents are still believed to be short of the 67 votes needed for ratification. Clinton last week received a report from retired Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that tries to address some criticisms that led to the treaty's defeat in 1999. "The security benefits of the treaty outweigh any perceived disadvantages, " Clinton said after meeting with Shalikashvili. "I also hope the Senate will take up the treaty at an early date." He noted that U.S. allies support the treaty. As proponents see it, the beauty of the treaty for the United States is that it lets the country keep its nuclear deterrent and pursue its nonproliferation objectives at the same time. As Ambassador Sir Michael Weston, a British arms control official, said during negotiations, the treaty "bans the bang, not the bomb." The Federation of American Scientists says: "For the sake of future generations, it would be unforgivable to neglect any reasonable action that can help prevent nuclear proliferation, as the Test Ban Treaty clearly would." But can a paper pledge ensure that countries will behave themselves? No, says Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "I'm not confident that we can now or can in the foreseeable future detect any and all nuclear explosions prohibited under the treaty, " Shelby says. He is worried about the specter of nuclear weapons development by countries hostile to the United States. Another issue is whether the aging U.S. deterrent will erode over time. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright calls that a nonissue. "The United States must maintain its military strength, including its nuclear deterrent forces," she said. "Our scientists have the means to do so without nuclear test explosions." Said Shalikashvili, "The nation's nuclear arsenal is safe, reliable, and able to meet all stated military requirements." But Dr. Merri Wood, a nuclear weapons design expert at Los Alamos, N.M., contends testing is essential to ensure reliability. To suggest otherwise is not science but "a religious exercise," she said, adding that it is not clear whether the weapons stockpile remains functional after eight years without testing. To make the treaty more palatable to swing voters in the Senate, Shalikashvili recommended increased American investment to enhance verification capabilities. He also called for improving the periodic assessments of aging warheads for signs of deterioration. In addition, he suggested a 10-year review period after ratification to determine whether the treaty is still in the national interest. As of last month, the treaty was signed by 160 countries and ratified by 69. By the rules, the treaty cannot enter into force until it has been ratified by the United States and 43 other specified states with nuclear power or research reactors. So far, it has been signed by all of these specified states except for India, Pakistan, and North Korea. It has been ratified by 30 of the required 44, including Britain, France, and Russia. --- George Gedda has covered foreign affairs for The Associated Press since 1968. On the Net: Federation of American Scientists: http://www.fas.org/ http://info@security-policy.org">http://info@security-policy.org ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 15 Burning of plutonium called safest option Thestar/News/Canada Using fuel here beats stockpiling weapons in Russia: Physicists Peter Calamai SCIENCE REPORTER OTTAWA - It's safer to burn weapons-grade plutonium as fuel in Canadian reactors than leave the nuclear warheads stockpiled inside Russia, concludes a scientific report being published today. The report, from the professional group representing physicists nationally, says the reactor fuel proposal carries negligible risk to the safety, health and security of either the Canadian public or nuclear workers. `WE BELIEVE THE SAFETY OF CANADIANS IS MAXIMIZED BY GETTING RID OF THAT WEAPONS PLUTONIUM. THE RISK OF LEAVING IT IN WEAPONS FORM FAR OUTWEIGHS THE RISK OF BURNING IT IN A CANADIAN REACTOR.' - BILL BUYERS CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICISTS ``We believe the safety of Canadians is maximized by getting rid of that weapons plutonium. The risk of leaving it in weapons form far outweighs the risk of burning it in a Canadian reactor,'' said Bill Buyers, chief author of the report for the Canadian Association of Physicists. Buyers said theft of the plutonium metal removed from warheads by terrorists or by a rogue state was a constant threat in Russia, with its crumbling infrastructure and security forces who are often not paid. The 23-page report, to be formally released here today, is the first independent scientific assessment of the controversial federal government proposal to burn plutonium in Canadian reactors by combining it with natural uranium in MOX (mixed oxide) fuel bundles. The original proposal also extended to surplus plutonium from U.S. nuclear warheads but American authorities said late last year they had the capacity to burn the weapons plutonium in their own reactors. Tests of a small amount of MOX fuel from Russia are already underway in a federal research reactor at Chalk River, Ont., after widespread protests at Ontario border cities this summer failed to block the importing of the bundles. Previous studies of the risks in the proposal have come from either Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., the federal agency promoting nuclear power, or from activist groups with a strong anti-nuclear stance. ``The issue is whether Canada can contribute to nuclear disarmament and the furthering of world peace,'' said Gordon Drake, president of the physicists group and head of the physics department at the University of Windsor. ``We didn't think it should be shot down by arguments not well grounded in fact.'' Drake said many association members were troubled by exaggerated claims by nuclear opponents about the supposed dangers from plutonium. The members strongly endorsed a summary of the report at the association's annual meeting last year. That summary noted ``the chemical and radiological toxicity of plutonium has been frequently overstated in the popular press and existing safety procedures for transportation appear to be entirely adequate.'' The report cites a 1995 study of plutonium dangers by a U.S. federal government nuclear research facility, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Taking direct aim at published claims that a single speck of plutonium powder can cause lung cancer if inhaled, the Livermore study calculated the actual increased risk of cancer in that case as 0.00017 per cent. The physicists report also found that the CANDU reactor using natural uranium and heavy water can burn plutonium more efficiently than the different reactor designs common in Europe or the U.S. But the study concluded as well that sealing the warhead plutonium inside glass coffins was just as feasible and safe a means of disposal that would not involve Canada in any way. Russian authorities oppose the glass coffin disposal because they want to be paid for the energy content of about 50 tonnes of plutonium metal that is being stripped from missile warheads. Diluted and combined with uranium in MOX fuel, Russia's plutonium would produce as much electricity as generated by all of Canada's nuclear power stations over 2* years, according to the report. Full scale MOX shipments to Canada would likely not start before the end of the decade, after construction of a Russian plant to make the special fuel bundles. Using two of the eight giant 900 megawatt reactors at the Bruce nuclear power station on Lake Huron, it would still take between 15 and 25 years to burn the Russian plutonium, the report estimates. LEGAL NOTICE:- Copyright 1996-2001. Toronto Star Newspapers ***************************************************************** 16 Canadian soldiers tested for depleted uranium show no problems National - Ottawa Citizen Online JOHN WARD OTTAWA (CP) - While concerns grow in Europe about the potential hazard of depleted uranium munitions, independent tests have given some worried Canadian soldiers clean bills of health. Of the thousands of Canadians who served in the Gulf War and the former Yugoslavia over the last decade, only 104 have asked to be tested for depleted uranium. Those tests, paid for by the Defence Department and conducted by independent labs, have turned up nothing. The tests involved 59 Gulf vets and 45 from the former Yugoslavia, said Dr. Ken Scott, director of medical policy for the Canadian Forces. NATO and European Union officials are meeting this week to discuss the threat from depleted uranium. Italy raised concerns after investigating soldiers who have become ill since serving in the Balkans. Twelve have cancer and five have died of leukemia. In France, four soldiers were diagnosed with leukemia. A Portuguese soldier was found to have cancer after returning from Kosovo. Several other European countries have begun screening soldiers who served in the Balkans, with many civilian aid agencies doing the same. "We've certainly not seen any extraordinary or unusual illnesses in our Balkan veterans," Scott said. "So far, we have a grand total of two Balkan veterans with leukemia, which is lower than we would expect." European officials say that determining a link, if there is one, between any particular illness and depleted uranium may take a long time. "It's not easy to find a definitive conclusion to this problem, but the process will start tomorrow," Sweden's Defence Minister Bjoern von Sydow, whose country holds the EU presidency, said Monday. The United States used depleted uranium in its ammunition during the Kosovo air campaign in 1999 and in Bosnia in 1994 and 1995. The substance is a dense metal byproduct of the nuclear fuel process in which the more radioactive isotope is largely extracted from natural uranium. The leftover material is depleted uranium. "Natural uranium is 40 per cent more radioactive than depleted, " Scott said. The United States uses the metal in anti-tank munitions because it is heavy and hard. It punches through armour with sheer kinetic energy - there's no nuclear fission involved. Some fear that, on impact, some of the metal will be vaporized into dust, which could be dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Scientists are divided, however. Studies of the world's scientific literature found no threat, Scott said. "No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium," said the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in a recent report. The studies looked at uranium miners as well as mill workers and soldiers, Scott said. "They came to the conclusion that uranium is not responsible for any cancers or kidney damage in humans," he continued. " There's no evidence for humans, so far, from occupationally exposed or military populations that this heavy metal has created any problems." The U.S. military has even tracked soldiers with pieces of depleted uranium shrapnel in their bodies. "Those people have been followed for a decade," Scott said. "They have no kidney damage, they have no medical illness attributable to their uranium." The European concerns remain, though. On Monday, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder asked NATO to release all available information on depleted uranium ammunition. "We want frank information about where the ammunition was used and with what consequences," Schroeder said. He added, however, that he has a "healthy skepticism" that the ammunition caused the illnesses. Scott pointed out that most of the rounds fired from the air in the Kosovo campaign likely plowed deep into the soggy spring soil. " They'd be many feet under." People still worry, he added. "This has nothing to do with medicine, science, common sense or logic." Copyright 2001 Ottawa Citizen Group Inc. ***************************************************************** 17 NATO Shoots Down Italy's Plea January 09, 2001 ASSOCIATED PRESS BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP)--NATO quickly shot down an Italian plea Tuesday for a moratorium on tank-busting weapons that contain depleted uranium--weapons that some European nations fear may cause cancer. Italy made a long presentation to NATO's Political Committee about its concerns for Italian troops who have served as peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo, where weapons using depleted uranium have been fired. But several NATO members opposed any moratorium, some quite strongly, according to sources familiar with the discussions at the meeting. Tuesday's Political Committee meeting was the first occasion for all of NATO's 19 members to discuss the matter since the latest wave of concern about depleted uranium emerged. Depleted uranium, a slightly radioactive heavy metal, is used in anti-armor munitions because of its high penetrating power. U.S. forces fired weapons containing depleted uranium in Bosnia in 1994 and 1995, and in 1999, NATO fired such weapons during its bombing of Yugoslavia. Numerous studies into the effects of depleted uranium have not revealed any connection between the metal and cancer. But concerns among European nations have intensified since Italy began studying the illnesses of 30 Balkans veterans, six of whom died of cancer, including five cases of leukemia. In France, four soldiers are being treated for leukemia. And a number of nations and aid agencies have begun screening personnel who have served in the Balkans. At NATO's meeting, all members agreed that there is a common concern and that NATO needs to act. The results of the Political Committee discussions were to be passed on to the North Atlantic Council, NATO's top policymaking body, which meets Wednesday. It was expected that the council may develop some recommendations. Across town at the European Union, meanwhile, the EU's executive arm asked a group of experts for a scientific opinion on whether EU personnel who have worked in the Balkans might face health risks from exposure to depleted uranium. EU spokesman Gunnar Wiegand said the EU experts from the member states should have a clearly defined opinion by early next month. Based on their opinion, the EU's executive arm will decide how to adapt its aid programs in the region. European officials cautioned that determining whether there is a link between depleted uranium and any illness may take a long time. Nonetheless, anxiety about depleted uranium popped up in a host of European nations Tuesday. In Norway, about 400 peacekeepers refused to sign contracts for service in Yugoslavia, demanding clarification of the risk from depleted uranium, the TV-2 network reported. In Romania, the government announced plans to test almost 1,500 soldiers who served as peacekeepers in the Balkans. In Belgium, a group of soldiers announced plans Tuesday to sue the Belgian government because of health problems allegedly caused by service in the Balkans. The group said five Belgian veterans of peacekeeping missions in Croatia and Bosnia have died of cancer and four others have contracted the disease. In Germany, the government urged NATO to impose a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium ammunition, and the U.S. Army Europe denied a published report that American soldiers may have fired depleted uranium ammunition during training exercises in the country. In Kosovo, meanwhile, the depleted uranium scare was becoming a political issue: A key ethnic Albanian leader said Tuesday that the scare is being misused by those who opposed NATO intervention in Kosovo in hopes it will lead to the withdrawal of the NATO-led peacekeeping force. Ibrahim Rugova named no countries but appeared to be alluding to Russia, a vehement critic of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 18 Aftershocks from anti-tank shells ˙EU AND NATO OFFICIALS MEET TODAY, AS CONCERN MOUNTS OVER USE OF ˙DU BULLETS. BY SCOTT PETERSON STAFF WRITER OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR All military commanders know "collateral damage" to unintended targets, like civilians, is an unavoidable part of modern warfare. But now the Pentagon's most potent armor-piercing weapon is itself taking a major hit. It's being accused of contributing to deaths of allied troops deployed in the Balkans, causing a major upheaval within the NATO alliance, and raising questions anew about whether it should be banned outright. A string of suspicious deaths and illnesses among European troops that served in Bosnia and Kosovo has been attributed by some to the US use of radioactive "depleted uranium" bullets, or DU. For years, US and allied officials denied that DU battlefield exposures could result in severe health problems. But across most of Europe in recent weeks, reported cases of cancer have emerged, causing the number of official inquiries to spiral. On Saturday, an Italian military watchdog group - set up to monitor health and safety in the armed forces - drew a link between the deaths from cancer of six peacekeepers who served in the Balkans, to DU. In one instance shortly after the conflict in the town of Djakovica, the Monitor observed Italian troops manning a checkpoint set 100 yards downwind of a bombed Serbian position that was contaminated by radioactive DU dust. Despite strict military rules in the West regarding the handling of DU - which normally require US forces to use respirators, protective suits, and have 14 licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Kosovo residents have never been warned by NATO of any DU danger. A toxic heavy metal, DU doesn't disappear: It loses half its radioactivity every 4.5 billion years. "The question is: Now that the genie is out of the bottle, how do you get it back in? The answer is: you can't," says Malcolm Hooper, a medicinal chemist at the University of Sunderland in northeast England and a member of the British Legion's Gulf War Illnesses Inter- Parliamentary group. "It will intensify the call for a ban, because these are indiscriminate weapons," he adds. "Of course, the consequence is that the military will lose a very powerful weapon." The Pentagon and Britain's defense ministry - which both rely on DU as the most effective armor-piercing bullet in their arsenals - rule out a link between DU and any health problems, and say they see no evidence of what's been labeled "Balkan Syndrome." When the issue is taken up today in separate meetings of the European Union and NATO security committees, European officials may call for further investigations into DU health effects - and whether it should be banned. NATO Secretary-General George Robertson will afterward visit Sweden, which presently holds the rotating EU presidency. "It is clear that if there is even a minimal risk, these arms must be abolished," European Commission President Romano Prodi said last week. "It is important that we act," added Swedish Defense Minister Bjorn von Sydow, echoing a growing body of opinion in Europe. The concern sweeping the continent was sparked in December, when Italy announced that 30 of its Balkans veterans had been diagnosed with serious illnesses. It has been further fanned by preliminary findings of a UN investigation, released Friday, showing that eight of 11 inspected DU impact sites in Kosovo - out of 112 identified by NATO - showed traces of radiation. DU bullet fragments were found lying exposed on the ground. Full study results are due in early March. A host of NATO and EU members are rushing to test deployed troops and Balkan veterans. Britain and Germany have so far refused, stating that they see no need. Besides Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal in the past week have reported similar illnesses or deaths. US forces have experienced no Balkans-related cases or health-problem patterns, officials say. The debate over DU and its adverse effects stretches back to the 1991 Gulf War, when American forces used it in combat for the first time. One in 7 American Gulf War veterans claim a variety of ailments known as "Gulf War Syndrome," many of which are similar to recently reported European health problems. The Pentagon says it will cooperate fully with all requests for DU data, though UN and NATO investigators in the past said they came up against a "brick wall" from Washington on the issue. "We have not found any link between illnesses and exposure to DU, " Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said last week, adding that it's "premature" to link DU and leukemia. Despite alarmist headlines in the Balkans - "NATO was worse than Chernobyl," read Serbia's popular Vecernje Novosti newspaper - Kosovo's ethnic Albanians point to another concern. Moderate leader Ibrahim Rugova has warned that the bigger risk might be an exodus of NATO peacekeepers who police Kosovo. Bernard Kouchner, Kosovo's chief UN administrator, has asked the World Health Organization to help assess DU risks in the province. The view among civilians is a "mixture of wishful thinking" that DU is not a threat, and a "feeling of being helpless to change anything, even if it is true," says Ardian Arifaj, news editor of the largest Kosovo daily newspaper, Koha Ditore, in the provincial capital Pristina. Though there is little systematic data, "no pattern" of health problems has emerged, and so far there is "no panic," he says. "We will have to stay and face any consequences. But on the other hand, no one is ready to blame NATO for hitting the Serbs." DU is a by-product of the nuclear industry that is an effective bullet because of its high-density, not its low-level radioactivity. A DU bullet bores through armor, burning at such intensity that gas fumes and ammunition in the targeted tank ignite. As the bullet burns, it releases clouds of tiny radioactive particles that can be eaten, inhaled, or carried long distances by the wind. Such dust emits alpha radiation 20 times more powerful than other forms of radiation and especially damaging to body tissue. "It's not rocket science," says Professor Hooper. "It's a question of internal radiation, and when alpha particles are internalized, you have a big problem." "It was extremely irresponsible not to issue some type of warning, if [the Pentagon] knew where they shot the DU 1-1/2 years ago," says Dan Fahey, a DU expert and US veteran activist. "Hopefully they will learn a lesson from this, that if you're going to use DU in combat, you have to take basic safety measures. You have to keep people away from these areas, and mark them." He points to a 1990 US military report that predicted public awareness of any DU use would make the weapon "politically unacceptable" and result in pressure to ban it. "We've put a lot of evidence to [authorities] in the past, and now people are beginning to ... listen," says Terry Gooding, with the UK Gulf Veterans Association. "They say it's not a problem," he adds. "But how many people have to die before they put their hands up and say: 'We made a boo-boo?' " ***************************************************************** 19 A Bullet Gone Too Far? In three military conflicts since 1991 (Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo), the US has shot bullets containing low-level radioactive uranium at enemy tanks. No doubt this armor-piercing weapon saved American lives, justifying its use. And the Pentagon has been diligent to warn that the dust from this dense, fiery dart of "depleted uranium" (DU) must be cleaned up after battle. But now the use of DU bullets in the 1999 Kosovo conflict, in particular, has touched off an anti-US political firestorm in Europe. (See story on page 1.) Allegations that European soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Kosovo have suffered ailments from DU radiation have put a strain on NATO, even though the medical links remain unproven. The transatlantic military alliance, which is led by the US, plans to address the complaints of Italy and other European nations this week about DU's effects on the soldiers. Ever since these bullets were used in the Gulf War, the Pentagon has been on the defensive over their effects. Its insistence that DU is harmless to health "when used properly" has yet to quiet critics of this weapon, which was designed in the 1970s to penetrate advanced Soviet-made T-72 tanks. The Pentagon must now judge whether the effectiveness of this bullet in battle outweighs potential postwar repercussions, such as the rupture of the world's most successful military alliance. The outgoing Defense secretary, William Cohen, has warned the new US administration that the strengthening and preservation of NATO needs prompt attention, especially in the disparity of military spending between Europe and the US. Despite DU's many advantages as a weapon (it self-sharpens), the Navy has chosen instead to use tungsten, a less-effective but more politically benign metal. Is it time for the Army and Air Force to follow suit? Congress may want to press them to seek alternatives to DU. At the least, the Pentagon must recognize that DU is a public-relations disaster. The world's sole superpower cannot afford to be seen as acting with hegemonic hubris while it stealthily strews low-radioactive waste across all future battlefields, even if many experts find DU to be "harmless." ***************************************************************** 20 Radioactive Ammunition Still Litters Kosovo Environment News Service: PRISTINA, KOSOVO, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - It will be two months before a United Nations team studying the effects of depleted uranium in Kosovo releases its findings. The wait is only fueling suspicions that depleted uranium used in ammunition in the Kosovo war is killing NATO peacekeepers and contaminating groundwater. Depleted uranium is a dense waste product of the natural uranium enrichment process used in nuclear power. It is used to strengthen heavy tank armor, anti-tank munitions, missiles and projectiles. Map of the Balkans. (Photo courtesy UNEP) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depleted uranium's health effects are complex due to its chemical, radiological and physical characteristics. In 1998 and 1999, the largely Albanian population of Kosovo was plunged into a war for independence from the Serb dominated Yugoslav government. It resulted in NATO undertaking an aerial bombardment of selected targets in Yugoslavia in 1999. After a peace agreement in the summer of 1999, that saw Serb forces withdraw from Kosovo to be replaced by NATO peacekeepers, the United Nations set up a task force to assess the environmental damage of the Kosovo conflict. "When we finalized the Balkans Task Force report on the environmental effects of the Kosovo conflict last year, there was insufficient data available to address the issue of depleted uranium," said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). "In response to a request from UN secretary general Kofi Annan and UNEP, NATO provided us in mid-2000 with the exact coordinates of the target sites, enabling our team to make proper measurements of depleted uranium sites in Kosovo," said Toepfer. "UNEP's aim is to determine whether the use of depleted uranium during the conflict may pose health or environmental risks - either now or in the future." Last November, UNEP's task force visited 11 of 112 sites in Kosovo that were targeted by weapons containing depleted uranium. The UNEP team, consisting of 14 scientists from several countries, collected soil, water, and vegetation samples and conducted smear tests on buildings, destroyed army vehicles, and depleted uranium penetrators. Remnants of depleted uranium ammunition were found at eight of the 11 sites. "For the UNEP team it was surprising to find remnants of depleted uranium ammunition just lying on the ground, one and a half years after the conflict," said Pekka Haavisto, chairman of the UNEP Depleted Uranium Assessment Team and former Environment Minister of Finland. "Also, the ground directly beneath the depleted uranium ammunition was slightly contaminated. For this reason, we paid special attention to the risks that uranium toxicity might pose to the groundwaters around the sites." Altogether, 340 samples were collected and are now being analyzed for both radioactivity and toxicity by five European laboratories. The samples include 247 soil samples, 45 water samples, 30 vegetation samples, 10 smear tests, five sabots, two penetrators, and one penetrator fragment. Penetrators and sabots are specialized weapons parts. The results of the tests will be ready in early March, when UNEP will publish a report of its findings. WHO director general Gro Harlem Brundtland. (Photo courtesy WHO) In the meantime, UNEP has contacted Yugoslavian authorities in order to plan a similar field mission to Serbia and Montenegro this spring, where several of the 112 NATO-identified depleted uranium sites are located. The UNEP team has seen enough from preliminary findings to recommend precautionary action. "Out of the 11 sites visited, the team found three sites with no signs of higher radioactivity, nor any remnants of depleted uranium ammunition," said Haavisto. "At eight sites, the team found either slightly higher amounts of Beta-radiation immediately at or around the holes left by depleted uranium ammunition, or pieces and remnants of ammunition, such as sabots and penetrators." In contrast to media reports, a UN spokesperson today said there had been no increase in the incidence of leukemia among Kosovo's adults over the past four years, according to initial findings from WHO and the Kosovo Department of Health. Susan Manuel, a spokesperson for the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), said UNMIK chief Dr. Bernard Kouchner had appealed to WHO director general Gro Harlem Brundtland, "to send public health experts to assist in monitoring any possible health consequences of the use of depleted uranium among the civilian population." Kouchner has contacted NATO secretary general George Robertson on how to coordinate an approach to the issue of depleted uranium. UN secretary general Kofi Annan reminded reporters at UN Headquarters in New York this morning that UNEP tests are ongoing. "Once we have concluded the tests, we will know precisely what environmental and health damage the uranium weapons pose, if any," he said. The UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper quotes Bosnian health minister Boza Ljubic as saying that cancer and leukemia deaths among civilians there were rising sharply, with 230 cases of cancer per 100,000 people recorded last year, up from 152 in 1999. Cases of leukaemia had nearly doubled, said Ljubic. The Telegraph claimed NATO forces fired 10,800 depleted uranium shells during the Bosnian conflict, 31,000 during the Kosovo campaign and more than 840,000 in the Gulf war. UN secretary general Kofi Annan. (Photo courtesy UN) The UNEP team's findings are anxiously awaited in the UK, where the Ministry of Defence has admitted to firing depleted uranium rounds at several test sites around the country. Spanish authorities are testing 32,000 of its troops who served in Kosovo, to determine whether they were exposed to radiation from depleted uranium shells. "Many have expressed their concern and to reassure ourselves we have decided to monitor everyone," army doctor Colonel Luis Villalonga of the defense ministry told a news conference last Friday. The death of seven Italian peacekeepers who developed leukemia after serving in the Balkans has prompted Italy to set up a scientific inquiry into their deaths. ***************************************************************** 21 Shells could be linked to cancer The man heading up the investigation into the effects of depleted uranium on British soldiers who served in the Balkans has told ITN's Channel 4 News that depleted uranium used in shells could be linked to cancer. The head of the Royal Society - Professor Brian Spratt which is conducting an independent investigation into its effects - has warned that if tests being carried out on Portuguese and Italian solders prove there is a link, then the Ministry of Defence will have to think seriously about testing soldiers here. So far the MoD's refused to consider the tests, despite claims from gulf war veterans that DU has made them ill. Portuguese experts are checking radiation levels at 70 sites in Kosovo where depleted uranium was used. They say they expect the results towards the end of this month. One Portuguese soldier has been diagnosed with cancer, and now the government has begun voluntary tests on 10,000 soldiers and civilians who have served in the Balkans over the last four years. More than 40,000 shells made with depleted uranium were used in the Balkans war. The evidence so far is that the substance is simply not radioactive enough to cause leukaemia, but it is highly poisonous. Anyone breathing in dust poisoned with DU might be in danger. It is known to damage the kidneys first. The most authoritative report so far, which is from the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute, says contaminated areas should be cleaned and a possible "health examination programme" should be drawn up. That report will be discussed at this week's meeting of the European Union's security committee. The battlegrounds of Kosovo are littered with the bombed-out remains of tanks and shrapnel from Nato's DU shells. Belgium, Greece and most of all Italy - where six soldiers have developed leukaemia - are all voicing concern, and the Norwegian armed forces offered checks to all personnel who have served in the Gulf and the Balkans. In Britain the Ministry of Defence faces criticism from an independent Royal Society report, due in March, for not acting quickly enough to identify illnesses in veterans. Professor Brian Spratt, Chairman of the Royal Society DU Team told ITN: "We do have to be careful because Uranium is marginally radioactive, it can be poisonous and there is also the possibility that it behaves like nickel which are not radioactive but large doses can provoke an increased risk of cancer. "So I think there are reasons why we need to take this seriously, and investigate it and try and look dispassionately at the evidence." A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "We are actively supporting that review. Some of our officials have presented evidence. We have made available to them all relevant information." Professor Brian Spratt: "The answer is that there are insignificant levels of particularly Uranium in Europe and I think the Ministry of Defence here would have to start thinking very seriously about this." The Royal Society team wants the Ministry to agree to re-test veterans who are having checks on their DU levels performed in Canada. Richard Guthroe, a weapons expert, from the Harvard-Sussex Programme told ITN: "A battlefield is a highly toxic place from metal vapours such as lead and zinc and tin. "So within this whole toxic cocktail that exists on a normal battlefield, I think depleted Uranium adds a very minor extra engine." If tests abroad do show that soldiers were exposed to significant amounts of depleted uranium, the Ministry will come under intense pressure to agree to mass tests. The German Government has joined Belgium, Greece, Portugal and Italy in voicing concern. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said it would be better if no one used weapons made with depleted uranium. ***************************************************************** 22 Soldiers will be screened for uranium exposure ISSUE 2055 Tuesday 9 JANUARY 2001 BY MICHAEL SMITH, DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT AND NIGEL BUNYAN GULF WAR RESOURCE CENTRE THE Ministry of Defence is to start screening soldiers who served in the Balkan and Gulf wars for [*]exposure to depleted uranium The move is an attempt to stall criticism that it is "burying its head in the sand" over any health risks. Gulf war veterans have called for a public inquiry into the exposure of British troops to depleted uranium and criticised MoD inaction. The MoD insists that there is "minimal risk" to soldiers from the effects of depleted uranium but Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary, is expected to tell Parliament on Thursday that troops will nevertheless be screened. That is expected to be a mammoth task. Around 30,000 British servicemen took part in the Gulf war and an estimated 50, 000 served at some stage in the Balkans. The move follows the decision by the Commons defence committee to call ministers to explain the situation. The committee has criticised the MoD over its "reactive" attitude to the concerns. Meanwhile, campaign groups called on the Government to conduct urgent research into the possible side-effects of [*]firing depleted uranium shells in the Lake District National Park. Concerns have mounted following the discovery by a UN team in Kosovo that the [*]groundwater has been polluted by the ammunition. They fear that the firing of depleted uranium rounds at Eskmeals, a range on the West Cumbrian coast near Ravenglass, may present a continuing health hazard. Martin Forward, campaign co-ordinator of Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment, said: "The shells at Eskmeals were fired into very large concrete butts. From our point of view that is where the risk arises, because on impact the depleted uranium explodes or fragments to become airborne dust. "The prevailing winds here are westerly, so any pollution would tend to be taken inland." Staff at the range were initially given the option of extra pay if they would agree to work with the material, in what campaigners believe to be an implicit acknowledgment of an inherent risk. David Grant, environmental health director for Dumfries and Galloway council, which covers the other main range at Dundrennan on the Solway Firth, said his officers had found elevated levels of contamination only on the gun positions. There were not thought to be any sources of water within the range. Nevertheless, there was concern over the number of rounds fired into the Firth itself. The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, which runs both ranges, said independent research had found that radiation levels were "well below anything that could be considered a health hazard". [*]8 January 2001: Britain is warned over uranium shell tests [*]7 January 2001: Health alert over uranium shells fired on UK ranges [*]6 January 2001: MoD knew of ammo risks for 10 years [*]5 January 2001: [International] Nato inquiry on cancer deaths of Balkan veterans [*]31 December 2000: [International] Radiation tests for peacekeepers in Balkans exposed to depleted uranium c [*]Copyright of [*]Telegraph Group Limited 2000. [*]Terms [*]Information about www.telegraph.co.uk. ***************************************************************** 23 Veterans to be tested for uranium A voluntary screening programme is to be introduced for Balkans veterans in the wake of growing fears that the use of radioactive ammunition has put their health at risk. Armed Forces Minister John Spellar told MPs that the programme of voluntary tests for British soldiers who had serviced in Kosovo and Bosnia would be set up after consultation with experts. But, in a Commons statement, he said that depleted uranium shells would remain part of British forces' arsenal for the "foreseeable future". Mr Spellar went on to say that DU shells "present no hazard to our forces" and there was no evidence of higher cancer rates or other illness amongst Gulf veterans. Announcing the testing programme, he said: "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." Any Balkans veterans concerned their health may have suffered should seek medical advice and, if the doctor thought DU could have contributed to their illness, tests for uranium would be carried out, the minister added. The Government has come under increasing pressure following warnings from scientists about potential problems among troops who came into contact with depleted uranium-tipped ammunition. Italy, Portugal and Sweden are among the European countries to have already launched inquiries into the health of their troops. The Ministry of Defence insists it has no reason to believe the shells, which were used extensively by Nato in Kosovo, pose any significant risk to British personnel. Mr Spellar (pictured left) said Britain would work with Nato allies over the issue. He stressed that there was still no evidence that DU ammunition constituted a health risk. However, he added: "Any individual who believes that their health may have been damaged by service in the Balkans should seek medical advice. "If their doctor considers that there is evidence that depleted uranium might have contributed to ill health then tests for uranium levels will be carried out." Mr Spellar said DU shells presented no hazard to armed forces if handled properly but said the government had long recognised that debris from the weapons could pose toxic dangers. He said studies of veterans from the Gulf War, 10 years ago, where similar ammunition was used, had thrown up no evidence of abnormally high cancer rates. Professor Brian Spratt, of the Royal Society's own probe into the risks, has warned MoD officials not to be too ready to dismiss the link. "We do have to be careful because depleted uranium is mildly radioactive, " he told Channel 4 News. "It's chemically poisonous and there is also a possibility that it behaves likes metals - like nickel - which aren't radioactive but can at sufficient doses promote an increased risk of cancer," he added. And Professor Spratt warned "so there are reasons to take this seriously". Professor Spratt who will produce his report in March, was speaking after the World Health Organisation called for more research. But there are peculiar problems facing researchers "It's not that easy to test for depleted uranium, you can test for uranium but to test for depleted you need quite sophisticated technology, " he said. "I think that as long as they're done properly (the tests) and we can get some measures that are reliable then I'd be happy with that. "Of course if the answer is that there are significant levels of depleted uranium in urine than I think the MoD would have top start thinking very carefully about testing British veterans." Background Government U-turn The decision to set up a testing programme for Balkans veterans marks a Government climbdown. Defence chiefs and ministers had repeatedly resisted calls for screening, arguing there was no evidence DU ammunition could damage soldiers' health. However, the Government has been under mounting pressure to act after inquiries were launched by Britain's Nato allies. Six Italian soldiers have died of leukaemia and both Italy and Portugal have launched studies to examine DU risks. The Irish Government has also announced a screening programme for Balkans veterans. It is sending an army medical team to Kosovo and Bosnia this week to measure radiation levels where the troops are stationed and determine the type of screening programme necessary. NATO has appeared split between the likes of Britain and the United States, who argue there is no health risk from "DU" weaponry and Germany, Italy, Portugal and Belgium who want a full NATO inquiry. NATO officials also insist there is no risk of contamination and experts at the World Health Organisation said on Monday they doubted that the weapons had caused leukaemia among troops. Defence experts urged NATO to agree on NATO-wide research on any possible link. Military analyst Paul Beaver, spokesman for Jane's Weekly, said:"There has to be an alliance-wide epidemiological survey," British Bruce George, veteran Labour MP and chairman of parliament's influential defence select committee, said: "It is vitally important that all the major countries who are going to examine their forces do so with a common methodology. US attack jets fired some 31,000 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition during NATO's 1999 campaign to end Serb repression of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. About 10,000 rounds were also fired in neighbouring Bosnia in 1994-95. ***************************************************************** 24 Pressure mounts over DU arms BBC News | EUROPE | Wednesday, 10 January, 2001, 01:46 GMT [I] Measuring radiation levels in Kosovo The head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, has played down the risks of contamination from depleted uranium (DU) shells, despite growing pressure for a ban on the controversial weapons. Italy and Portugal are among a number of Nato countries screening soldiers who served in the Balkans - where the shells were used - following the death of six Italian peacekeepers from leukaemia. The European Union responded to alarm about the armour-piercing DU shells on Tuesday by launching an investigation into the possible health risks associated with them. And the UK Government has announced that it will offer additional medical checks to armed forces personnel who served in the Gulf and the Balkans. [I] Nato targeted Yugoslav tanks with DU-tipped weapons But on a tour of Klina, a town in northern Kosovo where Yugoslav tanks were attacked by Nato aircraft in 1999, Mr Kouchner said targeted sites had been thoroughly checked for radiation. "Risk exists, but in my humble experience as a health minister for 10 years, I think there is no real risk," said Mr Kouchner, a French doctor who co-founded the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres before entering mainstream politics. The EU executive has asked a working group of experts to assess whether DU poses a health risk. They will examine all the available evidence before submitting a report early next month. The EU also wants to know whether spent DU shells pose any health risks for workers who may take part in EU-funded reconstruction programmes in the region. The United States says there is no evidence of a significant health risk from DU - a position currently backed by the World Health Organisation. But Portugal has sent three ministers to Kosovo to conduct further investigations. NATO INQUIRY Nato ambassadors are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the DU scare, which correspondents say threatens to open up a significant rift in the alliance. You cannot totally exclude the possibility that people can sometimes suffer serious health effects from this type of ammunition[I] Pekka Haavisto of the UN The UK and US Governments are likely to resist strongly any attempt to withdraw the weapons from service, as demanded by Germany and Italy. US aircraft fired tens of thousands of DU rounds during Nato's 1995 bombing of Bosnian Serb targets and 1999 air war against Yugoslavia. The rounds are denser than standard ammunition, making them more effective against armour. Depleted uranium gives off relatively low levels of radiation, but can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled in dust or if it enters the body through cuts or wounds. The UN mission in Kosovo is waiting for a report on DU weapons by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), which is due out at the end of February. UN CONCERNS Last October, Unep recommended sealing off the Klina site and 112 other former Nato targets in Kosovo pending further research into DU's possible impact on public health. Pekka Haavisto, head of a Unep team which inspected DU strike sites last year, told the BBC: "If you explode mines in the areas where there is DU in the ground, you probably also explode again some DU ammunition and inhale this type of dust. "So you cannot totally exclude the possibility that people can sometimes suffer serious health effects from this type of ammunition. "It can happen that children who are playing in those areas, pick up some remnants. Even adults were picking up some memoirs of the war and putting them in their rooms - and then you have a radioactive source." WHO officials who spoke to local doctors in Kosovo said there were as yet no signs of an increase in leukaemia cases since the 1999 war - but that such an increase could still become apparent as research continues. Six Italian soldiers, five Belgians, two Dutch nationals, two Spaniards, a Portuguese and a Czech national have died after tours in the Balkans. Four French soldiers and five Belgians have also contracted leukaemia. ***************************************************************** 25 UK relents over uranium tests BBC News | UK | Wednesday, 10 January, 2001, 01:48 GMT [I] DU-tipped weapons were used to destroy tanks in Kosovo Thousands of British soldiers who may have been exposed to depleted uranium are to be offered a chance to be screened for health problems, the UK Government has announced. 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. [I] Dense DU shells can penetrate armour But one scientist who has advised the UK Government on the issue described the screening programme as "pseudo-science" and said methods proposed were "unacceptable". The UK says there is no evidence of a link between the weapons and cancer and Armed Forces Minister John Spellar told the House of Commons on Tuesday that depleted uranium would remain part of British forces' arsenal for the "foreseeable future". He said there would be a voluntary screening programme for military personnel who had served in the Balkans and were worried about their health. 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. Speaking on BBC2's Newsnight programme, Professor Malcolm Hooper, who has advised the government on Gulf War illness, said a large, representative sample was vital for any proper study. He said: "The whole thing is a complete ragbag of pseudo-science and spurious measurements which cannot be interpreted accurately and cannot obtain reliable data - quite unacceptable. "What's required is a properly structured study with a sample size determined before you set out so you get an accurate representative sample, proper techniques being used to do the analysis so that you can actually measure depleted uranium and not total uranium." 'GOVERNMENT TO CONSULT' He added that veterans who had come forward for tests previously had been deceived. Reacting on Newsnight to the Royal Society's assertion that the screening programme was "scientifically useless", Mr Spellar said the government would be consulting on how to test. "We would be consulting with the scientific bodies including the Royal Society in order to ascertain the best way of conducting the tests." [I] Kevin Rudland: "Devastated" But he added that the programme was not a full epidemiological study. Earlier, his statement to the House of Commons had been greeted with anger by veterans of both the Balkans and the Gulf War. Former Army engineer Kevin Rudland, who claims to have suffered from osteoarthritis, hair loss and post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Bosnia, said he was "devastated". 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. EUROPEAN CONCERN The US military fired more than 30,000 rounds of DU ammunition, used for anti-tank purposes, during the fighting 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. [I] Portuguese soldiers examine soil for contamination in Kosovo Some Gulf veterans tested for depleted uranium poisoning are said to have had between 25 and 75 times the normal level of the chemical in their bodies. 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. The material gives off relatively low levels of radiation, but can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled in dust or if it enters the body through cuts or wounds. ***************************************************************** 26 Bush makes astoundingly bad appointment JANUARY 4, 2001 Tom Anderson mixes up the all-ages concert scene By Hugh Jackson George W. Bush loves losers. His latest loser is one Spencer Abraham, who lost his bid for reelection in November. Now he's Bush's choice to head the Department of Energy. From Nevada's point of view, Abraham may not be the worst possible choice for energy secretary. That would have been former Louisiana Sen. Bennett Johnston, the author the original Screw Nevada bill. But Abraham is certainly among the bottom five. Abraham was one of the original co-sponsors of legislation a couple years ago that would have started sending nuclear waste to Nevada for temporary storage. Since his election in the so-called "Republican revolution" in 1994, Abraham has been an ardent supporter of putting spent fuel rods from the nation's nuclear power plants in Nevada for good at Yucca Mountain. But in true Republican revolutionary fashion, Abraham also wanted to gut the government. And wouldn't you know it? He co-sponsored legislation as recently as 1999 to abolish the Department of Energy altogether. True, a rational case can be made for abolishing the DOE. For one thing, it could be replaced by an actual government agency. But the DOE's status as a subsidiary of the nuclear power industry was not among Abraham's concerns in hoping to dismantle the agency he now would head. No, the reasons that Abraham and others cited for getting rid of the DOE: The agency just couldn't seem to get off the dime and get that darned nuclear waste sent to Nevada fast enough. So the legislation he co-sponsored would have put the nuclear waste program under the Corps of Engineers. You know the Corps of Engineers. They're the guys that never saw a project they didn't want to build. That's why the Corps exists, to build stuff. Dams mostly. Levees too. Oh, the Corps would love to get hip-deep in Yucca Mountain. Now, no doubt, Bush would like to emulate Ronald Reagan as much as possible. But naming people to head departments that they would like to abolish, a la Reagan, seems to be taking things a bit far. Height of hypocrisy for all involved? You bet. But maybe more importantly, it just doesn't sound like the action of a uniter, not a divider. There's scant rationale at all for appointing Abraham as secretary of energy. The guy's a career campaign operative and politician with little to no executive management experience, observed Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. Hauter is a D.C. activist who hooked up with Nevada's congressional delegation to see if the now-infamous memo revealing the DOE's pro- Yucca bias can be used to help keep the waste away. That memo is arguably the best thing that has happened to Nevada's anti-nuclear struggle since Bill Clinton's election. It's already delayed the Yucca siting process, noted Kalynda Tilges, nuclear issues coordinator for Citizen Alert. And of course, it illustrated what a farce it is to expect the DOE to act in anything but a nuclear power industry-approved way (Gov. Kenny Guinn expressed shock at the DOE memo. The governor's shock, in turn, shocked Tilges). But the memo also reflects the deep, structural problems that underlie the DOE and it's corrupt collusion with the nuclear power industry. Those problems, noted Hauter with Public Citizen, could use some attention from somebody that knows the issues. And yet of the 20 or so important issues on Abraham's web site, none of them have anything to do with energy, Hauter noted. The nuclear waste issue is a snake pit. But the new energy secretary is also going to have to wrap his brain around an increasingly dicey electrical generation issue, as evidenced by the power shortages hitting California. Not to mention the whole nuclear laboratory thing, which between falsely accusing scientists of treasonous espionage and losing hard drives behind filing cabinets are probably experiencing a pretty tough time finding good help. There is nothing in Abraham's career to suggest he is remotely qualified to head the agency. (For that matter, isn't there a law that says no pro-business Republicans from Michigan can be energy secretary? You know, because of the car thing? Well, there should be.) Sadly, it is probably that very lack of expertise that explains why Bush and Cheney, or Cheney and Bush, selected Abraham in the first place. As a defeated senator, why, he's just happy to have a job- -even if it is heading up a department he thinks should be eliminated. Which means he'll quietly go along to get along and do whatever Cheney tells Bush to tell him to do. Abraham being an initial sponsor of the temporary storage bill and all, you might expect--or hope--that Nevada's congressional delegation and governor would go ballistic at his nomination for the energy job. Not quite. "Spencer Abraham has been a consistent supporter of the nuclear power industry, and has an established record in the Senate of voting for the Yucca Mountain project without regard for the health and safety of the people in my state," said Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley. "It is imperative that the new Energy Secretary approach the job, and the issue of nuclear waste, with a set of priorities that truly reflects the enduring values of our nation, and the health of future generations in every state of our union." Not exactly I-will-do-everything-in-my-power-to-crush-this-nominee kind of talk. Let's see if the Great and Powerful Harry Reid--he's Senate Minority Whip, you know--can do any better. "As a senator, he voted against the interest of Nevadans on numerous occasions," Reid said in his statement. "The nomination of Abraham to head the Energy Department also calls in to question President- elect George W. Bush's commitment to a fair and unbiased evaluation of the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. Spencer Abraham is not someone who has been neutral on the issue of dumping nuclear waste in Nevada, and this bias raises genuine concern about the prospects for a fair decision on the site's safety and suitability." Ya think? Because Rep. Jim Gibbons is also a congressman from Nevada, and a Republican one, too. Surely, Gibbons was consulted prior to this all-important cabinet appointment. "President Bush clearly understands Nevada's concerns on the issue of nuclear waste," Gibbons said. Clearly, that's wrong, or Bush would have picked somebody else. "It is my hope that Sen. Abraham is aware of the commitment the Bush- Cheney ticket made to Gov. Guinn during the campaign regarding this critical issue," Gibbons continued. And he's probably aware of it, inasmuch as that commitment amounted to no commitment at all. The other Nevada Republicans who assured us during the campaign that Bush was going to be a good egg on the nuclear waste front--Gov. Kenny Guinn and Senator- and Hairdo-elect John Ensign, failed to get a statement to this free weekly with sex ads in the back by the time it had to go to the print shop. Maybe they were busy looking for Cheney's phone number. Copyright c 2001 Las Vegas Press ***************************************************************** 27 British statement on uranium weapons BBC News | EUROPE | Tuesday, 9 January, 2001, 13:33 GMT However, a report in the New York Times says the Americans have told their NATO allies that their troops should take special precautions on entering Kosovo because of the depleted uranium weapons. And the Ministry of Defence in London is coming under pressure to acknowledge the alleged health risks and carry out checks on thousands of former servicemen and women. The government is to make a statement shortly 1530. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service ***************************************************************** 28 Pressure mounts over DU arms BBC News | EUROPE | Wednesday, 10 January, 2001, 01:46 GMT [I] Measuring radiation levels in Kosovo The head of the UN mission in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, has played down the risks of contamination from depleted uranium (DU) shells, despite growing pressure for a ban on the controversial weapons. Italy and Portugal are among a number of Nato countries screening soldiers who served in the Balkans - where the shells were used - following the death of six Italian peacekeepers from leukaemia. The European Union responded to alarm about the armour-piercing DU shells on Tuesday by launching an investigation into the possible health risks associated with them. And the UK Government has announced that it will offer additional medical checks to armed forces personnel who served in the Gulf and the Balkans. [I] Nato targeted Yugoslav tanks with DU-tipped weapons But on a tour of Klina, a town in northern Kosovo where Yugoslav tanks were attacked by Nato aircraft in 1999, Mr Kouchner said targeted sites had been thoroughly checked for radiation. "Risk exists, but in my humble experience as a health minister for 10 years, I think there is no real risk," said Mr Kouchner, a French doctor who co-founded the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres before entering mainstream politics. The EU executive has asked a working group of experts to assess whether DU poses a health risk. They will examine all the available evidence before submitting a report early next month. The EU also wants to know whether spent DU shells pose any health risks for workers who may take part in EU-funded reconstruction programmes in the region. The United States says there is no evidence of a significant health risk from DU - a position currently backed by the World Health Organisation. But Portugal has sent three ministers to Kosovo to conduct further investigations. NATO INQUIRY Nato ambassadors are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the DU scare, which correspondents say threatens to open up a significant rift in the alliance. You cannot totally exclude the possibility that people can sometimes suffer serious health effects from this type of ammunition[I] Pekka Haavisto of the UN The UK and US Governments are likely to resist strongly any attempt to withdraw the weapons from service, as demanded by Germany and Italy. US aircraft fired tens of thousands of DU rounds during Nato's 1995 bombing of Bosnian Serb targets and 1999 air war against Yugoslavia. The rounds are denser than standard ammunition, making them more effective against armour. Depleted uranium gives off relatively low levels of radiation, but can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled in dust or if it enters the body through cuts or wounds. The UN mission in Kosovo is waiting for a report on DU weapons by the UN Environment Programme (Unep), which is due out at the end of February. UN CONCERNS Last October, Unep recommended sealing off the Klina site and 112 other former Nato targets in Kosovo pending further research into DU's possible impact on public health. Pekka Haavisto, head of a Unep team which inspected DU strike sites last year, told the BBC: "If you explode mines in the areas where there is DU in the ground, you probably also explode again some DU ammunition and inhale this type of dust. "So you cannot totally exclude the possibility that people can sometimes suffer serious health effects from this type of ammunition. "It can happen that children who are playing in those areas, pick up some remnants. Even adults were picking up some memoirs of the war and putting them in their rooms - and then you have a radioactive source." WHO officials who spoke to local doctors in Kosovo said there were as yet no signs of an increase in leukaemia cases since the 1999 war - but that such an increase could still become apparent as research continues. Six Italian soldiers, five Belgians, two Dutch nationals, two Spaniards, a Portuguese and a Czech national have died after tours in the Balkans. Four French soldiers and five Belgians have also contracted leukaemia. ***************************************************************** 29 Kosovo doctors play down uranium scare BBC News | EUROPE | Tuesday, 9 January, 2001, 11:52 GMT [I] Nato soldiers are measuring radiation levels Doctors in Kosovo have told World Health Organisation (WHO) staff that there has been no increase in leukaemia cases in the province since the conflict there in 1999. The report comes as some Nato member countries are attempting to establish whether illness suffered by soldiers who served in Kosovo is linked to exposure to the depleted uranium used in some weapons. But some experts have warned that leukaemia may take several years to develop following exposure to radiation. There has been no full scientific investigation into leukaemia rates in Kosovo since the conflict. [I] Nato missiles incorporated depleted uranium In the recent informal survey, WHO officials simply asked doctors in the province to provide information about leukaemia cases from 1997 to the end of last year. They found leukaemia cases among Kosovo civilians dropped slightly last year. The information was needed by UN staff to set priorities in rebuilding Kosovo's health system. SYMPTOMS TAKE YEARS The UK National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) says it is too early for radiation received by civilians or peacekeepers in Kosovo to be causing disease. The NRPB's spokesman, Dr Mike Clark, says it is well known that radiation exposure can cause leukaemia. But in the case of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs during World War II, it took about five years for the first cases of radiation-related leukaemia to appear. Dr Clark says that while enough time may have passed for people exposed to depleted uranium in Bosnia to be showing any signs of radiation illness, it is too soon for the same to be said of Kosovo. Dr Clark says the forthcoming screening programmes planned by governments in Europe should take into account other possible factors. Leukaemia is believed to have a number of triggers, including viral infections and chemical toxins. While he could not rule out depleted uranium as a factor in the recent deaths and illnesses among Balkans peacekeepers, the health problems that have collectively been dubbed "Balkans syndrome" may have more than one cause. ***************************************************************** 30 NATO and EU discuss weapons fears - January 9, 2001 CNN.com - STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Top NATO and European Union (EU) officials are holding separate talks over depleted uranium weapons fears. NATO's political committee and the EU's political and security committee are both convening on Tuesday to begin addressing European concerns that the ammunition used in the Balkans has caused cancer among peacekeepers. Renewed concern over so-called "Balkans Syndrome" arose in December after Italy announced an investigation into 30 soldiers who have fallen ill since serving with NATO. Twelve have cancer and five have died of leukaemia. United States forces serving with NATO used the tank-piercing arms in the Bosnia and Kosovo missions and the U.S. denies any scientific evidence of a link between the uranium-tipped bullets and illness. "There is absolutely no proof that there is a connection," U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on Monday. Scientists remain divided on the issue and a chorus of European leaders have called for a thorough investigation. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Monday called on NATO to release all available information on the use and effects of depleted uranium ammunition. "We want frank information about where the ammunition was used and with what consequences," Schroeder said in Germany, where he was meeting Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson. Despite agreeing with NATO that there is no risk, Britain is reportedly set to announce medical tests on its Balkan veterans after initially indicating there was no need. The Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Ministry of Defence will implement a testing programme for tens of thousands of NATO peacekeepers. Weapons withdrawn Portugal began health tests on Monday on about 10,000 military and civilian personnel who have served in the Balkans since 1996. One Portuguese soldier has been diagnosed with cancer since returning from Kosovo. In Greece the military said on Monday that it would withdraw depleted uranium ammunition from active use but was not yet pulling peacekeepers out of Kosovo. One Greek soldier who served in Bosnia is suffering from leukaemia. Experts will be testing the soil and air around the Greek base in Urosevac, in southern Kosovo, and Greece's 1,500 army personnel will be withdrawn if they uncover a health risk, Defence Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos said. All Norwegian soldiers who have served abroad since 1990--about 20,000 troops--will also be offered health checks, Norway's supreme defence command said on Monday. Last week, two former officers said they developed cancer after serving in Bosnia. Elsewhere on Monday, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said his government would ask NATO whether unused bombs its planes dumped into the Adriatic during the 1999 bombing campaign contained depleted uranium. In a preliminary report released last week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found higher radiation levels around eight areas targeted by NATO in Kosovo. The UNEP results were from 11 sites identified by NATO as having been hit with depleted uranium arms. All up, 112 sites are being tested by UNEP and final results from to this report. RELATED STORIES: January 7, 2001 January 6, 2001 January 5, 2001 January 4, 2001 December 30, 2000 c 2001 CABLE NEWS NETWORK. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 31 MOD CLIMBDOWN ON DEPLETED URANIUM Armed Forces Minister John Spellar makes a statement in the House of Commons today UK: The Times TUESDAY JANUARY 09 2001 The Ministry of Defence today bowed to pressure for medical tests for Balkans veterans who fear they have been contaminated by exposure to depleted uranium (DU) weapons. In a Commons statement, John Spellar, the Armed Forces Minister, announced a voluntary screening programme for tens of thousands of service personnel and civilians who served in Bosnia and Kosovo. He said that the programme was intended to provide reassurance for veterans following growing concern about possible links between DU and leukaemia or other illnesses. However, senior MoD officials insisted that the Government still did not accept there was any connection between the use of DU weaponry and either the so-called Balkans syndrome or the earlier Gulf War syndrome. Mr Spellar said that, handled properly, DU shells, which are used to pierce tank armour, presented no health hazard to British troops and would remain in the Army's arsenal for the foreseeable future. The announcement today was hurriedly arranged. Officials confirmed that the final decision to go ahead with the screening programme had only been taken in the preceding 12 hours, at a time when Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, was out of the country on an official visit to Sweden. Today's announcement follows a wave of concern sparked by Italy's decision last month to investigate illnesses among 30 of its soldiers who had served in the Balkans, including five who died from leukaemia. Since then, investigations or screening programmes have been announced in Germany, Portugal, Norway and Belgium, with Ireland earlier today becoming the latest country to join the list. Copyright 2001 TIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD. This service is ***************************************************************** 32 EU and NATO to discuss depleted uranium ireland.com - The Irish Times - WORLD Tuesday, January 9, 2001 KOSOVO: NATO and the European Union will hold separate meetings this week amid growing concern that anti-tank shells tipped with depleted uranium used in the Balkans may have caused dozens of cases of leukaemia among soldiers. It also emerged that NATO warned its member states 18 months ago of a "possible toxic threat" from radioactive weaponry, widely blamed for the "Balkans Syndrome" that has allegedly caused deaths and cancers among peacekeepers. The German defence ministry confirmed reports that NATO issued warnings in July 1999 recommending that countries take their own "preventative measures". Meanwhile Friends of the Earth and a Scottish parliamentarian demanded the clean-up of waters around Scotland where shells were test fired for 10 years. The demand came after Britain's defence ministry said it had fired more than 6,000 shells with depleted uranium into the Solway Firth over the past decade and left them on the seabed. Mr Richard Dixon, spokesman for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "We are calling on the defence ministry to bring in their detection equipment and remove these shells." A Scottish Nationalist MP, Mr Aladair Morgan, joined in the demand. A ministry spokeswoman said retrieval would be "almost impossible". Depleted uranium (DU) is used in missiles, shells and bullets to increase armour penetration. Defence experts say it can be pulverised on impact into a toxic radioactive dust. Amid a clamour for clarification of where, when and how much DU ammunition was used in the Balkans, NATO insists there is no known risk of contamination. The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schr”der, joined a chorus of support yesterday for an Italian demand for NATO to investigate claims that Western troops in the Balkans fell ill through exposure to the depleted uranium. oder told reporters in Hanover. "Of course we also want to know if there are connections between cases of illness and the use of these weapons." Six Italian soldiers died of leukaemia after serving in the Balkans, provoking demands from Rome last week that NATO look into the risks the troops had been exposed to. NATO political advisers will discuss the DU row today ahead of a meeting of the North Atlantic Council - the alliance's permanent ambassadors - in Brussels tomorrow. The alliance's medical chiefs will also discuss the depleted uranium issue at talks next week. EU foreign ministers are also expected to add the issue to the agenda for their monthly meeting in Brussels on January 22nd. Yesterday's Die Welt newspaper in Germany reported that NATO would have put together by today a detailed overview of all flight operations over Bosnia in 1994/5 which had involved depleted uranium munitions. Such a map already exists for Kosovo, the newspaper said. Mr Schr”der said the Defence Minister, Mr Rudolf Scharping, who has come under opposition attack for refusing to test all Germany's 60,000 Balkans peacekeepers, had already acted last year to examine soldiers serving in risky areas. Up until now those tests had shown no connection between time in the Balkans and leukaemia, the chancellor said. Portugal is to send ministers to Kosovo, a government statement said yesterday. The Defence and Interior Ministers, Mr Julio Castro Caldas and Mr Severiano Teixeira, are to meet Portuguese members of the NATO-led Kfor force, while the Science and Technology Minister, Mr Mariano Gago, will meet representatives of the Portuguese Institute for Technology and Nuclear Power, who are already in Kosovo. Meanwhile, Greece said it was stepping up health checks and radiation controls for its 1,400 troops in Kosovo, while Norway offered health checks to all staff who served on foreign missions in the last 10 years. Croatia said it would press NATO to clarify whether alliance aircraft had dumped depleted uranium bombs in the Adriatic Sea as they returned from Kosovo to bases in Italy. -(Reuters) ***************************************************************** 33 Croatia Demands Information From NATO on Possible DU Contamination in Adriatic Sea Tuesday, January 09, 2001, updated at 16:32(GMT+8) Sea has been contaminated by depleted uranium (DU) weapons dumped by the Alliance after air raids on Yugoslavia, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday. "We will again ask (NATO) for precise information on this subject, " Yugoslav state news agency quoted Racan as saying at a press conference in Zagreb. NATO war planes dumped unexploded missiles into the Adriatic Sea, which touches the Croatian coast, before returning to their bases 1999. So far it is not clear whether this weaponry contained depleted uranium and weather it contaminated sea water. The Balkan syndrome aroused concerns among some NATO nations, including to have contracted illness with symptoms related to depleted uranium contamination. Seven Italian soldiers, five Belgians, two Dutch nationals, two Spaniards, Four French soldiers and four Belgians have also contracted leukemia. The Italian government, backed by the Belgians, French and Portuguese, has demanded an explanation. to explain the health risks of DU weapons. The Pentagon has rejected the idea that DU weapons pose a significant risk to health or the environment. Depleted uranium is used in weapons to make bullets or missiles more dense so that they can penetrate armor. It gives off relatively low levels of radiation, but can be dangerous if ingested, inhaled in dust, or if it enters the body through cuts or wounds. Yugoslav Servicemen not Found to Suffer Depleted Uranium-Related Diseases There have been no reports that any of the 1,080 Yugoslav soldiers serving in areas contaminated by depleted uranium ammunition during the NATO Bombing in 1999 have suffered diseases relating to the contamination, a Yugoslav general said. But this does not mean that their health condition will not deteriorate in the future, said Major General Momcilo, head of the Epidemics Prevention Bureau of the Yugoslav Army. He said these servicemen will continue to receive medical examinations. Some European countries have shown great concern to the health of their peace-keeping soldiers in Kosovo, but they should also care about the health of local residents who actually suffer most from the contamination, he said. Depleted Uranium has not only affected human bodies, but also contaminated food-chain, including water, land and plants, he noted, adding that Yugoslavia is ready to cooperate with international organizations on the issue of contamination. Portugal Investigates Effects of DU Weapons in Balkans The Portuguese government will send three ministers to Kosovo for a special 24-hour inspection amid concerns over depleted uranium weapons (DU) used by NATO in Yugoslavia, a government statement said Monday. The decision was made after the three ministers discussed the issue with Prime Minister Antonio Guterres. The Portuguese defense and interior ministers, Castro Caldas and Severiano Teixeira, will meet with Portuguese police and military forces participating in a humanitarian mission in Kosovo. Minister of Science and Technology Mariano Gago will meet with experts from the team of the Nuclear and Technological Institute (NTI), which is examining the effects of depleted uranium weapons in the region. The statement said that samples gathered in Kosovo will be sent to Portugal for further examination. According to news from the Portuguese Lusa news agency, Portuguese scientists arriving in Kosovo last Friday have not yet detected any serious problems. Depleted uranium became a European concern after news that Italian, Belgian, Spanish and Portuguese soldiers died of cancer and leukemia after participating in Bosnia and Kosovo peace missions. Alocal newspaper reported that a soldier died of Leukemia in 1998, since returning from that region, which brought the number of soldiers who had suffered strange illnesses to five. So far two have died. The newspaper said it might be linked to radioactivity of depleted uranium ammunition used during NATO's bombardment. European governments have performed medical examinations on their military personnel and have requested NATO and the United States provide an explanation. Croatia will seek clarification from NATO on whether the Adriatic Sea has been contaminated by depleted uranium (DU) weapons dumped by the Alliance after air raids on Yugoslavia, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday. Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved ***************************************************************** 34 Russia: Baltic Region Still Nuke-Free The St. Petersburg Times - Top Story #634, TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2001 COMBINED REPORTS MOSCOW - U.S. claims that Russia has moved short-range nuclear weapons to its naval base on the Baltic Sea have caused a stir, but the Russian military last week insisted the reports are wrong, and Russian analysts said such a deployment would be senseless. Senior officials in President Bill Clinton's administration confirmed Wednesday's report in The Washington Times that tactical nuclear weapons have been transferred to Kaliningrad, a Russian port city separated from the rest of the country by Lithuania. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. "Over the last six months there has been some movement of tactical nuclear weapons into Kaliningrad - we don't know how many, we don't know what type and we don't know why," one U.S. official said. Such an action would be in conflict with Moscow's stated policy of keeping the Baltic region free of nuclear weapons, though it would not appear to violate any legally binding arms control agreement, the U.S. officials said. While Russia's motives are unclear, the placement of battlefield nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad could be a response to NATO's expansion and an attempt to compensate for the decline of Russia's conventional military might, the officials said. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said he could not comment on specifics, but expected the topic to be raised with Moscow. "It's an issue that we want to take up, that we want to discuss with them," he said. "It's something that we follow carefully, and that's about as far as I go." Under informal agreements reached in 1991 and 1992 by President Geor ge Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gor bachev, Russia withdrew its tactical nuclear weapons from the former Warsaw Pact states in Eastern Europe and promised to place them in "central storage facilities." The agreements, which never were turned into a treaty, did not specify the storage sites. But U.S. intelligence sources said Wednesday that Kaliningrad, the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet, became a depot for tactical nuclear weapons removed by the Russian navy from its ships. It was unclear whether the warheads that have been moved to Kaliningrad were sea-based or land-based weapons. Some U.S. defense officials speculated that they were for use on a new short-range missile known as the Toka, which was test-fired on April 18 in Kaliningrad and has a range of about 70 kilometers. The Russian Defense Ministry said the supposed weapons movement "does not conform with reality" and that Russia's tactical nuclear warheads are at their "permanent stationing sites and have not been transferred anywhere." But the ministry's statement did not clarify whether Kaliningrad is considered a permanent stationing site. Anatoly Lobsky, a spokesman for the commander of the Baltic Fleet, said, "The Baltic Sea is a nuclear-free zone, and Russia's Baltic Fleet scrupulously observes its international commitments." But that statement was also something less than a flat denial, because Russia may not consider Ka liningrad to be part of the nuclear-free zone. Kaliningrad is an enclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and the navy base there provides Russia with access to the Baltic Sea. Polish Defense Minister Bronislaw Komorowski on Thursday called for international inspectors to verify Moscow's claim that it had not deployed nuclear weapons. "Poland needs to monitor the situation in Kaliningrad on a day-to- day basis and it is doing that," Komorowski said on Polish public television. "Verification will include pushing for international inspection, which is a usual thing." The conservative Polish daily Zycie printed a front-page map on Thursday showing tactical nuclear weapons based in Kaliningrad would threaten northern Poland and southern Lithuania. Officials from the Baltics gave a muted reaction, saying they were hoping to consult NATO diplomats on the issue. "We are monitoring the situation closely - if it is true it is very sad and we would have to make a statement," said Madis Mikko, spokesman for the Estonian Defense Ministry. Some U.S. officials believe the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad would be a tactic for increasing pressure on NATO to withdraw all short-range missiles and other nuclear weapons from Europe. Russia has long argued for their removal, but NATO continues to maintain some nuclear bombs for aircraft based in Europe. But Russian military analysts questioned the logic of such a deployment. Yury Gladkevich, an analyst at the independent Military News Agency, said Moscow had nothing to gain politically from the deployment. Ditching nonbinding arms agreements from the early 1990s, which were intended to limit tactical nuclear weapons deployment in Europe, would only invite the ire of European countries and the United States. He contended that the news reports were based on disinformation, an intelligence leak intended to influence policy for the incoming administration of George W. Bush or to demonstrate to America's European allies that Russia remained a threat. Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent defense analyst, said if the military did bring tactical nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad, for training or some other purpose, they would most likely be naval, like torpedo warheads. "There's no need to bring air force or missile weapons to the enclave, " he said, because their potential targets could just as easily be hit with missiles based on Russia's mainland. U.S. experts gave widely varying interpretations of the Russian action. Bruce Blair, president of the nonprofit Center for Defense Information, said Russian generals had warned him two years ago that redeploying tactical nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad would be "a likely response to NATO expansion." William M. Arkin, a consultant on nuclear weapons to the Natural Resources Defense Council, portrayed the move as an attempt to offset Russia's deteriorating conventional military forces. "What is it people expect, given the fact that Poland is now in NATO and the Baltic nations take part in military exercises with the United States?" he said. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined the alliance in 1999, and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia want to be the next new members. Russia has said it could not tolerate NATO so close to its border. But some U.S. officials said speculation that the weapons movement came in response to NATO expansion was probably not accurate. "If that were the case, they wouldn't have done it secretly, presumably they would have made a big public announcement, saying 'we're going to respond this way to NATO expansion,' " one official said. "But they didn't do it publicly, they did it secretly, so we don't know why they did this." Officials said NATO was briefed about the movement of the weapons over a period of months. - AP, WP, Reuters [I] COPYRIGHT THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES 2001 ***************************************************************** 35 Business (Uranium Deal Draws U.S. Flak) The St. Petersburg Times - #634, TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2001 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - Buying more than 100 tons of weapons-grade uranium from Russia helped U.S. national security but may be hurting domestic producers as the nation's nuclear power plants become dependent on Russian uranium, congressional auditors said. In 1993, the United States agreed to a 20-year program of buying highly enriched uranium from dismantled Russian nuclear weapons, imported in a form suitable to fuel commercial reactors. The Energy Department created the U.S. Enrichment Corp. to handle the purchases, then let the corporation be privatized through a July 1998 public offering that brought the Treasury $1.9 billion. The Russian government's counterpart is Tekhnsnabexport, known as Tenex, which processes the uranium and takes the payments. Congress' investigative arm, the General Accounting Office, found that a committee of officials from several federal agencies, formed to oversee the uranium purchases, "has not fulfilled all of its responsibilities." The Enrichment Oversight Committee had no contingency plan for replacing USEC, as it was instructed to have, when the company considered severing its ties with the Russia deal in 1999. The committee likewise has yet to complete a study of how government purchases of Russian uranium is affecting the U.S. nuclear fuel industry. The GAO said Dec. 29 that study should be done and the United States "should be prepared to either replace [USEC] or to take on the responsibilities itself." While the corporation has tried "to balance conflicting commercial and national security interests," the report said, its stated "priority as a private company is to remain a profitable commercial enterprise and maintain maximum value to its shareholders." Undersecretary of Energy Ernest Moniz told the GAO he agrees with some of the report's broad themes and noted the 1993 agreement has succeeded in removing the equivalent of 4,000 nuclear weapons from Russia since 1995. "It is a unique agreement that breaks new ground in the relations among nuclear weapons states," Moniz said. The number of Russian nuclear warheads is expected to drop to 1,000 or fewer within seven years due to treaties and obsolescence. The prospective START III arms-control treaty, which is still to be negotiated, is expected to establish ceilings of 2,000 to 2,500 warheads. Nuclear power supplies about 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs. [I] COPYRIGHT THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES 2001 ***************************************************************** 36 Espionage Trials Stoke Fear of KGB Return Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001, 10:41 AM Moscow Time The Associated Press KALUGA, Russia - To those who accuse Igor Sutyagin of espionage, even things that weren't said seem suspicious. After Sutyagin, whose trial on charges of spying for the United States resumes Tuesday, was arrested in October 1999, his mother was summoned for questioning by Russia's security service. The family's telephones had apparently been bugged for months, as an agent played a tape of a call, Svetlana Sutyagin said. "Here, you make a pause in the conversation - I know what you were thinking about," the agent said, according to Mrs. Sutyagin. "You were worried, you knew that your son was doing something wrong." The intercepted phone call was about ordinary family matters, the family said. Sutyagin's case is the latest in a series of high- profile espionage trials that human rights activists say signifies a witch-hunt for independent thinkers and an attempt to discourage foreign contacts. Sutyagin, a researcher from the Institute for USA and Canada Studies, was arrested by the Federal Security Service, or FSB, on charges he was giving classified information about the Russian military to foreign intelligence services. The USA and Canada Institute has no access to government secrets, and Sutyagin's family and lawyers say his only crime was to have read between the lines of military publications, piecing together facts to construct a picture that the military did not want to be known. Files in Sutyagin's study at his home hold scores of newspaper clippings, mostly from the official military daily Krasnaya Zvezda, with passages that attracted his attention underlined in red. "He would spread newspaper clippings around on the floor, on the couch, on his desk, everywhere, and crawl between them," said Sutyagin's wife, Irina Manannikova. "This would go on for days - and something would be born that way." Agents also searched the Moscow apartment of Princeton University graduate student Joshua Handler, an arms control researcher working with Sutyagin. Handler was not charged and left the country, but FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev later called him a spy. Handler, a former Greenpeace activist, calls the accusation absurd. Sutyagin's closed-door trial began Dec. 26 in Kaluga, the district center of the researcher's home province southwest of Moscow. The FSB, which initiated the case, says it is cracking down on spies who supposedly infiltrated Russia amid the lawlessness that followed the Soviet collapse. Russian security agencies saw their powers trimmed during Boris Yeltsin's years as president, but many fear they are reclaiming lost ground now that 16-year KGB veteran Vladimir Putin is in power. "Putin surrounds himself with people he knows and understands," said Naum Nim, chief editor of Index/Dossier on Censorship magazine, a publication on the defense of human rights. Russian authorities lately have seemed to find subversive activity in unlikely places. In November, a court refused to extend the registration of Moscow's branch of the Salvation Army as a religious organization, accusing it of being a violent militarized group, the charity said. American businessman Edmond Pope was sentenced to 20 years in prison for espionage in December, in what was widely seen as a show trial by a court heavily biased in favor of the prosecution. Pope was pardoned by Putin on health grounds on Dec. 14 and has returned to the United States. The Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court in November overturned the acquittal of espionage charges of military journalist Grigory Pasko, who had reported on nuclear waste dumping by the Russian navy. The Supreme Court demanded a retrial. In September, Putin signed an Information Security Doctrine that warns of "information weapons" allegedly used against Russia by unidentified foreign powers and calls for tighter controls over media, in language ringing with tones of the Soviet era. At a Kremlin ceremony honoring Russian security service workers on their professional holiday Dec. 20, Putin encouraged his former colleagues to embrace their KGB past, and to "preserve the valuable aspects that have always been present in the work of the security organs of our country." He stressed, however, that the skills should be applied to defending democracy. The indictment against Sutyagin claims that he was enlisted to spy for the United States when he attended a scientific conference in Britain in early 1998, according to his lawyer. Some speculate that the FSB was displeased by the researcher's foreign contacts. "An investigator once asked me: 'When your son was in England, do you think he met with any foreigners?"' said the researcher's father, Vyacheslav Sutyagin. 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ***************************************************************** 37 Israel denies depleted uranium use BBC News | WORLD | Monday, 8 January, 2001, 17:39 GMT [I] Some Palestinians believe depleted uranium is being used against them BY ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT ALEX KIRBY As debate intensifies in Europe over the risks of depleted uranium (DU) weapons, Israel has insisted that it is not using them. It has rejected an allegation by a Palestinian minister that its forces are firing them in the current wave of violence. Israel is known to possess DU munitions, and a reluctance to use them now could indicate an awareness of the risks involved. And even some critics say it would gain nothing from resorting to DU weapons. A Ramallah newspaper, al-Hayat al-Jadidah, accused the Israelis on 19 December of using DU. [I] Yasser Arafat: Said to be concerned It said the Palestinian Interior Minister, Dr Yusuf Abu-Safieh, had "confirmed that the occupation authorities have started using radioactive uranium ammunition to suppress the intifada". The minister said the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, was assembling a committee "to examine the situation". EARLIER DENIAL But the Israeli Embassy in London told BBC News Online the report was completely without foundation, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were not using DU. It did not say why the IDF were not using DU munitions, nor whether they might do so in the future. Last November the independent Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) asked the IDF about reports that Israeli helicopters had been using DU ammunition throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. An IDF spokesman said no such ammunition had been used. The same month a US group, the International Action Center (IAC), called for an inquiry into what it said was Israel's use of DU weapons. CONFISCATED IAC members say they picked up shell casings and metal fragments around Nablus and Ramallah which they believe contained DU. But the debris was confiscated from them as they were leaving Israel, so they were unable to test it for radioactivity. More than 350 people have been killed in the last three months in the violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Most of those who died have been Palestinians. Depleted uranium is a heavy substance, 1.7 times as dense as lead, and used in armour-piercing munitions. [I] Kosove: The search for DU remnants Many veterans of the Gulf War believe it is implicated in a range of medical problems they are suffering from, known collectively as Gulf War Syndrome. And members of the armed forces of several European countries who served in Bosnia and Kosovo now say they believe DU may have made them ill. Because of its ability to punch through armour, DU is prized as a highly effective anti-tank weapon. In its natural state, it is only mildly radioactive. On impact with a solid object it turns into a burning vapour. RISKS 'NEGLIGIBLE' The US Defense Department and the UK Ministry of Defence accept that the resulting dust can be dangerous, and say troops entering vehicles hit by DU weapons need to take precautions. But they say the dust soon ceases to be a significant problem, and is unlikely to move far from the site of the explosion, though independent authors have found it can be blown many miles. The US and UK military authorities say any risk from DU comes from its toxicity as a heavy metal, and that its radioactivity is negligible. Search BBC News Online[I]
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