Depleted uranium report from the Health Council of the Netherlands

The Health Council of the Netherlands, which is an independent scientific advisory body established in 1902 to advise the government and Parliament on the current level of knowledge with respect to public health issues', has recently published an overview report on depleted uranium. The title of the report is Health risks of exposure to depleted uranium' and it is freely available in both English and the original Dutch language. A brief summary of the report that was published on 16 May 2001 is presented here. The use of ammunition containing depleted uranium (DU) in Kosovo and elsewhere in the Balkans has provoked disquiet in Europe. In the Netherlands, concern over the release of this material had already been aroused previously following the crash of the El-Al airliner in the Bijlmermeer district of Amsterdam in 1992. It was against this background that the President of the Health Council decided to set up a Committee charged with the task of reviewing the health risks of exposure to DU and the preventive measures required for individuals present in areas where DU has been released into the environment. After reviewing the properties of uranium in general and depleted uranium in particular, and presenting data on the occurrence of the element in the environment and biological tissues, the committee assessed the chemical and radiological health effect of uranium and uranium compounds. The Health Council Committee concludes that radioactive contamination of the lungs is the principal health risk to be considered in connection with exposure to slightly soluble uranium compounds in the atmosphere. For soluble compounds, the chemical toxic effect in the kidneys is the primary consideration. The toxicological effects are to some extent concordant with those of other heavy metals. For relevant exposure scenarios the Committee does not anticipate that exposure to DU will result in a demonstrable increased risk of diseases and symptoms among exposed individuals as a result of a radiological or chemical toxic effect exerted by this substance