Depleted uranium weapons - similar to those used in tests off Foulness - could cause kidney damage, a scientific report concluded today.
The Royal Society claims soldiers and civilians might suffer side effects from breathing in "substantial amounts" of depleted uranium from exploded weapons or swallowing the material in contaminated water.
However, the report points out that the risk to residents near the New Ranges weapons testing base in Shoebury is minimal.
The report concludes that most soldiers exposed to normal levels of depleted uranium on battlefields would not be at risk, but Rochford and Southend East MP Sir Teddy Taylor said he will make inquiries into possible risks to workers.
Despite denials by defence chiefs last year, it was discovered that depleted uranium weapons were tested at the Foulness ranges according to a letter written in 1993 by the then Defence Minister Jonathan Aitken which said that "subscale trials" took place on the island.
Published Tuesday, March 12, 2002
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