Britain is one of the few members of the NATO forces not to be carrying out an investigation. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said it was monitoring the investigations but had no plans to test its own soldiers. Our medical advice has told us that depleted uranium is no more radioactive than, for example, a household smoke detector. It does have a recognised toxicity but only if ingested into the digestive system, not if it merely comes into contact with the skin. She said the ministry had carried out substantial scientific research into the issue after the Gulf War, the first time weapons tipped or packed with depleted uranium were used extensively.
Campaigners say exposure to depleted uranium is partly to blame for the recent deaths.
Canadian tests last year found some Gulf War veterans had uranium in their blood. Iraq claims the uranium is responsible for a surge in cancers and birth defects in the country's south. The A10s use uranium bullets for knocking out tanks. The fine, poisonous dust stays in the atmosphere and pollutes water supplies. The UN has a team in Kosovo carrying out its own investigation.