Iraqi officials blame depleted uranium-coated munitions that U.S. and British forces used during the Gulf War. And in interviews here, Iraqis asked for help handling the fallout. Bombs and missiles coated with depleted uranium, a superdense nuclear waste, can pierce tanks and other hardened targets. But unknown health and environmental hazards are a subject of growing worldwide concern. That sand is moving all the time. . . .
Iraqi doctors says they've documented increased cases of leukemia and deformed babies.
Dr. Omran Habib, dean of Basra Medical College and an epidemiologist by training, said Basra-area cancer deaths increased from 34 in 1988 to 350 in 1997. Americans might help conduct tissue and blood tests, he suggested. Dr. Ali Jawad, director of the Basra children's hospital, said his staff documented seven times more cancer, and 15 times more deformed babies since the Gulf War. Government officials vow to press this matter in court. A British team of scientists is beginning an investigation.