Kathren says that the cancer risk is comparatively slim. That's not the case here. But other experts contest these views, noting that most battlefield exposures would involve millions of DU particles, and emphasizing that cell regeneration is hindered by repeated bombardment. Chemicals could trigger a health problem such as cancer, while radiation could accelerate it. Very often these effects are multiplied.
Chemicals are the silent helpers of radiation.
I would expect to see it now. That timeline applies in Iraq. Both cancer and birth defects can result from chemical exposures, too. In 1994 Dr. Theodore Prociv, former deputy assistant to the secretary of defense for chemical and biological weapons, testified that the 14,000 chemical alarms deployed throughout the theater sounded two to three times each day on average during the 42-day air campaign. A breakthrough occurred in June 1996, when the Pentagon acknowledged that several hundred troops were exposed to sarin nerve gas when they blew up Iraqi munition sites.