WRITTEN QUESTION E-0977/01 by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Potential hazards of the military use of depleted uranium munitions.
Date: 2001-03-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Germany, United States, exchange of information, health risk, nuclear weapon

13.11.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 318 E/145

(2001/C 318 E/155)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0977/01

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Potential hazards of the military use of depleted uranium munitions

As part of the Commission review of the risks involved in the use of depleted uranium, what contact has
the Commission established respectively with the Albert Schweitzer Institute in Berlin, the US Bureau of
Land Management, and the Office of Environmental and Health Sciences at the US Department of Defense
concerning the studies which they have conducted into the potential hazards of the military use of
depleted uranium munitions?

(2001/C 318 E/156)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0978/01

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Commission communications about the environmental hazards of depleted uranium

What contacts has the Commission established with the British Defence Radiological Protection Service
and the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) about the environmental hazards posed by
depleted uranium?

(2001/C 318 E/157)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0982/01

by Nuala Ahern (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(30 March 2001)

Subject: Studies by the Commission into the toxicity and radiological hazard posed by depleted uranium

What studies have been considered by the Commission or Euratom into the toxicity and radiological
hazard posed by depleted uranium?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0885/01, E-0977/01, E-0978/01 and E-0982/01
given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2001)

The Commission invited international organisations (World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), North Atlantic Treaty
Environment Programme (UNEP),
Organization (NATO)) to a round-table discussion on the issue of depleted uranium on 31 January 2001.
There has been no correspondence other than the letter of invitation.
In addition, the Commission
informed the other organisations on the release of the Opinion of the Group of Experts established under
Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty on 6 March 2001 and the Commission was informed of the release of the
UNEP report on 14 March 2001.

The Commission had no contact with the other organisations referred to by the Honourable Member.
Among the material provided by different organisations, NATO in particular,
there are American
documents referring to the Office of Environmental and Health Sciences of the Department of Defence.

The flow of information on depleted uranium is considerable (in the form of documents and internet-based
material for example). The Group of Experts has looked into much of this material and has spent
considerable effort in identifying which are original, validated sources of information. The main references
to such sources are included in the published Opinion.