§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What equipment, if any, British troops in Afghanistan have to detect the presence of depleted uranium in their area of operations. [HL3932]
§ Lord BachBritish forces have access to a range of radiation and contamination monitoring equipment and specific items are issued to deployed forces when a risk assessment indicates a need for their use. Monitoring equipment was issued for use in Afghanistan by a specialist team from the Joint Nuclear Biological and Chemical Regiment and was subsequently used to confirm the presence of radiation sources in hospital and university buildings in Kabul.
§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information British troops in Afghanistan have concerning the use of bombs containing depleted uranium by the United States air force in Afghanistan. [HL3933]
§ Lord BachI understand that the United States has not used any munitions containing depleted uranium in Afghanistan.
§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What information is available concerning the amount of depleted uranium in the so-called bunker-busting bombs. [HL3934]
§ Lord BachThere are no air-launched bombs containing depleted uranium (DU) in UK service. No bunker-busting bombs containing DU have been used by the US in recent conflicts.
§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What instructions have been given to British troops in Afghanistan concerning the wearing of NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) masks while engaged in sweep operations inside caves which have been subject to attack by the United States air force. [HL3935]
126WA
§ Lord BachThe US has not used any munition warranting the use of NBC masks by ground troops in Afghanistan. No specific NBC-related instructions have been issued for sweep operations. Standard medical instructions regarding NBC exposure have been issued, as would be the case in any operation.