HL Deb 06 December 1994 vol 559 cc77-8WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any members of the British forces who served in Operation Granby were issued with radiation badges when they were required to handle shells or articles contaminated with depleted uranium, and whether the level of radiation to which they were exposed is known.

Lord Henley

No radiation dosemeters were issued to personnel who handled depleted uranium ammunition during Operation Granby, but the levels of radiation to which such personnel were exposed is known from trials carried out while the ammunition was being developed. These trials showed that personnel could handle depleted uranium shot for hundreds of hours per year and remain in tanks loaded with this ammunition for thousands of hours per year before any current statutory dose limits would be exceeded.