HL Deb 19 November 1998 vol 594 cc191-4WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many rounds of depleted uranium ammunition were fired by British forces, including tomahawk missiles, tank rounds, and cannon shells fired from aircraft, during Operation Granby; and whether they agree with United States figures that 1,200,000 rounds were fired in total by coalition force. [HL3862]

Lord Gilbert

During the 1990–91 Gulf conflict, UK armoured forces used a new 120mm armour-piercing tank round which contained a solid depleted uranium, DU, penetrator core with a protective, non-DU, coating in its Challenger 1 tanks. The Government's current assessment is that UK tanks fired fewer than 100 of these rounds against Iraqi military forces, which equates to less than 1 metric tonne of DU, although additional rounds were fired during earlier work-up training to establish the round's mean point of impact.

At the time of the Gulf conflict, the Royal Navy was equipped with 20mm ammunition containing DU for its Vulcan Phalanx close-in-weapons-system. This ammunition was not, however, used during the Gulf War, apart from some rounds fired for proving purposes. No other types of ammunition or weapon systems used by UK forces during the Gulf conflict, including missiles or rounds fired from aircraft, contained DU.

On 4 August 1998, the US Department of Defense, DoD, published a detailed "case narrative" entitled "Depleted Uranium in the Gulf', which gave details of the DoD's latest assessment of the quantity of DU-based ammunition used by US forces during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. This assessment shows that over 860,000 DU-based ammunition rounds of varying calibre were used by US forces, containing over 320 US tons, or over 290 metric tonnes, of DU, although it should be noted that, for some categories of ammunition, the data were incomplete or not available. A copy of this case narrative has already been placed in the Library of the House.

So far as we are aware, only UK and US forces used ammunition containing DU during the Gulf conflict. Accordingly, based on current UK and US assessments, the suggested figure of 1,200,000 DU-based ammunition rounds fired overall by coalition forces appears to be an overestimate.

The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any modifications were made to British tanks to ensure the safety of their crews when firing depleted uranium ammunition during Operation Granby; and if not, why not. [HL3863]

Lord Gilbert

The main battle tank used by UK forces during the Gulf conflict in 1990–91 was the Challenger 1, armed with the 120mm rifled-barrel L11 gun. When planning Operation Granby, the MoD assessed that the existing tungsten-based armour-piercing rounds in use with Challenger 1 might not be sufficiently powerful to defeat the most modern Iraqi tanks—Soviet designed T72s. It was, decided therefore, that MoD should undertake the emergency development and deployment of a new armour-piercing round for Challenger 1.

This new round was based on a 120mm armour-piercing round, which was then being developed for use by the more powerful gun on the new Challenger 2 main battle tank. It contained a solid depleted uranium, DU, penetrator core with a protective, non-DU, coating, and was known as CHARM 1. In fact, the CHARM 1 round needed only minor modifications in order to fit the L11 gun on Challenger 1, but a totally new charge needed to be developed.

In the mid-1980s, measurements to assess the radiation dose rates inside a Chieftain tank loaded with DU-based rounds, and the contamination levels to which tank crews might be exposed, were carried out by the atomic weapons establishment, AWE, at Aldermaston. These measurements showed that there were no reasonably foreseeable circumstances in which tank crews would be likely to receive radiation doses greater than the present statutory dose limits for employees aged 18 years and over. These radiation dose rate results were confirmed as being applicable to Challenger 1 tanks during a further trial held in November 1990 by AWE at Royal Ordnance Chorley. In addition, trials were conducted to investigate the possible effects of dropping CHARM 1 rounds on steel plates. These concluded that no DU would be released in this way.

No modifications to Challenger 1 or its L 11 gun for safety reasons were, therefore, considered necessary. Clearance for crews to fire the modified CHARM 1 round from Challenger 1 was subsequently confirmed by the Ordnance Board in December 1990.

The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many British Gulf veterans have been tested for exposure to depleted uranium dust; and whether, in the light of the results of Canadian tests on samples from one British veteran which showed a high titre of depleted uranium, they will ensure that tests are conducted on a routine basis on other British Gulf veterans who may have been exposed to the dust. [HL3864]

Lord Gilbert

Any Gulf veteran who is concerned that his or her health has been adversely affected by service during the Gulf conflict, including possible exposure to depleted uranium, DU, dust is urged to seek a referral to the Medical Assessment Programme, MAP, for a full medical assessment.

The kidneys are particularly sensitive to the presence of DU and the standard battery of tests carried out as a matter of routine on MAP patients includes a baseline trawl of renal functions, which includes: serum creatinine, urea and electrolytes, urine test for protein and blood and an ultrasound abdominal scan. Such tests should indicate the presence of any current kidney damage in patients, although such damage would not necessarily have been caused by the presence of DU. The standard MAP tests do not, however, include a specific test to detect the presence of DU. Those veterans who have so far been examined by MAP physicians have not exhibited symptoms which, in the clinical judgment of the examining physician, have indicated a requirement for a specific referral to another agency or organisation for DU testing. Thus, no UK Gulf veterans have been specifically tested for the presence of DU as part of the MAP.

In general, the Government have no knowledge of any tests which may have been carried out on Gulf veterans, independently of the MAP, through other organisations providing medical or radiological services. However, the Ministry of Defence is aware that a US physician is reported as having carried out tests in Canada for the presence of DU on some UK Gulf veterans. However, we have not yet seen details of the tests which have been performed or the results obtained. Accordingly, the MoD cannot comment on the physician's reported findings.

A very small number of British troops, who expressed concern that they might have inhaled DU dust during training in the Gulf before the start of hostilities, were subject to whole body monitoring on 8 February 1991 by the Defence Radiological Protection Service, DRPS, at the Institute of Naval Medicine. They showed no detectable DU contamination.