§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 13 March (WA 194—96), what is their assessment of the consequences for enemy forces and civilian populations of the deployment and use of depleted uranium munitions; what are the implications in terms of the conventions of war to which the United Kingdom is party; and whether they will now undertake an urgent review of policy on their use. [HL2192]
§ Lord BachWe accept the assessment of the health consequences of depleted uranium (DU) which was made by the Royal Society Depleted Uranium Working Group (The Health Hazards of Depleted Uranium Munitions) (2001, 2002)). This concluded that the health consequences would be minimal except for a small number of extreme cases. Such extreme cases would involve being in a vehicle when it is struck by DU or entering a vehicle immediately after it has 82WA been struck. In such unfavourable circumstances, the Royal Society predicts that the lifetime risk of fatal lung cancer could be about twice that in the general population, although the extra lifetime risks of other fatal cancers would be substantially lower and extra lifetime risks of fatal leukaemia would be too small to be detectable. Small effects on kidney function would be a possibility for a few soldiers exposed to the highest levels of DU.
Only within 50 metres of a DU penetrator strike would DU levels possibly be significant enough to necessitate precautions to prevent or reduce possible intakes. Elsewhere, health risks are deemed to be negligible. The independent research by the Royal Society DU Working Group and other eminent scientists, for example within the United Nations Environment Programme, supports this view. With regard to civilians, the aforementioned Royal Society reports state that, "For those returning to live in areas where DU munitions were deployed, including peacekeepers, the inhalation intakes from resuspended DU are considered to be unlikely to cause any substantial increase in lung cancer or any other cancers".
Depleted uranium munitions are not illegal under any convention to which the United Kingdom is party. They are used discriminately and proportionally in accordance with the provisions of international law.
We are prepared to use DU tank munitions where necessary because they are currently the most effective anti-armour weapons. At present, we are not reviewing this policy because we have a duty to provide our troops with the best available equipment with which to protect themselves and succeed in conflict. Should future research identify a more effective alternative, the policy would be reviewed at that time.