Charley,

Thanks for the article, Don Frith and I have been round this loop on another thread. Your article says that the findings (whose it does not mention) are controversial - the WHO disputes the above in it's entirety. The only DU munitions used during "Desert Storm" were 30mm armoured piercing cannon shells and 120mm FSAPDS rounds - they are solid they do not explode.

In Kosovo, the WHO carried out environmental tests in areas where this type of ammunition, and the very first bombs utilising depleted uranium were used, and came up with a report that disputes what is contained in your article.

The USAF Live Firing Range at Nellis where these munitions have been tested, and where pilots carry out live fire training exercises for years, was subject to an extensive environmental study monitored by the US wild-life and fisheries department. The result - environmental impact to the range, it's surroundings and ground water - nothing, no effect whatsoever.

It's just a case of pick whatever article you want to believe and go with it.

I believe that there were, in total 646,000 US servicemen involved in "Desert Storm", of which there are around 185,000 either classified as suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, or seeking compensation for the condition. I don't know what the numbers are for the UK, but taking those rough figures from the US. Out of the 646,000 approximately one-half would be support and logistics, Head-quarters staff and Signals. The remaining half would be the combat troops, tanks, artillery, infantry, combat engineers, signals, air.
Maximum exposure time was around 100 hours, not all of the above would have come into contact with, or even passed through, areas where Iraqi tanks/armoured vehicles were hit. Taking every prospective case that means out of approximately 323,000 men, 185,000 secumbed to the illness, however all combat troops were inocculated as a precaution to protect them from any possible chemical/biological attack - those inoculations were experimental - given the numbers involved and the exposures, I would tend to go for inoculation rather than DU dust.