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Concern over plutonium grows
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THE European Parliament on Wednesday called for a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium munitions suspected of causing a number of illnesses, including cancer, among Nato troops dubbed “Balkans Syndrome".
In a nonbinding resolution, the euro-deputies called “on EU member states that are also Nato members to propose that a moratorium be placed on the use of depleted uranium (DU) weapons in accordance with" precautionary principles.
They also called for an assessment of the direct and indirect effects of the use of DU rounds on the environment and civilian populations in the region.
The United Nations warned its staff on Wednesday of the potential health risk in handling weapons fragments containing DU.
Citing precautionary guidelines developed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), it said: “In all locations where DU has been used it is recommended that under no circumstances should staff members handle any remnants of armaments."
In Geneva, UNEP said laboratory tests had shown that ammunition fragments found at Nato-targeted sites contained Uranium-236, a form of the element which does not occur naturally.
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