Gulf veterans link cancers to missiles

URANIUM particles released by Allied shelling during the Gulf War could be responsible for cancers which killed 30 British veterans.

Campaigners believe that microscopic quantities of depleted uranium (DU) may have contributed to a spate of lymphatic cancers which have claimed the lives of UK soldiers who served during the 1991 conflict.

The artillery shells and bombs used by both the British and US forces in the Gulf were tipped with DU to penetrate heavy armour plating.

Tony Flint, acting chairman of the Gulf Veterans' and Families' Association, said: "Depleted uranium was on these weapons as they exploded with incredible heat and force - who knows what effect it had on those in the area."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, which is investigating DU as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into the causes of Gulf War illnesses, said there was no evidence so far of the metal being responsible for any abnormal diseases or conditions.