CBS News
Thursday, December 03, 1998
U.S. And Britain Challenge The Claim
Baghdad Gets Help From Brit, American
Mark Phillips
BASRA, Iraq(CBS) - Iraq claims that depleted uranium shells used by the U.S. and Britain for the first time during the Gulf War produced dangerous radioactive fallout, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips.
They say they've got hospitals full of kids suffering from leukemia as a result. Both claims (the radioactivity and the cancerous result) are disputed by Washington and London.
Yet, as the Iraqis opened a conference in Basra Wednesday with great fanfare to promote their claim, they were handed some new ammunition by one of the U.S.'s closest Gulf War allies.
British Gulf War veteran Raymond Bristow says he has been tested at 100 times the safe level of depleted uranium residue and is suffering from its effects. He managed to get hold of documents the British Ministry of Defense thought he shouldn't have. He came to the conference and British military police raided his home.
"If there was nothing to hide about depleted uranium, then they would have made these documents available to me," he says.
CBS News has obtained copies of the confiscated documents. They appear to contain lists of studies, including some on the effects of depleted uranium exposure.
Bristow says the British had previously told him they didn't have such details.
The Iraqis also got some help from an American. Carol Picou, a military nurse during Desert Storm, told the conference she is suffering neurological damage from depleted uranium exposure.
In refuting the claims, the Pentagon cites Kuwait, where the major battles were fought.
"The Kuwaitis do not report increased levels of cancer. They've monitored their environment. They don't report increased levels of radioactivity in the soil," said Bernard Rostker, Undersecretary of the Army.
The Iraqis have so far not allowed an international study of their claims despite the willingness of the U.N.'s World Health Organization to carry one out. Iraq may feel that for once it has a sympathy-producing issue.
On Wednesday, Baghdad got a little help from some unlikely places.