The American Legion Magazine
March 1999

Below are some excerpts that were contained in a couple postings of the interview conducted by the American Legion. I have added some comments to clarify some points.

Q. In your speech before delegates to the National Convention in New Orleans last September, you said your agency's examination of depleted uranium exposure as a possible source of health problems among Persian Gulf veterans varies a little bit with the Legion's policy ...

A. I tried to emphasize in my speech that I didn't think it really was much different from the Legion policy. The Legion statement is, "Based upon science today, it (DU) isn't considered likely, but we have to look further," and we completely concur with that, which is why in concert with the Department of Veterans Affairs we're requesting that literally hundreds of people who'd been exposed to depleted uranium, or whom we believe we're exposed, come in and go through tests for the presence of uranium in their systems.

The speeches referred to in this interview are posted at my web site at:

http://www.globaldialog.com/~kornkven/ on DULink. It is very clear in the speech and in Rostker's reference to the Legion letter that BOTH were downplaying and ignoring the KNOWN health effects of those who retained DU shrapnel.

Both positions (that there are no health effects shown in the friendly fire vets, or others exposed to DU) clearly ignore the medical data found by the VA, and reported in NOVEMBER 1997 to the Gulf War Expert Scientific Committee. The minutes of that meeting are also posted at my web site. This information was given to DOD, and it was deliberately ignored when the DOD's Environmental Exposure report was issued.

Some who attended our Conference in Washington may remember a veteran whose arm was in a sling. His arm was in a sling because he just had surgery to remove a tumor from his arm bone, the same arm in which he was wounded with DU shrapnel. If this is not a clear health effect, please provide the medical data showing tumors in vets wounded with lead or steel shrapnel!

The sole reason why the DOD and VA have expanded their DU testing is due to veterans continually showing that many thousands of others were exposed, and the exposure could very well cause health problems.

I requested further testing for DU exposure last September, to date, the VA cannot figure out how to provide it.

I have other information pertaining to DU at Jefferson Proving Ground in which up to 75,000 Kg of DU are spread on ranges there. Within this Environmental Assessment, it shows DU dose rate information for deer, and the comment that the amount of exposure will not affect the deer's reproductivity.

It is disgusting that after 8 years, the DOD is still saying they cannot figure out if veterans exposed to DU are having health effects from the exposure, yet we have good data on how it might affect deer.

Q. You're quick to point out the difference between the exposure and the dose, saying, "the dose makes the poison." Researchers in Baltimore have found some subtle but pretty clear health effects from DU exposure, yet in your public statements you've down-graded the health risks.

A. No, that's not right. (COMMENT: This certainly is right. Please read his speeches posted at my web site. "Let me be precise, to date DU exposure has not produced any medically detectable effects." This downplaying seems to be pretty clear.) I think you've got to go back to the joint statement by DoD and the VA: what they found was that of the 33 people who are in the program (at Baltimore), 16 had depleted uranium fragments, and those 16 have elevated levels of uranium, but none of the 33 have abnormal kidney functioning, and that's what you're looking for in heavy metal toxicity from depleted uranium exposure. So we're absolutely consistent, in fact that speech was reviewed and chopped on by the VA.

If no vets show kidney problems does that mean ALL other medical problems are also not due to their exposure?

Q. To follow up on that, how have the services improved their DU training?

A. We have become a proponent of that and we have been monitoring it via our reports to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. The Army is probably the furthest along, having the most people on the battlefield, but they have included depleted uranium training as one of the common soldier tasks that every soldier needs to be trained on this year.

This training has begun solely because veterans have been demanding it. Please view the orders posted at my web site from TRADOC that were issued to begin training on the hazards of DU. The first order was issued in June 1996, the second in August 1997. It was not until October 1998 that training began, and then only minimally. Considering the GAO recommended this training in 1993, it should have happened much sooner. Perhaps the current GAO investigation into DU exposures may show why this training was never started in 1993, and why the DOD continues to ignore known health effects of exposure to DU. --

Chris Kornkven
President
National Gulf War Resource Center, Inc.
http://www.gulfweb.org/ngwrc/index.htm
http://www.globaldialog.com/~kornkven
http://www.gulfweb.org