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IAEA to look into Israel’s suspected uranium use

IAEA to look into Israel’s suspected uranium use THE JORDAN TIMES January 21st, 2009,

The UN’s nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday it would look into a claim by Vienna-based Arab ambassadors that Israel may have used ammunition containing depleted uranium in Gaza attacks.

The IAEA said the request was made in a letter addressed to Director General Mohammad Al Baradei and was delivered by the Saudi Arabia ambassador on Monday on behalf of Arab diplomats.

“We are circulating the letter to member states and will investigate the matter to the extent of our ability,” IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said…………………………

The IAEA has in the past contributed to studies on depleted uranium traces from ammunition in the Balkans which found it was highly unlikely that a reported increase in cancer risks there could be linked to the traces.

Depleted uranium is used in weapons because it can more easily penetrate tanks and armour due to its density and other physical properties. It also has civilian uses in medical equipment and is used in radiation shields.

The Israeli ambassador to the IAEA, Israel Michaeli, declined to comment…………………………….The US and NATO have used uranium-depleted rounds in Bosnia and Iraq. According to the World Health Organisation, the weapons are lightly radioactive. Researchers have suspected depleted uranium may be behind a range of chronic symptoms suffered by veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War. Some of the symptoms include memory and thinking problems, debilitating fatigue, severe muscle and joint pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and rashes.

Jordan Times

January 21, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY