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Up to the first months of 2001, there was an intense controversy in the European media regarding the consequences of the so-called depleted Uranium or DU. Numerous soldiers had fallen ill with cancer after service, e.g. in former Yugoslavia; Italy had six cases of leukemia among its soldiers immediately after their mission. The discussion, however, stopped abruptly and sustainably around January 2001. Now, hardly any newspaper tackles the issue. The NATO took side accordingly – the discussion was unwelcome. The effect of DU was played down, the obvious consequences among the soldiers and the affected population were concealed and shrugged off with strange explanations like leukemia clusters.
The following statement of the Heritage Foundation, a neo-conservative think tank, shows that there must have been vehement discussions within the NATO about the issue:
“The international outcry regarding the claims that the use of depleted Uranium during the Kosovo intervention had caused leukemia among 24 [!] members of the peace keeping force is unfounded. Numerous studies regarding depleted Uranium – a byproduct of the enrichment process to obtain fuel for nuclear reactors and Uranium weapons – have not shown any connection between its use by the military and any form of cancer or other health problems. The controversy which arose after the discovery of leukemia among the soldiers threatens to undermine the structure of the alliance in Europe. It is mandatory to ensure that the facts about depleted Uranium do not get lost in the debate.”

For quite a while, however, cancer rates have been rising in the countries destroyed by the war alliance: in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Somalia. Eventually the facts can no loner be suppressed. Health damages and cancer rates have to be acknowledged ever more:
- The British ministry of defense recently confirmed the existence of the so-called Gulf War Syndrome among the Gulf War veterans of 1991 and 2003.
- The Italian government came out with the fact that meanwhile over 300 soldiers have fallen ill with leukemia.
- The Iraqi government declared that several places in Iraq are too contaminated with radiation to be inhabitable.
- In Serbia and Kosovo, cancer rates have increased grossly within a short period.
But still no party dares to touch the hot potato. The American war mongers are still dreaming of a “feasible” nuclear war, even though political heavyweights among their own administration are warning against committing this madness. A discussion about all the consequences of Uranium weapons obviously interferes with the plans of the war alliance and the industries in the various countries connected with it. But the suffering people in the war-stricken countries, the accumulation of severe effects, especially cancer, genetic defects and development disorders among humans and animals, can no longer be ignored. The soldiers coming home suffering from the same health problems and their relatives will not remain silent. They all have a right to honest information, real medical care and support.
We are indebted to various physicians and scientists, committed media persons and citizens who have tracked these issues meticulously, who have documented them and are going on to do their research in order to set a stop to this wrong and, if possible, to help the affected people. Even when neglecting the condemnable political and military side of the issue, the humanitarian and medical aspects have to be looked into. The following articles are meant as a contribution towards drawing conclusions from the known facts in order to prevent further suffering. Any further delay of this debate will lead to more severe and often lethal diseases.