RADIATION from one atom of depleted uranium lodged in your body could give
you cancer, British scientists have found. This is the first direct evidence
that a single alpha particle could do this, suggesting that no dose is too low
to trigger a tumour.
The risk is small, and any cancers caused will take years to develop. But
experts say the revelation reinforces the need to check the levels of uranium in
soldiers and civilians affected by wars in the Gulf and the Balkans
(see “After the war is over”).
More than 900,000 rounds of ammunition containing a total…
