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- New tests show British Gulf war veterans were poisoned
by radioactive and toxic dust from shells fired by their own side during
the conflict.
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- Nuclear expert Professor Asaf Durakovic said sick ex-servicemen
could have received specialist treatment after being exposed to the depleted
Uranium but he believes it is now too late.
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- Speaking on ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald programme,
Prof Durakovic, clinical professor of radiology and nuclear medicine at
America's Georgetown University, said he was preparing to publish the evidence
in a medical journal.
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- He said that during his own research, seven British veterans
had tested positively for DU, a toxic substance which poisons the organs,
mainly the liver.
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- "It is absolutely amazing that we see the levels
of DU in the urine of veterans nine years after the war," the scientist
told the programme.
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- "I am not implying that all the symptoms of Gulf
War Syndrome are due to DU, but a large part of the sickness of the patients
that I have been following is due to the contamination with radioactive
isotopes."
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- Nearly 160 sick veterans from Britain, Canada and the
US are to be tested in the new study.
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- Prof Durakovic, who has published more than 100 books
and papers in his specialist field, said the latest tests use sophisticated
measuring techniques which have been neglected by the British and American
governments.
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- A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said Government
scientists would be keen to see the new evidence.
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- "We remain very open-minded about the possible causes
of Gulf War Sickness," the spokesman added.
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