State to study depleted uranium Battlefield residue from U.S. weapons spurs cancer fears
BY BRAD SHANNON
THE OLYMPIAN
Washington would become the third state to study the effects of depleted uranium on returning National Guard troops under a budget proviso state legislators approved last week.
Some veterans are worried about the effect of depleted uranium on troops returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, citing anecdotal reports from Iraq and higher cancer rates in Europe57;s Balkan war zones after uranium 238-enhanced munitions were used there in the early 1990s.
The budget puts $150,000 toward studying the problem of exposure to radioactive materials used in munitions, as well as to set up a registry of Washington National Guard personnel who might have been exposed to hazardous materials.
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