Gulf War Illnesses: Understanding of Health Effects From Depleted Uranium Evolving but Safety Training Needed
NSIAD-00-70
Published: Mar 29, 2000. Publicly Released: Mar 31, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the possible connection between depleted uranium exposure and Gulf War illnesses, focusing on: (1) the scientific understanding about health effects from exposure to depleted uranium; (2) whether the Gulf War veterans are experiencing administrative problems with the medical screening program for depleted uranium health effects; and (3) the extent to which the services have implemented programs to train servicemembers to safely operate in a depleted uranium-contaminated battlefield.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To provide that both active and reserve component servicemembers receive depleted uranium safety training, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretaries of each military department to ensure, by appropriate monitoring and periodic reviews of training records, that active and reserve component servicemembers receive required annual or biennial depleted uranium safety training. |
Closed – Implemented
In 2000, the OSD/Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses and the Deputy Secretary of Defense wrote letters to the services conveying displeasure over the continued shortfall in providing depleted uranium training and directing them to ensure that training requirements are met. In July 2001, a U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) representative stated that all active duty soldiers receive depleted uranium awareness training during the annual Common Task Training test. Reserve and National Guard soldiers receive the training every other year.
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| Department of Defense | To provide that both active and reserve component servicemembers receive depleted uranium safety training, the Secretary of Defense should identify whether servicemembers currently deployed to Kosovo have received depleted uranium safety training, and if not, provide it promptly. |
Closed – Implemented
In 2000, the OSD/Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses and the Deputy Secretary of Defense wrote letters to the Director, Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasizing the importance of providing depleted uranium training to Kosovo-bound troops and directing that training requirements be met. The FORSCOM Special Forces support plan for operations joint guardian now explicitly requires depleted uranium awareness training as one of the individual tasks during required deployment training. This requirement was issued in August 2001.
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Topics
Chemical exposureGround warfareMedical examinationsMilitary land vehiclesMilitary trainingMunitionsRadiation exposure hazardsRadiation safetySafety standardsUraniumVeteransGulf war syndrome