Officials Discount Uranium Concerns

France cast doubt on claims that exposure to armor-piercing ammunition containing depleted uranium might have triggered cancer in French troops who served in the Balkans. The fear that depleted uranium ammunition might be a health risk has swept Europe in recent weeks as various nations have reported cancer cases among their troops. France’s Defense Ministry said tests on five soldiers who served in the Balkans and who now have cancer did not reveal any traces of depleted uranium. The slightly radioactive heavy metal is used in anti-armor munitions because of its high penetrating power.