International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Physicians for Social Responsibility (IPPNW) and the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) are calling for an international ban on uranium weapons.

Uranium weapons have the potential to cause disease for generations to come and affect civilians long after the end of conflict. They are ethically unacceptable, militarily disproportionate and of dubious international legality. From a medical viewpoint, such
weapons must be banned. All those that were and will be exposed to uranium weapons are entitled to direct and comprehensive information that such weapons are being used. The civilian population cannot be protected if those using the uranium weapons do not provide comprehensive information about the targets, locations, type of weapons and amounts of radioactive material used.

States deploying weapons containing uranium must immediately and fully inform the affected government and civilian population of their use of such weapons. This means that the USA must provide details of their previous use of uranium weapons, particularly in Iraq, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Syria.

A reassessment of “low-level” radiation International health organisations must review the methods and models used to determine the risk posed by radiation. There is now undisputed scientific evidence that the risks from “low-level” radiation have been underestimated. Even small amounts of radiation can change genetic information, damage the immune system and cause cancer. The World Health Organisation should recognise this fact and prioritise protecting public health from all sources of radioactivity. Other political interests should have no place in health policies.

Comparative figures
One of the key tasks is the development of cancer and malformations registers in
countries affected by depleted uranium contamination. If there are no figures with
which to compare changes, they can neither be identified nor can their development
be monitored over a longer period. Further epidemiological research would
be helpful.

Screening of affected populations
Screening studies are also essential: long-term, regular surveys of affected populations would allow identification of diseases with long latency periods, such
as cancers which may not appear until ten or twenty years later, as well as those
manifesting in the second or third generation.

Full disclosure of targeting and amounts used
In the aftermath of an armed conflict involving uranium munitions, the efficacy of
health protection measures is contingent on precise information about where
they were used and in what quantity.

Without this knowledge it is almost impossible to protect those affected by informing
them, marking and monitoring sites and implementing decontamination measures.