Abstract

MENENDEZ LOPEZ, José Rogelio et al. Effects of the impoverished uranium on the war veteran's health. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2010, vol.39, n.2, pp.134-140. ISSN 0138-6557.

Present paper is a continuation of another one on the same subject, published in 2005 in Cuban Journal of Military Medicine whose aim is to analyze the information published in open sources between 2005 and 2009, related to effects of impoverished uranium on the health of veterans of the Gulf War and other military scenarios where this offensive agent was used. The available bibliography to review is scarce but it was possible to compile results of different recognized scientific journals available in EBSCO, Medline, PubMed and official documents from universities (mainly American and British which developed joint papers with Pentagon). Some authors propose that after 12 years from the first exposition, soldiers underwent to fragments of impoverished uranium shrapnels still had high concentrations in urine of this material and also declared that there were neither genotoxic traces nor other humoral and clinical abnormalities, but they propose to continue with surveillance studies by a more improved detection technology. Working groups inform that it is not probable that occur health events except in veterans with impoverished uranium fragments in their organism but other, using discrimination analyses techniques declare that it is possible to predict a real damage in soldiers underwent acute expositions to this material. Authors are exploring the inhalation route as cause of pulmonary damage and there appear to be a minimal bone involvement according to preliminary studies. From 2005 to 2009, new techniques for the detection of uranium and its isotopes in some organic fluids have been added and the results of 16 years follow-up researches results have been published creating high level study groups called Capstone that must to contribute to purification of scientific facts available nowadays.

Keywords : Impoverished uranium; health; combative actions scenarios; Capstone.

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