A report published by Sputnik on Thursday revealed some of the most gruesome outcomes that would result from the use of depleted uranium shells in light of the UK's recent pledge to supply Kiev troops with the deadly ammunition for Challenger 2 tanks. 

The news agency interviewed experts from Iraq and Libya to comment on the disastrous impact the use of the shells had resulted on the health of populations - particularly with regard to increased cancer cases and birth defects.

The US and NATO say they resorted to depleted uranium shells in Iraq to deter armored vehicles.

Yugoslavia was likewise not spared from the humanitarian catastrophe as during the 1999 NATO invasion, some 31,000 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition were fired - causing environmental damage at unprecedented levels.

The radiation was so severe that even troops from allied forces reported abnormally high rates of cancer cases in breakaway Kosovo.

☢️Depleted Uranium (DU) fact sheet:
➡️DU rounds increase shell penetration against armor
➡️DU armor increase its durability against shells
➡️DU in water supply & soil, & other forms of contact linked with increased rates of cancer & birth defects
Ex: Kosovo, Fallujah Iraq

/3 pic.twitter.com/QhVG8O8NvO

— Prism 🇺🇸🇮🇷 (@Ruslan_Heydari) March 21, 2023

When the UK made the announcement that it will supply Kiev's forces with the shells, pictures of deformed babies and had begun to resurface all across the internet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would be  "forced to react accordingly" to the use of "weapons with a nuclear component."

Despite numerous cases of contamination, both the UK and the US still deny the existence of a link between the use of depleted uranium and cancer.

The toll on Iraq

According to Souad Naji Al-Azzawi, a leading Iraqi expert on matters ranging from nuclear waste management to depleted uranium contamination, the US-led coalition fired about a million depleted uranium shells in Iraq in 1991.

This resulted in pockets of contamination amounting to between 300 and 400 tons of depleted uranium forming over an area of more than 1,750 square kilometers west of Basra.

The contamination was further worsened with the 2003 invasion during which an estimated 181,000 depleted uranium shells were used.

Birth defects and cases of cancer had begun to appear at an out-of-control pace across the capital city of Baghdad, Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Baquba, and Fallujah.

"In 2004, they used it extensively in Fallujah, and so far about 15% of the children born in the city suffer from congenital malformations, which is a very high rate. Many of them have congenital malformations, and 5% of them die from these malformations," Al-Azzawi said.

Read more: US war on Iraq 'dark page in US history', 'no state is safe': Envoy

Al-Azzawi further raised to Sputnik's attention that the severity of the contamination had reached the region's food chain. 

"They completely destroyed Fallujah with these and other weapons. There are piles of demolished houses and public buildings that have been gathered in sites so that people can rebuild, and all of these sites remain a source of contamination; whenever a sandstorm blows, or when it rains, radioactive materials are transmitted to the air and water, and are then inhaled or otherwise consumed by people, either by means of drinking contaminated water, or via livestock," Al-Azzawi said.

She further stressed that lack of resources has impeded goverment efforts to protect the health of Iraqis during the post-war phase.

Depleted Uranium rounds. If you don't know what they can do take a look at the horrible birth defects innocent Iraqi children experienced because we used them during our illegal war in Iraq.
This government wants to send Uranium to Ukraine on behalf of UK citizens. Pure evil! pic.twitter.com/wMnyakZS5V

— sharmila chowdhury (@sharmilaxx) March 23, 2023

About 5,000 damaged tanks and vehicles remain scattered across 26 large "tank graveyards," of which when sandstorm blows through them, "an additional dose of radiation moves from these sites towards the civilian population," Al-Azzawi said, adding that if Iraq has a real problem, "it would be that these sources of pollution still exist today."

Al-Azzawi explained that too little research has been carried out on the matter of depleted uranium contamination.

Although the WHO says it is aware of increased cases of cancer and birth defects, it contends that there are no published studies to confirm the link.

"We need to carry out what they call risk assessment studies, similar to the 200 or so studies that were conducted in Europe after the Balkan Wars, where only 12.5 tons [of depleted uranium] were used. Yet the materials that were fired at us are estimated to be about 1,000 to 2,000 tons!" Al-Azzawi said.

Recalling Libya's sad fate

Just like Iraq, Libya also endured the atrocities of a western-led military intervention in 2011. Despite that traces of depleted uranium were found across targeted areas, NATO denied that it used the shells. 

Libyan expert Nouri Al-Droqi told the agency those areas that were targeted during the military intervention continue to report high rates of cancer cases.

"When exploding, depleted uranium emits gases or radioactive emissions, in addition to dust and chemical materials, which spread throughout the city of Tripoli, and have been inhaled by many of its inhabitants, to which we can attribute the current spike in cancer rates," Al-Droqi said.

Along with his team, Al-Droqi found that the majority of highly contaminated areas were located near former military installations that were targeted by NATO allies in 2011.

"We worked with accurate radiometric measurements, and the contaminants were identified as uranium, as a result of the missiles used by NATO forces to strike Libyan military targets… There are still many cities and other areas outside Tripoli, such as Masarata, Zliten … some of these areas have been heavily targeted," Al-Droqi said.

Al-Droqi added that the government has been reluctant to support his team's research, possibly due to concerns from the reactions of international organizations and the NATO countries involved in the intervention.

"We are in talks with the Presidential Council and the Consensus Government to allow us to visit all the areas targeted in 2011. We have started with the site in Tripoli, where we have carried out scientific research, and we are addressing the IAEA to ascertain this, and to request logistical, technical, and medical assistance, because high rates of cancer have become common in Libya," Al-Droqi added.

Read more: Libya: More mass graves exposed as NATO-backed war nears 12-year mark