Troops based in York and North Yorkshire who served in Balkan conflicts will be offered screening for exposure to depleted uranium (DU).
The Government announced the tests following fears that contact with the element, used in armour-piercing weapons, can lead to leukaemia and other illnesses.
Local units which have served in Bosnia and Kosovo - the theatres of operation where DU-tipped shells were used by US warplanes - include 2 Signals Regiment, based at York's Imphal Barracks, the King's Own Royal Border Regt, based at Catterick, the Highlanders, based at Catterick, Strensall-based 34 Field Hospital, and the 19 Mechanised Brigade, also based at Catterick.
An Army spokesman said not all troops would have been exposed to DU, depending on the nature of their work, and stressed that the tests would be voluntary.
Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, January 10, 2001
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