OTTAWA, ON, July 23, 1999 - The Canadian Forces, despite its clumsy handling of the situation, did the right thing in withdrawing a letter from the files of Peacekeepers concerning possible contamination of the environment from service in Yugoslavia. A formal but quick inquiry by experts is necessary to determine whether the complaints are valid.

This statement was made today by Cliff Chadderton, Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps and Chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations.

"At least, we were pleased to see that the medical officer in charge, Colonel Walt Natynczyk, took immediate action to dispatch a team of experts to examine the environmental hazards in the area. Hopefully the team will be required to produce a report without delay," Chadderton said.

The action to have environmental experts look into the situation came after Col. Natynczyk ordered removal of a letter from the files of a number of Peacekeepers. The letter had been written by a junior Canadian Forces medical officer, Lieutenant Eric J. Smith.

"Obviously Lieutenant Smith had intended to be helpful in the event that service personnel who served in the special duty area later developed diseases which could arise from toxins in the polluted water, in bauxite used to fill sand bags and other detritus in a war zone," Chadderton said.

He suggested, however, that as an advocate the Smith letter would not have been useful, in that it was open to challenge by Veterans Affairs officials who handle such pension claims. National Defence Department medial authorities were quick to point out that Smith's letter was not based on either scientific nor medical facts.

"There is, however, a positive side to this development," Chadderton said. "Ex-military personnel, who served in the area and who may later develop systemic diseases, will be alerted to the necessity of making an enquiry either through DND or through Veterans Affairs Canada concerning the possibility of compensation arising from their exposure during military service in Yugoslavia and the surrounding areas," Chadderton stated.