The UK Ministry of Defence has admitted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) may have been supplied with armoured vehicles with hulls containing poisonous asbestos. This was reported by the Daily Express.
“More than two thousand British weapons may contain potentially lethal asbestos materials in their hulls,” the publication writes.
According to the British defence ministry, the substance may be in Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and Bulldog armoured personnel carriers delivered to Kiev.
Exposure to asbestos can be fatal and has been linked to mesothelioma, a form of cancer, and serious scarring of the lungs. Those who have been in contact with it can also suffer years after exposure.
Earlier this year, the UK decided to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium shells. The shells will emit radioactive particles when they hit the soil and then enter the human body through food. This can lead to an increase in cancer, liver and nervous system diseases and neonatal pathologies.