On Capitol Hill, Congressman Jim McDermott has introduced a bill calling for the government to conduct health and environmental tests on the military’s use of depleted uranium. McDermott said “We pretended there was no problem with Agent Orange after Vietnam and later the Pentagon recanted, after untold suffering by veterans. I want to know scientifically if DU poses serious dangers to our soldiers and Iraqi civilians.” About 300 metric tons of depleted uranium munitions were fired during the first Gulf War, and about half that amount has been used to date in the ongoing Iraq War. 21 other lawmakers have co-sponsored the bill known as the Depleted Uranium Munitions Study Act.