Communication of health risks of depleted uranium: The perspectives of experts, policymakers, journalists and victims’ families

This study, which is part of a broader project funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, aimed at investigating perceptions and representations of health risks of exposure to depleted uranium, and to assess opinions about how risks have been communicated by Italian Public Authorities and by the media. Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 stakeholders, members of institutions and organisations representing different types of involvement with the issue. Questions included representation of health risks of depleted uranium, experience with the issue, opinions about how risks have been communicated to Italian soldiers and to the general public and views about the best communication strategies to be implemented. Results: Results of qualitative analysis indicate that representations differ in terms of certainty of the health impact of depleted uranium and base of supportive evidence used by the different stakeholders. Distrust towards institutional communication and precautionary measures for military personnel characterises journalists and associations’ perspectives; experts and policy makers are critical towards media treatment of the issue. Conclusions: Results contribute to our understanding of social representations of environmental risks and help develop guidelines for improving the quality and effectiveness of institutional risk communication strategies and prevention programmes for military personnel.