material breach - us war crimes in iraq

[peaccenicked]

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1130-01.htm

[Old Friend]

from the commondreams source given here: "Gulf War exposures to depleted uranium (DU) have not to date produced any observable adverse health effects attributable to DU's chemical toxicity or low-level radiation."

That's correct. The link between DU and Gulf War Syndrome is a weak one, as are all the conclusions that commondreams usually infers. The journalism here is nothing short of irresponsible. In fact, Gulf war syndrome has been linked to a number of other sources, all of which are chemical in nature. Exposure to pesticides, pills taken to reduce effects of chemical weapon agents, and the destruction of ammunition depots leading to a large scale exposure to nerve agents have all been named as probable sources. There is indication that a combination of these key ingredients could have catalyzed a faster reaction, and aided in breaching the blood/brain barrier leading to the type of brain damage commonly found in people and animals exposed to organophospates. There are really a variety of symptoms claimed by Gulf War Veterans, each exhibiting their own unique characteristics, and each with there own likely explanation.

"Syndrome 1, commonly found in veterans who wore pesticide-containing flea collars, is marked by impaired cognition."

"Syndrome 2, called confusion ataxia, is the most severe and debilitating. It was found among veterans who said they were exposed to low-level nerve gas and experienced side effects from anti-nerve gas pyridostigmine (PB), tablets...."It may have been the combination of low-level nerve gas exposure and anti-gas tablets that caused the brain damage underlying (the most severe form of the) syndrome," Haley said."

"Syndrome 3, characterized by central pain, is found in veterans who wore insect repellent with high concentrations of DEET, a repellent chemical, and who experienced side effects from the anti-nerve gas tablets."

"As many as 100,000 of the 700,000 U.S. soldiers who served in the Gulf War complain of symptoms, which many attribute to exposure to chemicals."

source: CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/11/27/gulfwar.brain.reut/)

The more general symptoms that Gulf War Veterans claim to suffer from include:

-Fatigue
-Musculoskeletal pain
-Cognitive problems
-Skin rashes
-Diarrhea

University of Maryland (http://www.umm.edu/environ/gulf.htm)

Since pyridostigmine seems to have acted as a catalyst for the leeching of toxic chemicals to the brain, UC Davis is conducting further research into this very promising lead. Hopefully their work allows for conclusive data that provides insight into the nature of the problem. The following is an explanation of the work they are conducting:

"We found cell culture and animal evidence indicating an additive (not sparing) effect of organophosphates and pyridostigmine bromide and the passage of pyridostigmine bromide across the blood/brain barrier into the brain of the chicken. Experiments are underway to define the dose conditions in which sarin causes delayed neuropathy in the chicken and whether pyridostigmine bromide will influence the intensity of the effect."

source: UC Davis (http://che.ucdavis.edu/Research_CMT.htm)

It would be great if the Defense Department could be offered strong evidence that demonstrates the precise causes for these ailments. It has admitted that as many as 100 thousand troops were probably exposed to agents like Sarin. However, it continues to deny a link, since no long-term effects are known to exist in survivors of exposure levels less than the LD50.

If the one of the stronger explanations, which is the combination of the chemical nerve agent and the counter-drug to facilitate uptake of toxins, could be verified, the DOD would move away from plausible deniability to actually rectifying the situation. It would be irresponsible for our government to do nothing to prevent a further mistake of this magnitude, not to mention it would be detrimental to the recruiting effort. In this case, honesty is the best policy. However, I can understand how they would wish to fully investigate and be absolutely certain of the causes before officially acknowledging the existence of such a syndrome, as it is expensive to simply write checks without conclusive evidence.

Probably the most telling and likely scenarios are the exposure of our men to pesticides. Pesticides containing organophosphates are known to cause the type of mental disorders documented in Gulf War Veterans. The following are some of the effects organophosphates cause:

Action on Human System: Degrade acetylcholinesterase (an enzyme) in the tissues.
Internal Exposure: Headache, dizziness, weakness, shaking, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, sweating.
External Exposure: Minimal rashes but readily absorbed through the skin.
Chronic Exposure: Loss of appetite, weakness, weight loss, and general feeling of sickness.
Type of Pesticide: Insecticides, acaricides.

Source: Cornell University (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/gen-posaf-health.html#anchor227328)

These symptoms sound eerily familiar to those suffered by some of the veterans.

"There is evidence that chronic, low-level exposure to organophosphates, the chemicals used in insecticides and chemical weapons, causes long-term memory loss. The most likely sources of these organophosphates for soldiers include sarin gas and the incredible number and variety of insecticides used by U.S. military forces."

source: http://medweb.pc.edu/students/med2001/mcfa...dicaltopic.html (http://medweb.pc.edu/students/med2001/mcfaden1/medicaltopic.html)

Furthermore, these effects can be tracked using the level of chemical derivatives and the signal transducers with respect to normal brain functioning. Concentrations of chemicals found in the cholinergic system have been used to substantiate the belief that organophosphates hinder signaling pathways, and lead to brain damage.

"Acetylcholine (ACh)is critical for communication between neurons and muscle at the neuromuscular junction,is involved in direct neurotransmission in autonomic ganglia,
and has been implicated in cognitive processing,arousal, and attention in the brain."

source: NEUROTRANSMITTERS AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION; by ERIC J.NESTLER AND RONALD S. DUMAN (http://www.acnp.org/Ch1_1-14.pdf)

Organophosphates react with the brain to produce a high concentration of acetylcholine. High levels of Acetylcholine in turn block the nicotinic receptors, and permanently alter signal processing of the brain.

Unlike the DU theory, the link to organophosphates is backed with the evidence, and remains consistent with experimentation done on laboratory animals, and data obtained from farmers who have also been exposed to such compounds. Instead of making up possible scenarios, we should concentrate on the plethora of evidence, which points us in a given direction. The hypothesis seems to warrant the conclusion, for this explanation. These ideas should either be verified or negated, but these theories offer a more likely explanation than the weak case of DU exposure mentioned by commondreams.org. If getting to the truth behind the illnesses our servicemen suffered is your ultimate goal, then you would have no choice but to abandon your view that DU can be implicated as the likely cause of Gulf War Syndrome. Look at the evidence.

I still challenge anyone to provide a single reputable source that can offer the scientific data needed to implicate DU for adverse side-effects of samples exposed to DU by way of either their direct use, or living in the aftermath of DU shelling.

(Edited by Old Friend at 4:15 pm on Mar. 10, 2003)

[peaccenicked]

The “NATO Syndrome” — Arms, Profits and Lies / WHO HAS BEEN CONCEALING THE DANGERS OF DEPLETED URANIUM FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND WHY?

MICHEL COLLON

After years of suffering, Belgian soldiers lodged a complaint against their government. But why has NATO been concealing the truth for the last ten years? If the depleted uranium scandal finally explodes, it is thanks to the out-and-out struggle led for the last ten years in the U.S., Great Britain and France by groups of soldier-victims and by a handful of scientists and courageous militants. Christine Abdelkrim-Delanne has just published “The Clean Dirty War” (La sale guerre propre). This book describes the history of that struggle.

26,000 U.S. Soldiers Are Suffering from “Unknown Illnesses”

I was wounded on February 26, 1991 by “friendly fire,” which implied the use of depleted uranium munitions, related Jerry Wheat (3rd Armored Division, U.S., which served in the Gulf War). In October, I experienced severe abdominal pain. I left the army. I imagined committing suicide because I wasn’t responding to any kind of treatment. They told me that my illness was not real, and that it was all in my head. Our government ought to stop using depleted uranium. If not, let them at least insure follow-up medical treatment for those who need it. Remember, the sad tradition of governmental shortcomings is not new. About fifty years ago, veterans were used as human guinea pigs for nuclear tests. Then the government tested LSD on others. Then they used agent orange in Vietnam.

After returning from the Gulf in 1991, numerous American and British soldiers complained of physical ailments: cancers, lung and skin problems, cerebral lesions, and monstrously deformed new-born infants. We can observe the same incidents of pathology in the Iraqi population, stated professor Selma Al Taha, director of a genetic laboratory: “Ever since the war, we have registered a significant increase in congenital deformities: hydrocephalus [an abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranial cavity, which is accompanied by enlargement of the skull, forehead and atrophy of the brain], encephalitis, spinal bifida [incomplete closure of the bones of the spinal column, depriving the spinal marrow of protection], but also monstrous deformities of the limbs, and infants born without a head or a heart.” His colleague, Al Askri, a specialist in nuclear medicine, emphasized “a large increase in thyroid problems and cancers. We are seeing about fifty patients a day with cancer.” This is in the southern part of the country, which was a corridor of intense warfare, where they are now finding a much higher rate of leukemia among infants.

More Extensive, Independent Scientific Inquiry Is Absolutely Necessary

They symptoms of “Gulf War Syndrome” are diverse, and numerous possible causes have been advanced over the years: depleted uranium, mandatory vaccinations given to soldiers, pesticides, the bombardment of chemical plants… The question is complex, and will necessitate more extensive and costly scientific research. The United States and NATO deny that these ailments have any connection at all with depleted uranium, and they deny any wrongdoing on their part. But it is precisely their refusal to undertake any scientific research that has enabled them to deny the existence of the Gulf Syndrome for the last ten years.

The U.S. Army, however, recently ought to have recognized that 132,749 veterans are “unfit for service,” 20% of which have been stricken with “unknown illnesses.” But the U.S. Army is rejecting any study, even the ones conducted by the very official Veteran’s Administration and the Navy Research Center in San Diego, and obstinately insists that it’s about “victims of post-traumatic stress.”

He Who Looks for Nothing, Finds Nothing

The truth is slowly coming out despite the systematic obstruction of the U.S. Army. On May 7, 1991, the German professor Sigwart Gunther discovered strange shell fragments on a highway in the Iraqi desert. “I saw children playing with that stuff. I learned that one little girl who had such a shell fragment died of leukemia.” Four different German institutes discovered abnormally large levels of radioactivity there. The police seized and removed the shell fragments, but that did not prevent Gunther from sounding the alarm. Too bad that hardly anyone at all was paying attention.

In 1992, a study by the Bureau of Technological Evaluation of the U.S. Congress stated that of 148 officially recognized deaths, 34 were cased by “friendly fire.” And it concluded that it is impossible to anticipate the number of deaths among soldiers ultimately attributable to fragments of depleted uranium lodged in their bodies.

Was this the reason why the U.S. Army, after the Gulf War, secretly took back to the U.S. contaminated American and Iraqi materiel? In any case, in January 1992, under pressure from veterans associations, the Bureau of Investigation of the American Congress launched an inquiry. And in March, the Army’s Department of Health recommended identifying soldiers carrying shrapnel in their bodies to observe and catalogue the signs of chronic renal toxicity and cancer. But even after five years, the number of contaminated soldiers that were identified has never been released.

The U.S. Army Has Been Repeatedly Caught in the Act of Lying

The U.S. Army has systematically concealed potentially alarming information. For example, five months after the end of the war, a fire raged for six hours on the U.S. military base in Doha, near Kuwait City, destroying four Abrams Tanks, 660 rounds of 120mm shells and 9,720 rounds of 25mm shells, all of which were depleted uranium munitions. Three thousand five hundred (3,500) soldiers were present and they detected radiation contamination far beyond normally allowable limits. No warning describing the dangers of inhaling depleted uranium particles was distributed among personnel who cleaned the hangar without any protection whatsoever, and who even drank water from a nearby jerry can. But at the end of the day, officers showed up to post “radioactivity procedures.” And two months later, decontamination teams were all wearing protective masks, gloves and overalls.

Over the last seven years, the U.S. Army has even refused to reveal the number soldiers that were contaminated in the teams charged with repairing—without any protection—combat vehicles that were damaged by “friendly fire.”

U.S. veterans and authorities have engaged in a battle of statistics since 1992. Up until March 1998, the Pentagon maintained that depleted uranium contamination effected only 35 people. But recently declassified secret documents permitted Dan Fahey, a researcher, to force the Pentagon to publicly acknowledge its “error,” and that there were 113 victims instead of 35. At least.

The determination of veterans has been a decisive element for countering the bad faith of American authorities who are still stonewalling and planting the seeds of doubt. Fahey sums it up like this: He who looks for nothing, finds nothing.

Two Outstanding Women, Sara and Carol, Launched the Resistance

Sara Flounders is the co-founder of the International Action Center (IAC), an organization presided by Ramsey Clark (former U.S. Attorney General) who has led a struggle against all of the imperialist wars undertaken by the United States: Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Nicaragua, Libya, Somalia and the Gulf War.

Sara Flounders has interviewed more than one hundred soldiers since 1992 and began the initial research on the connection between the “Gulf Syndrome” and depleted uranium. In her 1997 book, “Metal of Dishonor,” she published one of the first eye-witness accounts given by a veteran. “I volunteered for patriotic reasons, said Carol H. Picou, I wanted to help. I became a drug and alcohol medical health counselor ... We were the foremost hospital going into Iraq, into Kuwait, into Basra. There was ammunition lying everywhere, there were rounds lying everywhere, there were bunkers that were blown up, and we passed through this unprotected, our medical unit of 150. Out of 150 who went to the front, 40 are sick, six have died from homicides, suicides, and heart attacks and cancer. I stopped my vehicle and I took photos along the highway. There were things I had never seen before. I was concerned. Driving down the highway—we called it the “highway to hell”—you know it as the "highway of death"—we thought for sure we were going to die on that road. No one warned us of contaminants.”

“I Can No Longer Control My Bowel Movements, Or My Sphincter Muscle”

“When I was in Iraq, I started noticing these black specks all over my skin, so I reported it. My health started changing. I was getting sick, I couldn't control my bowels and my bladder anymore. They said it was something mechanical, you need to have it checked once you return back to the United States. So I started seeking answers, and as I did, I was threatened with losing my military career. aAn atomic veteran [one of the 250,000 soldiers—official U.S. figures—who have been exposed to radiation during American nuclear tests between 1942 and 1963] called me and said, ‘You have depleted uranium poisoning." In 1992 I was diagnosed by a civilian doctor as suffering from toxic exposure, chronic encephalopathy of the brain, an abnormal active immune system, a suppressed auto-immune system and antibody development and chemical poisoning.’”

“The army would not accept this as ‘mainstream medicine’ for my medical examination and I was discharged with ‘Bowel and Bladder Incontinence--Etiology Unknown.’ I have long-term/short-term memory deficit. I have toxic encephalopathy—a disease of the brain. I have developed thyroid deterioration. I have developed suspicious squamous cancerous cells of the uterus. I have tested twelve times for the military and they want to keep repeating my tests. My muscles have deteriorated. I have no control over my bowels or my bladder at all any more. Our babies are born with birth defects. We Gulf War veterans have our babies born without thyroids.”

Since then, Carol has spoken out on the subject around the world. Her courage, as well as the actions taken by Sara Flounders and the International Action Center, have laid siege to the wall of silence.

Another Story about Money?

Who profits from the crime? Who has a financial interest in the use of tons of depleted uranium? In September, a colonel in the Yugoslav army, who was in charge of an investigation of the sites bombed by NATO, and who was responsible for the protection of his soldiers, told me of the existence of armor-piercing metals that are either as good or better than depleted uranium. But the use of depleted uranium solved the thorny problem of the disposal of nuclear waste (which remains radioactive for millions of years). The nuclear industry has thus transformed certain countries—and certain peoples—into nuclear dumping grounds. Not being an expert, I cannot judge the ‘merits’ of the various possible alternative components of armor-piercing munitions. It will be important for reliable independent researchers to examine this. When one sees the use of weaponry as criminal as this, isn’t it necessary to discover what financial interests are concealed by it?

Are Vaccinations to Blame? Anti-Fatigue Pills? Or Big Business?

Various theories attempt to explain the ‘Gulf War and Balkan Syndrome.’ According to Pamela Asa, a researcher in the field of nuclear biology, the U.S. Army clandestinely introduced a non-authorized substance, squalene, into the cocktail of vaccinations administered to soldiers. The reaction? First of all, the U.S. Army denied that its laboratories used squalene. Then, it admitted its use, but only after the war. Finally, it admitted to have experimented with it before the war, but it refused to open its archives. A Congressional investigation, however, showed that the number of vaccinations actually administered was seventy times greater than the official figures. The soldiers served as guinea pigs for secret experiments.

The same accusation was made against the French army. Their pyridostigmine tablets (used to prevent the effects of poison gas) were mandatorily administered to soldiers without legal authorization, despite the drug’s dangerous side effects. In the U.S., this product has still not obtained authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

Another suspect: the Canard enchaîné revealed that “the biggest secret is that the French general staff experimented with anti-fatigue pills whose sale was forbidden in France.” 14,000 cases of Modafinil were shipped under a false name while at the same time the French army refused to disclose to its soldiers what they were ingesting (and many refused to do so). Such a magic anti-fatigue pill evidently promised juicy benefits. But French law forbade, under penalty of imprisonment, each such test carried out without having informed the subject of the nature of the drug and its risks. Did the French army break the law in order to serve gross financial interests?

Abdelkrim’s book examines several suspects, including a pesticide. What can one conclude? First of all, that there is a conspiracy of silence organized by the United States and NATO, which is responsible for the uncertainty that is exacerbating the agony of its victims. Secondly, the symptoms suffered by western soldiers could come from a different set of factors: uranium, vaccinations, special medications for local pollution. But, in each of these cases, “The Clean Dirty War” demonstrates that Western armies have all used these dangerous products while at the same time concealing their risks. They stick to the theory that “its all in their heads,” because each investigation reveals more serious faults. Thirdly, the populations of Iraq and the Balkans have not received vaccinations or other products, so it’s very likely that it is depleted uranium that is causing cancers and monstrous deformities. The use of these criminal weapons, therefore, must be forbidden.

They Know, but They’re Keeping Their Mouths Shut
Four months after the Gulf War, the U.S. general staff published a set of instructions in case of an accident during the transport of depleted uranium munitions. It was a revealing document. It stated that if the packaging were damaged, it would have to be replaced before transport was continued. A test for radioactive contamination would have to be made. If the subject was contaminated, he/she was obliged to be decontaminated according to methods described “in Chapter 7 …” Note the strict measures applied to a transportation accident, not to mention an explosion! Is there a serious danger here?

Of course there is, and they know it. On July 22, 1990, Lieutenant-colonel Ziehm wrote in an official report that there was and there continues to be concern about the impact of depleted uranium on the environment. “If DU penetrators proved their worth during our recent combat activities, then we should assure their future existence … through Service/DoD proponency. If proponency is not garnered, it is possible that we stand to lose a valuable combat capability … Keep this sensitive issue in mind when after action reports are written.” (p. 202). U.S. military leaders know perfectly well what is going on and they have organized a conspiracy of silence in order to avoid protests.

Why Was Dr. Asaf Durakovic Discharged?
This conspiracy of silence continues to this very day. Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a professor of nuclear medicine, was in charge of examining soldiers from the 144th New Jersey Transport Corps, and sent 24 of them to the Veterans Administration clinic in Boston. Tests were conducted, which revealed traces of radioactivity. His records and specimens were destroyed and, in February 1997, his position was terminated for ‘budgetary reasons.’ At the same time, Drs. Burroughs and Slingerlan also lost their jobs for having requested state-of-the-art research equipment. Durakovic wrote to Clinton to denounce a plot whose victims were veterans. There was no response.

But protests were being organized in Europe. In January 1999, a group of Non-Governmental Agencies launched a large-scale information campaign in Manchester, England. And some countries were disturbed by it. In August, the Finnish environmental minister organized a team of investigators to go to Kosovo. NATO refused to cooperate with them, but the team persevered and concluded that the risks were serious. In November, the Italian government approved a critical diplomatic note. In Belgium, a series of articles by Frederic Loore caused a sensation in the Journal du Samedi. Minister Flahaut at first tried to minimize its impact, then retreated.

What Exactly Do Government Ministers Know?

When will Minister Flahaut speak the truth? In October 1999 and in February 2000, he affirmed that he had “not been informed of the health risks for soldiers who had participated in the operation in the Balkans.” But in January 7, 2000, he acknowledged that NATO had warned of risks and that he had discretely ordered soldiers to take urine tests upon their return. According to the trade-unionist, Marc De Ceulaer, the NATO warnings were not made pubic because it would have given rise to a movement against sending troops to Bosnia. This demands a public debate in order to establish the truth.

It’s one of two things: 1) either the successive Belgian ministers were not informed by the United States of the dangers of depleted uranium, in which case, wouldn’t Belgium be obliged to leave an organization that has such contempt for human life, including the lives of its own soldiers? or 2) the ministers have been informed of the facts, so in this case, wouldn’t they be judged as accomplices?

Paris and London Also Produce Depleted Uranium Weapons. And They Have Hushed Up the Truth.

In 1993, a little English girl, Kimberly Office, died in infancy from serious congenital deformations. Her father, a soldier who served in the Gulf, and her mother, who received support from veterans associations, finally forced the British army to begin a pilot study in 1998. The official result? Nothing.

But are the British authorities trustworthy? They have been producing this type of weaponry since 1979; they have spent a great deal of time getting acquainted with it, and they at first publicly denied having used depleted uranium munitions during the Gulf War.

The French authorities have long denied either producing or using these kinds of weapons, which have been declared illegal and condemned by the United Nations in a (cautious) resolution in 1996. In 1994, however, the French pacifist magazine, Damocles, revealed the presence of nuclear waste during arms testing. In 1998, it revealed that Giat Industries produced 60,000 rounds of 120mm depleted uranium shells.

Christine Abdelkrim-Delanne, author of the recently published “They Clean Dirty War” (La sale guere propre), questioned French authorities in 1998. Have they analyzed the soil and water samples from testing areas for uranium weaponry? Was the personnel protected? How could they be certain that no French soldiers were contaminated? There was no response.

In August 2000, the Defense Minister, Alain Richard, solemnly swore that no French soldier had ever been a victim of depleted uranium munitions in the Gulf War. But the soldiers organized and their association, Avigolfe, replied sharply by publishing a long list of soldiers who were either seriously ill or dead: Fredereic Bisserieix, dead of tumors at age 32; A.N., who died at age 43 from cancer; M.C., who died of lymphoma; M.L., who died of lung cancer in 1992. The inquiry demonstrated that the military authorities had, like their U.S. colleagues, refused to respond to the agony of the soldiers, refused to release their complete medical records, and refused to undertake serious research on the subject. Abdelkrim’s book pops the bubble of lies and dissimulations concocted by the army and the defense minister.

Now, certain European powers are trying to put the blame solely on the United States and are taking advantage of it to promote their project for a Euro Army. But they are all guilty of the same thing.

The Embargo Prevents Aid from Reaching the Iraqi Population

The pro-NATO media’s current tactic is to limit the debate to include only Western soldiers. But millions of people in Iraq are at risk because inhaling even a minute particle of uranium is sufficient to destabilize the immune system. And the embargo forbids sending aid to them. Another crime on the heels of so many others.

U.S. President George Bush that he would take Iraq back to the stone age. They bombed, in violation of international conventions, numerous civilian sites: electric power plants, pumping stations and water purification systems, oil wells, silos containing grain and food warehouses. It was premeditated cruelty. In October 1990, the Washington Institute for the Middle East recommended striking pumping stations and water purification facilities in Baghdad, without which the urban population had to spend several hours a day searching for water that had to be purified.

They also bombarded, without being preoccupied about the effects on environment and health, military sites that produced chemical and biological agents, nuclear power stations, arms factories, petrochemical complexes and their products, all of which are highly toxic.

The list of crimes that have been committed is long: the terrifying (and illegal) use of “fragmentation bombs,” which sow hundreds of deadly bomblets aimed at the civilian population; thousands of Iraqi soldiers buried alive in the desert; the massacre of thousands of retreating soldiers on “the highway of death” … Fifteen years after Vietnam, the U.S. Army is not one jot more “civilized.”

But the worst crime is certainly the embargo. Even today, an entire people is deprived of the means to feed and care for itself. This outrage should immediately be put to an end. It is among the Iraqi population that depleted uranium has claimed the most victims. An entire generation has been imperiled. Emergency aid must be sent to help them, and research for necessary health care must be funded.

Christine Abdelkrim has visited Iraq, which she described as a “hell filled with cries and suffering” and her book has the merit of showing that depleted uranium and the embargo against Iraq are two aspects of the same barbaric war, which is being waged by people for whom human life does not count.

Demand Justice

The former U.S. Attorney General, Ramsey Clark (see page 2) has outlined what has to be done: “Depleted-uranium weapons are an unacceptable threat to life, a violation of international law and an assault on human dignity. To safeguard the future of humanity, we call for an unconditional international ban forbidding research, manufacture, testing, transportation, possession and use of DU for military purposes.”

“In addition, we call for the immediate isolation and containment of all DU weapons and waste, the reclassification of DU as a radioactive and hazardous substance, the cleanup of existing DU-contaminated areas, comprehensive efforts to prevent human exposure and medical care for those who have been exposed.”

And who should pay for this? The principle “polluter = payer” is merely elementary justice. NATO, the private companies who have produced these arms and the various governments who produce them, or who use or allow these weapons to be used, should appropriate these funds from their military budgets to fund:

1) More extensive independent scientific research on the effects of depleted uranium and on its established symptoms; 2) An public awareness campaign for the people of Iraq, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, as well as for solders and other personnel who are at risk; 3) Immediate measures must be taken to isolate and evaluate contaminated areas, as well as to clean up nuclear waste and contaminated equipment; 4) Quality health care and compensation for all victims: local populations as well as Western soldiers. 5) An independent commission of inquiry, composed of scientists who are not connected to the arms industry or to the army, in order discover those responsible for the criminal acts committed in these wars, as well as those who have hushed up information about the dangers of uranium.

Furthermore, the Belgian government must immediately cease, unilaterally and unconditionally, each political embargo which aggravates the situation of the Iraqi people and which forbids sending it aid.

Why NATO Does not Respect Anyone’s Life at All

NATO has been caught in the act once again. But has it been lying only about its perverse weaponry and its ‘clean war’? Or has it also been lying about its true objectives?

Remember: the war against Iraq, the war in Bosnia and the war against Yugoslavia were all ‘humanitarian’ in nature. But today, the Iraqi people remain under a pitiless embargo; Bosnia, which has been transformed into a corrupt, uninhabitable Western protectorate, is out of control, while two thousand civilians were killed in Yugoslavia by the NATO bombardment. As for Kosovo, it has been ethnically “cleansed” by NATO’s protégés, the KLA.

Kosovo has been transformed into a nuclear garbage dump. Last October, I invited Snezana Pavlovic, a nuclear scientist from Belgrade, to take part in a public debate in Brussels on the subject of depleted uranium. She said that “Our government anticipated the use of depleted uranium weapons and organized the protection of solders against whom it was used. In Serbia, the contaminated sites are fenced off and access to them is forbidden, but not in occupied Kosovo, where NATO denies that there is any danger at all. In fact, it is principally Albanian civilians, particularly the children, who will be the victims of depleted uranium.

NATO has screwed itself completely with regard to the health concerns of Albanians. Today, the cancer rate is growing rapidly in Kosovo, as well as in Bosnia. In Bratunac, for example, where Serbian civilians, who fled from areas bombed by NATO in the suburbs of Sarajevo, took refuge, the cemetery is too small, because a refugee dies of cancer every third day.

Lets Fight a War for Sales (Bill Clinton)

This terrifying affidavit makes one ask: what are their real objectives? NATO’s war was really not at all humanitarian, declared Bill Clinton (in private) on the eve of the war: “If we are going to have a strong economic relationship that includes our ability to sell around the world, Europe has got to be the key; that's what this Kosovo thing is all about ... its globalism versus tribalism.”

One of those close to the president confirmed it: “The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist. McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonald-Douglas, the designer of the F-15, and the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technology is called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.” [Thomas Friedman, New York Times, March 28, 1999] It was a war waged for superprofits for the multinationals, and a war waged to break the resistance of a country whose intention it was to protect its economic independence. A human life means nothing for those who wish to dominate and exploit the world. Nor do the lives of American, European, Iraqi, Serbian or Albanian soldiers, all of whom were deliberately contaminated.

This is why Javier Solana, the former Secretary General of NATO and today the future head of the Euro Army, organized last summer a “secret defense” of all the projects and analyses of the European military, which provoked the helpless anger of a majority of Europarliamentarians who were deprived of any say in the matter. Is it up to the people to decide whether or not a war must be fought, or is it up to multinational corporations and generals? Mr. Solana has replied. Today, we are paying for the consequences. We must stop NATO!

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[Old Friend]

You refute the work that I have compiled with someone else's entire article, pathetic. You must be a socialist, for you are as lazy as a trash heap.

I don't have the kind of time necessary to read the full length of a article that you did not write. If you can recite the science that substantiates the claim that depleted uranium is the cause of Gulf War Syndrome, I would be more than happy to listen. But if your not going to attempt to make your own arguments, [email protected] off.

[peaccenicked]

You cant refute anything you stupid war crimes apoligist.
http://www.ngwrc.org/facts/default.htm

[Old Friend]

I am still waiting for the supporting evidence, peacenicked. I am aware of the claim, but I have not seen anything substantial to support it, only appeals to the affect. Perhaps I missed it in the article. Enlighten me, my enemy. Point me to the specific passages that make your case for you.

[peaccenicked]

Depleted Uranium

Fact Sheet N°257
Revised January 2003

Uranium


Metallic uranium (U) is a silver-white, lustrous, dense, weakly radioactive element. It is ubiquitous throughout the natural environment, and is found in varying but small amounts in rocks, soils, water, air, plants, animals and in all human beings.
Natural uranium consists of a mixture of three radioactive isotopes which are identified by the mass numbers 238U (99.27% by mass), 235U (0.72%) and 234U (0.0054%).
On average, approximately 90 µg (micrograms) of uranium exists in the human body from normal intakes of water, food and air. About 66% is found in the skeleton, 16% in the liver, 8% in the kidneys and 10% in other tissues.
Uranium is used primarily in nuclear power plants. However, most reactors require uranium in which the 235U content is enriched from 0.72% to about 1.5-3%.

Depleted uranium


The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched fraction contains about 99.8% 238U, 0.2% 235U and 0.001% 234U by mass; this is referred to as depleted uranium or DU.
The main difference between DU and natural uranium is that the former contains at least three times less 235U than the latter.
DU, consequently, is weakly radioactive and a radiation dose from it would be about 60% of that from purified natural uranium with the same mass.
The behaviour of DU in the body is identical to that of natural uranium.
Spent uranium fuel from nuclear reactors is sometimes reprocessed in plants for natural uranium enrichment. Some reactor-created radioisotopes can consequently contaminate the reprocessing equipment and the DU. Under these conditions another uranium isotope, 236U, may be present in the DU together with very small amounts of the transuranic elements plutonium, americium and neptunium and the fission product technetium-99. However, the additional radiation dose following intake of DU into the human body from these isotopes would be less than 1%.

Applications of depleted uranium


Due to its high density, about twice that of lead, the main civilian uses of DU include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shields in medical radiation therapy machines and containers for the transport of radioactive materials. The military uses DU for defensive armour plate.
DU is used in armour penetrating military ordnance because of its high density, and also because DU can ignite on impact if the temperature exceeds 600°C.

Exposure to uranium and depleted uranium


Under most circumstances, use of DU will make a negligible contribution to the overall natural background levels of uranium in the environment. Probably the greatest potential for DU exposure will follow conflict where DU munitions are used.
A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report giving field measurements taken around selected impact sites in Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) indicates that contamination by DU in the environment was localized to a few tens of metres around impact sites. Contamination by DU dusts of local vegetation and water supplies was found to be extremely low. Thus, the probability of significant exposure to local populations was considered to be very low.
A UN expert team reported in November 2002 that they found traces of DU in three locations among 14 sites investigated in Bosnia following NATO airstrikes in 1995. A full report is expected to be published by UNEP in March 2003.
Levels of DU may exceed background levels of uranium close to DU contaminating events. Over the days and years following such an event, the contamination normally becomes dispersed into the wider natural environment by wind and rain. People living or working in affected areas may inhale contaminated dusts or consume contaminated food and drinking water.
People near an aircraft crash may be exposed to DU dusts if counterweights are exposed to prolonged intense heat. Significant exposure would be rare, as large masses of DU counterweights are unlikely to ignite and would oxidize only slowly. Exposures of clean-up and emergency workers to DU following aircraft accidents are possible, but normal occupational protection measures would prevent any significant exposure.

Intake of depleted uranium


Average annual intakes of uranium by adults are estimated to be about 0.5mg (500 ìg) from ingestion of food and water and 0.6 ìg from breathing air.
Ingestion of small amounts of DU contaminated soil by small children may occur while playing.
Contact exposure of DU through the skin is normally very low and unimportant.
Intake from wound contamination or embedded fragments in skin tissues may allow DU to enter the systemic circulation.

Absorption of depleted uranium


About 98% of uranium entering the body via ingestion is not absorbed, but is eliminated via the faeces. Typical gut absorption rates for uranium in food and water are about 2% for soluble and about 0.2% for insoluble uranium compounds.
The fraction of uranium absorbed into the blood is generally greater following inhalation than following ingestion of the same chemical form. The fraction will also depend on the particle size distribution. For some soluble forms, more than 20% of the inhaled material could be absorbed into blood.
Of the uranium that is absorbed into the blood, approximately 70% will be filtered by the kidney and excreted in the urine within 24 hours; this amount increases to 90% within a few days.

Potential health effects of exposure to depleted uranium


In the kidneys, the proximal tubules (the main filtering component of the kidney) are considered to be the main site of potential damage from chemical toxicity of uranium. There is limited information from human studies indicating that the severity of effects on kidney function and the time taken for renal function to return to normal both increase with the level of uranium exposure.
In a number of studies on uranium miners, an increased risk of lung cancer was demonstrated, but this has been attributed to exposure from radon decay products. Lung tissue damage is possible leading to a risk of lung cancer that increases with increasing radiation dose. However, because DU is only weakly radioactive, very large amounts of dust (on the order of grams) would have to be inhaled for the additional risk of lung cancer to be detectable in an exposed group. Risks for other radiation-induced cancers, including leukaemia, are considered to be very much lower than for lung cancer.
Erythema (superficial inflammation of the skin) or other effects on the skin are unlikely to occur even if DU is held against the skin for long periods (weeks).
No consistent or confirmed adverse chemical effects of uranium have been reported for the skeleton or liver.
No reproductive or developmental effects have been reported in humans.
Although uranium released from embedded fragments may accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) tissue, and some animal and human studies are suggestive of effects on CNS function, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from the few studies reported.

Maximum radiation exposure limits and their limited application to uranium and depleted uranium

The International Basic Safety Standards, agreed by all applicable UN agencies in 1996, provide for radiation dose limits above normal background exposure levels.


The general public should not receive a dose of more than 1 millisievert (mSv) in a year. In special circumstances, an effective dose of up to 5 mSv in a single year is permitted provided that the average dose over five consecutive years does not exceed 1 mSv per year. An equivalent dose to the skin should not exceed 50 mSv in a year.
Occupational exposure should not exceed an effective dose of 20 mSv per year averaged over five consecutive years or an effective dose of 50 mSv in any single year. An equivalent dose to the extremities (hands and feet) or the skin should not surpass 500 mSv in a year.
In case of uranium or DU intake, the radiation dose limits are applied to inhaled insoluble uranium-compounds only. For all other exposure pathways and the soluble uranium-compounds, chemical toxicity is the factor that limits exposure.

Guidance on exposure based on chemical toxicity of uranium

WHO has guidelines for determining the values of health-based exposure limits or tolerable intakes for chemical substances. The tolerable intakes given below are applicable to long-term exposure of the general public (as opposed to workers). For single and short-term exposures, higher exposure levels may be tolerated without adverse effects.


The general public's intake via inhalation or ingestion of soluble DU compounds should be based on a tolerable intake value of 0.5 µg per kg of body weight per day. This leads to an air concentration of 1 µg/m3 for inhalation, and about 11 mg/y for ingestion by the average adult.
Insoluble uranium compounds with very low absorption rate are markedly less toxic to the kidney, and a tolerable intake via ingestion of 5 µg per kg of body weight per day is applicable.
When the solubility characteristics of the uranium compounds are not known, which is often the case in exposure to DU, it would be prudent to apply 0.5 µg per kg of body weight per day for ingestion.

Monitoring and treatment of exposed individuals


For the general population, neither civilian nor military use of DU is likely to produce exposures to DU significantly above normal background levels of uranium. Therefore, individual exposure assessments for DU will normally not be required. Exposure assessments based on environmental measurements may, however, be needed for public information and reassurance.
When an individual is suspected of being exposed to DU at a level significantly above the normal background level, an assessment of DU exposure may be required. This is best achieved by analysis of daily urine excretion. Urine analysis can provide useful information for the prognosis of kidney pathology from uranium or DU. The proportion of DU in the urine is determined from the 235U/238U ratio, obtained using sensitive mass spectrometric techniques.
Faecal measurement can also give useful information on DU intake. However, faecal excretion of natural uranium from the diet is considerable (on average 500 ìg per day, but very variable) and this needs to be taken into account.
External radiation measurements over the chest, using radiation monitors for determining the amount of DU in the lungs, require special facilities. This technique can measure about 10 milligrams of DU in the lungs, and (except for souble compounds) can be useful soon after exposure.
There are no specific means to decrease the absorption of uranium from the gastrointestinal tract or lungs. Following severe internal contamination, treatment in special hospitals consists of the slow intravenous transfusion of isotonic 1.4 % sodium bicarbonate to increase excretion of uranium. DU levels in the human, however, are not expected to reach a value that would justify intravenous treatment any more than dialysis.

Recommendations


Following conflict, levels of DU contamination in food and drinking water might be detected in affected areas even after a few years. This should be monitored where it is considered there is a reasonable possibility of significant quantities of DU entering the ground water or food chain.
Where justified and possible, clean-up operations in impact zones should be undertaken if there are substantial numbers of radioactive projectiles remaining and where qualified experts deem contamination levels to be unacceptable. If high concentrations of DU dust or metal fragments are present, then areas may need to be cordoned off until removal can be accomplished. Such impact sites are likely to contain a variety of hazardous materials, in particular unexploded ordnance. Due consideration needs to be given to all hazards, and the potential hazard from DU kept in perspective.
Small children could receive greater exposure to DU when playing in or near DU impact sites. Their typical hand-to-mouth activity could lead to high DU ingestion from contaminated soil. Necessary preventative measures should be taken.
Disposal of DU should follow appropriate national or international recommendations.

Further reading WHO monograph (2001): Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposures and Health Effects. Provides a summary of the scientific literature on uranium and depleted uranium. Available at: http://www.who.int/environmental_informati...ted_uranium.htm (http://www.who.int/environmental_information/radiation/depleted_uranium.htm).

WHO Guidance on Exposure to Depleted Uranium (WHO/SDE/OEH/01.12, 2001). Provides information on medical treatment from excessive DU exposure and advice for programme administrators sending personnel to DU contaminated areas.

[peaccenicked]

http://www.rimbaud.freeserve.co.uk/dhap99f.html

[Old Friend]

"The National Gulf War Resource Center is an international coalition of advocates and organizations providing a resource for information, support, and referrals for all those concerned with the complexities of Persian Gulf War issues, especially Gulf War illnesses and those held prisoner or missing in action."

Although I was almost fooled into thinking that this group was some sort of official government agency, I was not surprised to find that peacenicked was using another source that was pushing an agenda. Come on, I said reputable, generally meaning unbiased. It would be particularly helpful if you could find someone who also has the scientific authority necessary for the bold accusation you are making. Everything you have provided thus far is hearsay, and nothing really warrants the conlusion that DU is in anyway responsible.

This is probably the most telling point offered by the NGWRC that gives away their political bias:

"More than 1,200,000 civilians in Iraq have died since the start of the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990 (Source: United Nations and Iraq)."

Obviously, they wish to indict the U.S. for these deaths rather than Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. This much is clear by some of the other views they espouse. They clearly have an agenda, and are closely tied to those who have something to benefit from spinning the truth.

[peaccenicked]

You read as a the war zombie. You cant refute facts just sources by saying they are not sympathetic to US interests. Thats Pathetic.

(Edited by peaccenicked at 3:35 pm on Mar. 10, 2003)

[peaccenicked]

UNITED NATIONS
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-third session
Item 5 of the provisional agenda

Human Rights and Toxics: Depleted Uranium and the Gulf War
Written statement submitted by
International Educational Development/Humanitarian Law Project
a non-governmental organization on the Roster

1. International Educational Development/Humanitarian Law Project welcomes the progress made on the issue of toxics and the innovative and necessary work of the Commission's rapporteur Fatma-Zohra Ksentini. We have submitted information to the rapporteur on the use of weapons containing depleted uranium by the United States forces in the Gulf War. We are also continuing to compile information on this subject in light of Sub-Commission resolution 1996/[ ] (U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1996/L.18) which requests that information on the use of weapons of mass destruction, including those containing depleted uranium, is including in a report by the Secretary-General to the Sub- Commission at its forty-ninth session.

2. During the Gulf War up to 800 tons of munitions containing depleted uranium were used by United States forces in military actions in Kuwait and Iraq. This was the first field test of these weapon in actual combat, and they proved to be exceptionally effective anti-tank projectiles due to their superior armour-piercing capacity. It is unclear how much of the discarded shell casings and other radioactive material still remains in Iraq, but several investigators who have traveled to the area reports that shell casings containing depleted uranium are scattered all over the ground in many areas, including in school yards and other similar civilian locales.

3. Depleted uranium contain about 30% less than normal of 235/U, a dangerous radioisotope of uranium used in nuclear bombs and commercial power plants. It is a byproduct of extraction of 235/U form natural uranium. Much of depleted uranium is 238/U with a half life of 4 billion years.

4. Depleted uranium vaporizes when deployed in armour-piercing bullets. Scientific studies indicate if as much as one small particle (<5 microns in diameter) enters the lungs, the lungs and surrounding tissue will be exposed to 270 times the radiation permitted for workers in the radiation industry.

5. We first raised this issue at the fifty-second session of the Commission when, in conjunction with Margarita Papandreou and Women for Mutual Security and the International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions, we addressed the serious situation of especially children in Iraq. Thousands of children in Iraq suffer from illnesses related to depleted uranium compounded in gravity by the effects of the economic sanctions. Now, children and animals in the area are being born with the serious congenital anomalies and disabilities associated with low grade radiation poisoning. At that session we presented Dr. Horst Gunther who has traveled to Iraq and who has documented, in report and by photograph, the devastating situation in Iraq.

6. Since that time, more evidence of the use of depleted uranium and the Iraqi medical catastrophe has been presented while at the same time the controversy over "Gulf War Syndrome" escalates in the United States. It now appears that key information relating to this situation has been removed from top secret files or destroyed.

7. Evidence compiled in the United States indicates as many as 50,000 veterans of the United States forces in the Gulf War and 4,000 or more from the allied countries have conditions that appear to be clear consequences of military service. There are no available statistics on the number of Iraqis showing similar symptoms, although Dr. Gunther's investigations indicate many thousands.

8. In addition to the serious problems faced by those exposed to DU during the Gulf War, there is a worldwide problem of the disposal of DU. These is an estimated billion pounds of DU tailings in the United States, and the United States Department of Energy is seeking opportunities to dispose of it. There are an estimated 30 million KGs DU tailings stored in Europe at URENCO plants. The United States Army Environmental Policy Institute (USAEPI) reports that the United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Thailand, Israel, France and other unspecified countries have developed or are developing DU weapons.

9. We urge the Special Rapporteur to investigate the situation of the use of DU in the Gulf War and its effect on human rights. We also urge the Rapporteur to monitor the situation of DU storage and transport.

[Old Friend]

Was that so hard peacenicked?

"DU, consequently, is weakly radioactive and a radiation dose from it would be about 60% of that from purified natural uranium with the same mass."

"Under most circumstances, use of DU will make a negligible contribution to the overall natural background levels of uranium in the environment."

" recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report giving field measurements taken around selected impact sites in Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) indicates that contamination by DU in the environment was localized to a few tens of metres around impact sites. Contamination by DU dusts of local vegetation and water supplies was found to be extremely low. Thus, the probability of significant exposure to local populations was considered to be very low."

"Contact exposure of DU through the skin is normally very low and unimportant."

"About 98% of uranium entering the body via ingestion is not absorbed, but is eliminated via the faeces. Typical gut absorption rates for uranium in food and water are about 2% for soluble and about 0.2% for insoluble uranium compounds."

"There is limited information from human studies indicating that the severity of effects on kidney function and the time taken for renal function to return to normal both increase with the level of uranium exposure."

"However, because DU is only weakly radioactive, very large amounts of dust (on the order of grams) would have to be inhaled for the additional risk of lung cancer to be detectable in an exposed group. Risks for other radiation-induced cancers, including leukaemia, are considered to be very much lower than for lung cancer. "

"Erythema (superficial inflammation of the skin) or other effects on the skin are unlikely to occur even if DU is held against the skin for long periods (weeks)."

"No consistent or confirmed adverse chemical effects of uranium have been reported for the skeleton or liver."

"No reproductive or developmental effects have been reported in humans."

*"Although uranium released from embedded fragments may accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) tissue, and some animal and human studies are suggestive of effects on CNS function, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from the few studies reported."

*"The International Basic Safety Standards, agreed by all applicable UN agencies in 1996, provide for radiation dose limits above normal background exposure levels."

**"For the general population, neither civilian nor military use of DU is likely to produce exposures to DU significantly above normal background levels of uranium. Therefore, individual exposure assessments for DU will normally not be required. Exposure assessments based on environmental measurements may, however, be needed for public information and reassurance."

Thank you. That is some good data, which basically confirms what I have been saying, which is DU is not consistent with GWS symptoms, nor does it present a considerable danger to the public. There is nothing to substantiate any claims that DU is responsible for GWS or illnesses suffered on the part of the Iraqis or Yugoslavians. Thanks again, you just confirmed my assertions.

[peaccenicked]

There are not normal circumstances.
5. We first raised this issue at the fifty-second session of the Commission when, in conjunction with Margarita Papandreou and Women for Mutual Security and the International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions, we addressed the serious situation of especially children in Iraq. Thousands of children in Iraq suffer from illnesses related to depleted uranium compounded in gravity by the effects of the economic sanctions. Now, children and animals in the area are being born with the serious congenital anomalies and disabilities associated with low grade radiation poisoning. At that session we presented Dr. Horst Gunther who has traveled to Iraq and who has documented, in report and by photograph, the devastating situation in Iraq.
Nor is WGS the only illness coming out of Kosovo and Iraq. Cant you read.

[Old Friend]

There are not normal circumstances.

I grant you that levels may be elevated. However, you still have not shown me scientific data that suggests that the elevated levels are above the Recommended Exposure Level, the Short Term Exposure Level, the Permissible Exposure Level, or the Time Weighted Average Exposure Level. When you find a source that provides evidence that any of these levels have been violated, or that the current exposure levels are dangerous, you let me know. You probably have more radiation in your basement than these shells. The WHO is simply searching for anything they can blaim on the US. Here is a source that provides the exposure levels that I mentioned. If you can produce one shred of documentation that suggests the levels in Iraq, or Bosnia are above these limits, I will be willing to listen. However, I don't think you can. I have looked for them myself, and the Depleted Uranium issue seems to be grounded more in politics than it is in science. Here you go. Good luck.

Regulatory / Health
CAS Number
7440-61-1 metal, pyrophoric
UN/NA ID and ERG Guide Number
2979 / 162 metal, pyrophoric
RTECS: YR3490000
NFPA 704
Special Hazard: Radioactive
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
TWA: 0.25 mg/m3
OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
TWA: 0.2 mg/m3
STEL: 0.6 mg/m3
NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
TWA: 0.2 mg/m3
STEL: 0.6 mg/m3
IDLH: 10 mg/m3 (Potential NIOSH carcinogen)


5. We first raised this issue at the fifty-second session of the Commission when, in conjunction with Margarita Papandreou and Women for Mutual Security and the International Commission of Inquiry on Economic Sanctions, we addressed the serious situation of especially children in Iraq. Thousands of children in Iraq suffer from illnesses related to depleted uranium compounded in gravity by the effects of the economic sanctions. Now, children and animals in the area are being born with the serious congenital anomalies and disabilities associated with low grade radiation poisoning. At that session we presented Dr. Horst Gunther who has traveled to Iraq and who has documented, in report and by photograph, the devastating situation in Iraq.

My criticisms also apply to all the various illnesses that people are trying to link to DU. Where is the evidence to support the data. Show me one source that that can directly link DU to birth defects. In fact, I believe it was the source you supplied earlier that stated "No reproductive or developmental effects have been reported in humans". The World Health Organization has made the claim, but has failed to back it up with empyrical evidence. Let me see the readings obtained in and around the villages that are supposedly afflicted with severe radiation poisoning as a result of DU. The hear about the TWA and Ppm. Don't just try to pull at my heart strings, as I recognize this as a tactic used by people floating an agenda, typically people who lie in order to get funding. Give me a scientific report published by an independent invironmental engineering firm that was contracted to do an objective study. I no longer place any credibility in the work on the UN or the WHO. The only good thing the WHO has done was irradicate smallpox. Since then, they have done nothing, and their words are not worth the paper they are printed on, as they are just words, which lack the tabulated data to support their bold assertions. I suppose they think that they can still ride on their former reputation. I remain sceptical until I am proven wrong.

(Edited by Old Friend at 6:48 pm on Mar. 10, 2003)

[peaccenicked]

Further Evidence on Relation between Depleted Uranium, Incidence of Malignancies among Children in Basra, Southern Iraq



Dr. Alim Yacoup; Dr. Imad Al-Sa’doun; Dr. Genan G. Hassan

College of Medicine, Basra University





Information on the incidence of malignancies among children below 15 years of age in Basrah, southern Iraq was updated to include 1999 in addition to the already reported for the period 1990-1998. There has been a 100 % rise in the incidence of various forms of leukemia among children in 1999 compared to 1990 while the reported percentage increase 1997 compared to 1990 for the same forms was 60 %. The corresponding rise for all malignancies among such children in 1999 compared to 1990 was 242 % while the percentage increase in 1997 compared to 1990 was 120 %. The overall incidence rate of all malignancies was 10.1 per 100, 000 of children below 15 years of age compared to 3.98 in 1990 and 7.22 in 1997. During the period from 1993 to 1998 the average annual incidence rate of malignancies among children ranged from 3.1 per 100,000 in Shatt Al-Arab district to 11.8 per 100, 000 in Al-Hartha. In 1999 the reported rates ranged from 5.3 in Abu-Al-khassib to 13.2 in Al-Zubier district with noticeable increase in such rates in all districts in Basra including Basra center, Qurna, Mudaina and shatt-Al-Arab. The findings reported in 1999 provided further epidemiological evidence that the increased incidence of malignancies among children in Basrah is related to exposure to depleted uranium used by the western allies during their aggression on Iraq in 1991.



Epidemiological Trend of Cancer in South of Iraq, for the Period 1976-1999



Dr. Ahmad Hardan; Dr. Abdul-Hafidh Al-KhAzraji

Ministry of Health



The Epidemiology of cancer has been changed in incidence, prevalence, geographical distribution, and population at risk and trend.

This is an analytic epidemiological study for the incidence of cancer, in the south of Iraq for the period 1976-1999. Another part of the study is retrospective, A systematic random sample of cases were selected with a similar number of control groups. History of exposure to the war environmental was assessed among cases and controls: medical records, medical history, physical examination and medical investigations were studied.



The incidence of cancer in five-year intervals for 24 years was studied. The most common types of cancer, by site and histopathological findings, the age group with higher risk were studied for each interval. The relative risk was assessed for the post war period compared with the pre-war period. Statistical tests of significance were applied.

It is obvious that the epidemic curve of cancer showed a rise in their incidence in the post war period. The difference from that in the pre-war period statistically significant. There is a strong statistical association between the incidence and the exposure to war environment.



Southern governorates; namely Basra, Misan and Dhiqar show the highest relative risk compared with other parts of Iraq. There is a change in the trend of cancer in Iraq in the post war period. Leukemia becomes higher in the rank among common cancers among types of cancer among all age groups and of the most common cancers among the age group of less than 15 years. Teratomas become a more common type of malignancy than in the pre-war period and to a less degree; nephroblastomas, Rhabdomyosarcoma and medullo blastoma. There is a shift in the age group of higher incidence of cancer to the age group of (45-55) years.

[Old Friend]

"The overall incidence rate of all malignancies was 10.1 per 100, 000 of children below 15 years of age compared to 3.98 in 1990 and 7.22 in 1997." Need I remind everyone that correlation does not mean causation. Besides I would not doubt if these scientists "cooked the books" to float their agenda. This quote makes me most suspicious:

"The findings reported in 1999 provided further epidemiological evidence that the increased incidence of malignancies among children in Basrah is related to exposure to depleted uranium used by the western allies during their aggression on Iraq in 1991."

[peaccenicked]

http://www.salon.com/news/1998/07/15news.html

[Delta V]

The only way DU can actaully kill you is if you eat in solid form. Other then that, DU is pretty harmless unless you're the guy in the tank on the receiving end.

It's not that DU is too effective, compared to the alternatives. It's that DU is both cheap and effective.

(Edited by Delta V at 7:01 pm on Mar. 13, 2003)