Nexus - 1004 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

refuse to recognise the same health effects from exposures caused ¢ 120 mm with a mass of approximately 4,500 grams; by wartime use of uranium munitions. ¢ Submunitions/landmines such as the PDM and ADAM, whose Officials of the World Health Organization released their antici- structural body contains a small proportion of DU. pated report during April 2001. While this report made specific Many other countries now produce or have acquired DU recommendations, the authors of this report, just as with other munitions. DU is also used as armour, counterweights, radiation governmental agencies' reports, did not consult with those of us shielding and, as proposed by the US Department of Energy, as a who actually cleaned up the DU mess following ODS and com- component of road and structural materials. All of these uses are pleted the research as part of the Depleted Uranium Project. designed to reduce the huge US Department of Energy stockpiles 1 also find it astonishing that once more the authors of a report left over from the uranium enrichment process. have ignored the facts that although medical care for all exposed It is important to realise that DU penetrators are solid uranium- individuals has been required since the war 238. They are not tipped or coated! During and environmental remediation has also an impact, at least 40% of the penetrator been recommended or required, neither has forms uranium oxides or fragments which been completed. The authors of the WHO are left on the terrain, within or on impacted DU report also did not contact any of us who equipment or within impacted structures. are confirmed DU casualties, nor did they "The authors of the The remainder of the penetrator retains its speak to our physicians about observed and initial shape. Thus we are left with a solid diagnosed health effects of DU exposures. WHO DU report also piece of uranium lying someplace, which can Once more, the Los Alamos memorandum i be picked up by children. DU also ignites in (March 1991) directives written by LTC M. did not contact any of the air during flight and upon impact. The Ziehmn, USMC, are fulfilled. us who are confirmed resulting shower of burning DU and DU i fragments causes secondary explosions, What is depleted uranium? DU casualties, fires, injury and death. Depleted uranium, which is 99.8% by nor did they speak To put it simply, who would want mass U-238, is made from uranium AA thousands of solid uranium pencils of hexafluoride, the byproduct of the ura- to our physicians masses between 180 and 4,500 grams nium enrichment process. about observed and lying in your backyard? Who would Recent documents released by the . want any uranium contamination of US Department of Energy state that a tragnosee cn any type lying in your backyard? effects o exposures.” small proportion of other toxic heavy metals such as plutonium is also pre- sent. Although 60% of the ionising radiation given off by gamma emis- sions from U-235 and U-234 is elimi- nated during the enrichment process, alpha particles at 4.2 MeV and 4.15 MeV—which cause significant internal ionisation with consequent cellular damage—are proportionally increased. The continuing incomplete statement that DU is 60% less radioac- destroyed equipment. tive than natural uranium simply ignores the serious internal dam- The Persian Gulf War saw the first significant use of DU in age caused by alpha emissions. In addition, daughter products combat. Pilots flying aircraft fired at least 850,950 rounds and emit beta particles and gamma rays that may cause further radio- tank gunners fired another 9,640 rounds, for a total weight of logical damage. 631,055 pounds or over 315 tons. Recent conversations with the While DU may not be an external hazard, it is a very serious individual who managed all DU rounds suggest that this figure internal hazard. Consequent inhalation, ingestion and wound may be too low and that the actual quantity should be 25% greater Where and when has DU been used? Photographic evidence of destroyed equipment and reports suggest that DU was used for the first time during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Physicians using medical laboratory tests have ver- ified an internalised DU exposure in the individual who inspected that contamination pose significant and unacceptable risks. Also, or about 390 tons. spent penetrators or fragments emit beta particles at 300 Although warnings were issued to refrain from DU use, the US mrem/hour and thus cannot be touched or picked up without Marines fired DU munitions on three separate occasions during protection being worn. 995 and 1996 while conducting operations in Okinawa, and then did not tell the Japanese government for over one year. How is DU used by the military? During 1995, the US military also fired at least 10,000 rounds DU is used to manufacture kinetic energy penetrators—giant of DU munitions in Serbia. Recently [1999-2000], US forces pencils or rods. Each kinetic penetrator consists almost entirely fired at least 31,000 rounds of 30-millimetre DU munitions into of uranium-238. Kosovo or Serbia. The United States munitions industry produces the following DU munitions have been fired on ranges in Indiana, Nevada, DU munitions with the corresponding mass of uranium-238: New Mexico, Florida, Maryland, Scotland and Canada. * 7.62 mm with unspecified mass; Astonishingly, the US Navy fired DU on Vieques, Puerto Rico, to ¢50 cal. with unspecified mass; repare for the Kosovo attacks. ¢ 20 mm with a m f approximately 180 grams; Vieques is currently a national and international issue, with f approximately 200 grams; confirmed environmental contamination and documented adverse f approximately 280 grams; ealth effects similar to those observed in other DU casualties. * 105 mm with a mass of approximately 3,500 grams; Recently, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld decided to WHO DU report also did not contact any of us who are confirmed DU casualties, nor did they speak to our physicians about observed and diagnosed health effects of DU exposures.” How is DU used by the military? DU is used to manufacture kinetic energy penetrators—giant pencils or rods. Each kinetic penetrator consists almost entirely of uranium-238. The United States munitions industry produces the following DU munitions with the corresponding mass of uranium-238: * 7.62 mm with unspecified mass; ¢50 cal. with unspecified mass; f approximately 180 grams; f approximately 200 grams; f approximately 280 grams; * 105 mm with a mass of approximately 3,500 grams; 12 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2003 _"The authors of the www.nexusmagazine.com