Nexus - 1004 - New Times Magazine-pages

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What adverse health effects have been observed, occurring and that the mobile fraction may not be representative recognised, treated and documented? of what is actually present. Deliberate denial or delay of medical screening and consequent Even when verified medical evidence attributing adverse health medical care of US friendly-fire casualties who inhaled, ingested effects to DU exposures is available, official recognition and and had wound contamination from DU, and of all others with documentation is limited. For example, during 1994 and 1995, verified or suspected internalised uranium exposure, limits recog- United States Department of Defense medical personnel at a US nition and verification of health effects. Army installation hospital removed, separated and hid documented Although during March 1991 and many times since then we diagnoses (including my own) from affected individuals and other recommended immediate medical care, the United States physicians. Some medical records were retrieved during the fall of Department of Defense, the British Ministry of Defence and con- 1997, but probably too late for many individuals. Today this sequently the United States Department of Veterans Affairs are practice continues and, consequently, exposed individuals are not still reluctant to provide thorough medical screening and neces- receiving adequate and effective medical care. This includes sary medical care. individuals whose required medical care has been requested and Dr Bernard Rostker wrote to me in a letter dated March 1, ordered many times. This will continue as long as the United 1999, that physicians and health physicists at the completion of States, British, Canadian and other governments and NATO are the ground war decided that medical screening and care for urani- permitted to ignore the emerging evidence and deny medical care um exposures was not required. Actual documents refute this! to all individuals who have been or may have been exposed to Today, individuals (including myself) are sick depleted uranium (uranium-238), other and others are dead—people who were denied isotopes and other contaminants created as a medical care, even though I requested it in a result of depleted uranium munitions use. letter dated May 21, 1997, which was sent to The criteria describing exposures requiring the Office of Surgeon, US Army Materiel medical screening within 24 hours of exposure Command, and forwarded to Dr Rostker. - and consequent medical care were specified in Verified adverse health effects from personal Even when verified a message from Headquarters, Department of experience, from physicians, and from personal H H the Army, dated October 14, 1993. These reports from individuals with known DU expo- medical evidence exposures included: sures include: (a) reactive airway disease; (b) attributing adverse "a. Being in the midst of smoke from DU neurological abnormalities; (c) kidney stones fires resulting from the burning of vehi- and chronic kidney pain; (d) rashes; (e) vision health effects to cles uploaded with DU munitions or degradation and night vision losses; (f) gum tis- DU exposures is depots in which DU munitions are being sue problems; (g) lymphoma; (h) various A AF stored. forms of skin and organ cancer; (I) neuro- available, official b. Working within environments psychological disorders; (j) uranium in recognition and containing DU dust or residues from semen; (k) sexual dysfunction; and (1) documentation DU fires. is limited. birth defects in offspring. c. Being within a structure or vehicle Today, health effects have been docu- while it is struck by DU munitions." mented in uranium processing facility employees and residents living near: Paducah, Kentucky; Portsmouth, Ohio; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Hanford, Washington. Employees at uranium manufacturing or processing facilities in New York, Tennessee, Iowa, Massachusetts and the four corners area 0 These guidelines must be applicable with care to all exposed individuals, independent of military or civilian status. They must be implemented now! Medical care must be planned and completed to identify and then alleviate actual physiological problems, rather uthwest Colorado also have repeatedly than the emphasis being placed on psychological manifestations reported health effects similar to those reported by verified Gulf and continued testing. Children and others are sick and deserve War DU casualties. Iraqi and other humanitarian agency physi- care for the complex exposures that have resulted in health cians are reporting the same health effects in exposed populations. problems. Medical care for known uranium exposures should Scottish scientists recently verified that residents of the Balkans emphasise (concern in parentheses): were excreting uranium in their urine. This suggests that depleted a. neurology (heavy metal effects); uranium (U-238) is mobile and is contaminating air, water and b. ophthalmology (radiation and heavy metal effects); soil—just as specified in an October 1943 letter to General Leslie c. urology (heavy metal effects and crystal formation); Groves. d. dermatology (heavy metal effects); Today, verifying the correlation between uranium exposures e. cardiology (radiation and heavy metal effects); and adverse health effects may not be possible, except in only a f. pulmonary (radiation, particulate and heavy metal effects); few cases, because of deliberate delays in required screening—a g. immunology (radiation and heavy metal effects); radio-bioassay. Screening involves the collection and analysis of h. oncology (radiation and heavy metal effects); urine, faecal and throat samples within 24 hours of exposure. i. gynaecology (radiation, neurological and heavy metal Today, months or years after exposure, only a small fraction of effects); the sequestered uranium will be detected. That is why WHO sci- j. gastrointestinal (systematic effects); entists recommended immediate testing of exposed populations. k. dental (heavy metal effects); This detectable fraction represents only the mobile or soluble por- tion. A recent autopsy in Canada has revealed that sequestering is Continued on page 74 attributing adverse health effects to DU exposures is available, official recognition and Po o- 2-2 a at is limited. 14 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2003 Even when verified medical evidence documentation Continued on page 74 www.nexusmagazine.com