Mods, please do not move this. This is an issue that is still of grave concern to the World. So that makes it both current and a World affair.
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exe...ew.cgi/37/11023
Horror of USA's Depleted Uranium in Iraq Threatens World
By James Denver
Vive le Canada
American use of DU is "A crime against humanity which may, in the eyes of historians, rank with the worst atrocities of all time." US Iraq Military Vets "are on DU death row, waiting to die."
"I'm horrified. The people out there - the Iraqis, the media and the troops - risk the most appalling ill health. And the radiation from depleted uranium can travel literally anywhere. It's going to destroy the lives of thousands of children, all over the world. We all know how far radiation can travel. Radiation from Chernobyl reached Wales and in Britain you sometimes get red dust from the Sahara on your car."
The speaker is not some alarmist doomsayer. He is Dr. Chris Busby, the British radiation expert, Fellow of the University of Liverpool in the Faculty of Medicine and UK representative on the European Committee on Radiation Risk, talking about the best-kept secret of this war: the fact that by illegally using hundreds of tons of depleted uranium (DU) against Iraq, Britain and America have gravely endangered not only the Iraqis but the whole world.
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Full Version: Depleted Uranium in Iraq - A War Crime?
The use of depleted uranium ammunition should be banned by the world....it's meant to wipe the population out long term..so why worry about rebuilding?
If it is still a current issue, then perhaps you should try finding a source that is also current. Moved to the Back-Page articles. Bob26003, I'm also sending you a PM that I think you should read.
I'm sorry, but DU has no significant radiation, because it is made from U238 (it is also used as counterbalance in Boeing 747's). It is dangerous, because when the shell vaporizes, uranium-oxid is created, which is toxic (uranium, like lead, is a heavy metal). And the reason it is used is not to wipe out the entire population, but because there is no better armour-piercing material available. They could use Tungsten, which is much more expensive and also a heavy metal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium
Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium that has a reduced proportion of the isotope Uranium-235. It is mostly made up of Uranium-238. The names Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38, which once applied to depleted uranium, have fallen into disuse.
Its high density and pyrophoricity have made it a valued component in some military applications, particularly in the form of armour-piercing projectiles.
Its use in ammunition is controversial because it is released into the environment. Besides its residual radioactivity, U-238 is a heavy metal whose compounds are known from laboratory studies to be toxic to mammals, especially to the reproductive system and fetus development, causing reduced fertility, miscarriages and fetus malformations. It remains debatable whether depleted uranium is dangerous to human beings at the low quantities in which it is ingested from the environment.
==============
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the United Nations Human Rights Commission,[5] passed two motions[6] the first in 1996[7] and the second in 1997.[8] They listed weapons of mass destruction, or weapons with indiscriminate effect, or of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering and urged all states to curb the production and the spread of such weapons. Included in the list was weaponry containing depleted uranium. The committee authorized a working paper, in the context of human rights and humanitarian norms, of the weapons. The requested UN working paper was delivered in 2002[9] by Y.K.J. Yeung Sik Yuen in accordance with Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights resolution 2001/36. He argues that the use of DU in weapons, along with the other weapons listed by the Sub‑Commission, may breach one or more of the following treaties: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Charter of the United Nations; the Genocide Convention; the United Nations Convention Against Torture; the Geneva Conventions including Protocol I; the Convention on Conventional Weapons of 1980; and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Yeung Sik Yuen writes in Paragraph 133 under the title "Legal compliance of weapons containing DU as a new weapon":
“ Annex II to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material 1980 (which became operative on 8 February 1997) classifies DU as a category II nuclear material. Storage and transport rules are set down for that category which indicates that DU is considered sufficiently “hot” and dangerous to warrant these protections. But since weapons containing DU are relatively new weapons no treaty exists yet to regulate, limit or prohibit its use. The legality or illegality of DU weapons must therefore be tested by recourse to the general rules governing the use of weapons under humanitarian and human rights law which have already been analysed in Part I of this paper, and more particularly at paragraph 35 which states that parties to Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 have an obligation to ascertain that new weapons do not violate the laws and customs of war or any other international law. As mentioned, the International Court of Justice considers this rule binding customary humanitarian law.
================
Requests for a general moratorium of military use
Some states and a coalition of over 80 non-governmental organizations have asked for a ban on the production and military use of depleted uranium weapons,[13] The European Parliament has repeatedly passed resolutions requesting an immediate moratorium on the further use of depleted uranium ammunition.[14][15]
Regarding this debate, the above mentioned working paper published in 2002 by the United Nations Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, at paragraph 171 under the title "Moratorium" reads:
“ Considering the disturbing reports on the ill effects of DU weapons in the Gulf and the Balkans, it is saddening to note that so far appeals for a moratorium coming from different quarters have not yet prevailed. Killing first and asking questions later has, however, never been a sensible solution. ”
Opposition to a ban
The NATO countries of France, the United Kingdom and the United States have consistently rejected calls for a ban,[16] maintaining that its use continues to be legal, and that the health risks are entirely unsubstantiated.[17] The UK government further alleges that cancers and birth defects in Iraq could be blamed on the Iraqi Government's use of chemical weapons on its own citizens.[17]
==================
Following the first gulf war, scientists at the Basra hospital and university have monitored the incidence of leukaemias and other malignancies among children in the Basra area, and of congenital malformations in newborn children. The data for the period 1990-2001 show an incidence increase of 426% for general malignancies, 366% for leukemias and of over 600% for birth defects, with all series showing a roughly increasing pattern with time
-------------
Other relevant contamination cases
In October, 1992, an El Al Boeing 747-F cargo aircraft crashed in a suburb of Amsterdam. After reports of local residents and rescue workers complaining of health issues related to the release of depleted uranium used as counterbalance in the plane, authorities began an epidemiological study in 2000 of those believed to be affected by the accident. The study concluded that because exposure levels were so low, it was improbable that exposure to depleted uranium was the cause of the reported health complaints.[18]
--------------------
Increased rates of immune system disorders and other wide-ranging symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue and memory loss, have been reported in over one quarter of combat veterans of the 1991 Gulf War [29]. It has not always been clear whether these were related to Gulf War service, but combustion products from depleted uranium munitions are still being considered as one of the potential causes by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, as DU was used in tank kinetic energy penetrator and machine-gun bullets on a large scale for the first time in the Gulf War.
Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium that has a reduced proportion of the isotope Uranium-235. It is mostly made up of Uranium-238. The names Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38, which once applied to depleted uranium, have fallen into disuse.
Its high density and pyrophoricity have made it a valued component in some military applications, particularly in the form of armour-piercing projectiles.
Its use in ammunition is controversial because it is released into the environment. Besides its residual radioactivity, U-238 is a heavy metal whose compounds are known from laboratory studies to be toxic to mammals, especially to the reproductive system and fetus development, causing reduced fertility, miscarriages and fetus malformations. It remains debatable whether depleted uranium is dangerous to human beings at the low quantities in which it is ingested from the environment.
==============
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the United Nations Human Rights Commission,[5] passed two motions[6] the first in 1996[7] and the second in 1997.[8] They listed weapons of mass destruction, or weapons with indiscriminate effect, or of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering and urged all states to curb the production and the spread of such weapons. Included in the list was weaponry containing depleted uranium. The committee authorized a working paper, in the context of human rights and humanitarian norms, of the weapons. The requested UN working paper was delivered in 2002[9] by Y.K.J. Yeung Sik Yuen in accordance with Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights resolution 2001/36. He argues that the use of DU in weapons, along with the other weapons listed by the Sub‑Commission, may breach one or more of the following treaties: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Charter of the United Nations; the Genocide Convention; the United Nations Convention Against Torture; the Geneva Conventions including Protocol I; the Convention on Conventional Weapons of 1980; and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Yeung Sik Yuen writes in Paragraph 133 under the title "Legal compliance of weapons containing DU as a new weapon":
“ Annex II to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material 1980 (which became operative on 8 February 1997) classifies DU as a category II nuclear material. Storage and transport rules are set down for that category which indicates that DU is considered sufficiently “hot” and dangerous to warrant these protections. But since weapons containing DU are relatively new weapons no treaty exists yet to regulate, limit or prohibit its use. The legality or illegality of DU weapons must therefore be tested by recourse to the general rules governing the use of weapons under humanitarian and human rights law which have already been analysed in Part I of this paper, and more particularly at paragraph 35 which states that parties to Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 have an obligation to ascertain that new weapons do not violate the laws and customs of war or any other international law. As mentioned, the International Court of Justice considers this rule binding customary humanitarian law.
================
Requests for a general moratorium of military use
Some states and a coalition of over 80 non-governmental organizations have asked for a ban on the production and military use of depleted uranium weapons,[13] The European Parliament has repeatedly passed resolutions requesting an immediate moratorium on the further use of depleted uranium ammunition.[14][15]
Regarding this debate, the above mentioned working paper published in 2002 by the United Nations Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, at paragraph 171 under the title "Moratorium" reads:
“ Considering the disturbing reports on the ill effects of DU weapons in the Gulf and the Balkans, it is saddening to note that so far appeals for a moratorium coming from different quarters have not yet prevailed. Killing first and asking questions later has, however, never been a sensible solution. ”
Opposition to a ban
The NATO countries of France, the United Kingdom and the United States have consistently rejected calls for a ban,[16] maintaining that its use continues to be legal, and that the health risks are entirely unsubstantiated.[17] The UK government further alleges that cancers and birth defects in Iraq could be blamed on the Iraqi Government's use of chemical weapons on its own citizens.[17]
==================
Following the first gulf war, scientists at the Basra hospital and university have monitored the incidence of leukaemias and other malignancies among children in the Basra area, and of congenital malformations in newborn children. The data for the period 1990-2001 show an incidence increase of 426% for general malignancies, 366% for leukemias and of over 600% for birth defects, with all series showing a roughly increasing pattern with time
-------------
Other relevant contamination cases
In October, 1992, an El Al Boeing 747-F cargo aircraft crashed in a suburb of Amsterdam. After reports of local residents and rescue workers complaining of health issues related to the release of depleted uranium used as counterbalance in the plane, authorities began an epidemiological study in 2000 of those believed to be affected by the accident. The study concluded that because exposure levels were so low, it was improbable that exposure to depleted uranium was the cause of the reported health complaints.[18]
--------------------
Increased rates of immune system disorders and other wide-ranging symptoms, including chronic pain, fatigue and memory loss, have been reported in over one quarter of combat veterans of the 1991 Gulf War [29]. It has not always been clear whether these were related to Gulf War service, but combustion products from depleted uranium munitions are still being considered as one of the potential causes by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, as DU was used in tank kinetic energy penetrator and machine-gun bullets on a large scale for the first time in the Gulf War.
Clobhair-cean, does DU emits approximately about 40% less less alpha radiation than natural uranium? thanks for your input!!!
http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives...d_uraniu_9.html
QUOTE
What was revealed is that DU accumulates in lymph nodes, brain, testicles, and other organs, and the short term and long term effects of DU were not known. There was a definite increase of birth defects in the offspring of persons exposed to DU; and Gulf War vets who inhaled DU were still excreting abnormal amounts of uranium in the urine 10 years later.
Why was there so little written about DU and its effects on the human body? Having written extensively on the man-made epidemic of AIDS and its cover-up for two decades, I was not surprised. I strongly suspected research into the health effects of DU on Gulf War veterans was "politically incorrect." On the other hand, a quick Google Internet search of - "side effects" + "depleted uranium" - referred me to 71,000 English pages on the web. When I added the key word "diabetes" there were 22,000 pages
\\ Why was there so little written about DU and its effects on the human body? Having written extensively on the man-made epidemic of AIDS and its cover-up for two decades, I was not surprised. I strongly suspected research into the health effects of DU on Gulf War veterans was "politically incorrect." On the other hand, a quick Google Internet search of - "side effects" + "depleted uranium" - referred me to 71,000 English pages on the web. When I added the key word "diabetes" there were 22,000 pages
QUOTE
n her article "Depleted uranium: The Trojan Horse of nuclear war," which appeared in the June 2004 World Affairs Journal, Moret claims: "The use of DU weaponry by the US, defying all international treaties, will slowly annihilate all species on Earth including the human species, and yet this country continues to do so with full knowledge of its destructive potential."
DU travels. DU radioactive particles are picked up by the atmosphere and are transferred by wind storms and air currents. They permanently contaminate vast regions and slowly destroy the genetic future of populations living in those areas. As the Trojan Horse of nuclear war, Moret calls DU "the weapon that keeps on killing." There is no way to turn it off - and no way to clean it up. It meets the US government's own definition of "weapons of mass destruction."
DU travels. DU radioactive particles are picked up by the atmosphere and are transferred by wind storms and air currents. They permanently contaminate vast regions and slowly destroy the genetic future of populations living in those areas. As the Trojan Horse of nuclear war, Moret calls DU "the weapon that keeps on killing." There is no way to turn it off - and no way to clean it up. It meets the US government's own definition of "weapons of mass destruction."
Necro posting. You had to bring this post back.
QUOTE(Eric Raven The Skeptic @ Jul 9 2007, 04:01 AM)
Necro posting. You had to bring this post back.
Well there is a big hoopla when people start new threads on previous old topics... so... with recycling in mind...
Leftist propaganda.
Helpful to Al Quaeda.
The facts don't support your assertion.
DU projectiles do NOT contaminate vast populations for generations to come.
Sheesh.
I'm a writer and photographer by trade. Hemingway observed that the singlemost important thing a writer must have is a, "built-in, shockproof s**t detector."
Mine is going WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!
Helpful to Al Quaeda.
The facts don't support your assertion.
DU projectiles do NOT contaminate vast populations for generations to come.
Sheesh.
I'm a writer and photographer by trade. Hemingway observed that the singlemost important thing a writer must have is a, "built-in, shockproof s**t detector."
Mine is going WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!
QUOTE(Bob26003 @ Mar 29 2007, 04:47 PM) 
Only somebody who does not know what the hell he/she is talking about can talk about the radiation of depleted Uranium... Depleted Uranium is called depleted because it has ceased to have any significant radiation. It is used as shielding for cancer-treatment radiation equipment and every better hospital has a few hundred pounds of it.
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