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Depleted Uranium (DU) weaponry
I overheard my Auntie talking on the telephone and she said that the war in Iraq was killing many more troops and Iraqis than anyone can imagine. Then something about Depleted Uranium and the Gulf War syndrome and the troops that died from that war.
Well anyway I wondered if any of you people out there know what she's talking about. Thanks and hugs in advance. :) P.S. Ohhh my I was going through Aunties picture album and found this little picture of a baby born at Basrah Maternity and Children's Hospital in southern Iraq. I suppose the little tyke has overeaten. 
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Try this for starters: Depleted uranium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dear Dark Crow,
In order to learn a great deal about Depleted Uranium, you can do a google search for "Leuren Moret" or "Doug Rokke" or "Rosalie Bertell". I have written several things on it, and am concentrating on writing about Depleted Uranium use inside the US. Yes, INSIDE the United States. Please read this article and it will be the beginning, I am sure, of an eye-opening experience. Our government has been using DU out in the open air in the US since the late 1940s. It is being exploded as we speak outside near San Francisco - many, many thousands of pounds has been exploded there since 1961 or earlier. I have calculated that we have used at least 450 tons of DU INSIDE the US - which is more than the Army admits that it used in the first Gulf War on Iraq (350 tons is what they are 'fessing up to during that war). Yes, Ma'am. We are truly "nuking our own right here at home"! Here is the article. Please contact me if you still wish to learn more. AxisofLogic/ United States Cathy Garger MYTOWN |
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More propaganda ! Got to wonder what that word depleted means don't you ? You get more exposure to radiation using a microwave oven . I am in more danger of radiation exposure from the natural radon below my house. Best take off your wrist watch .There is radium in it.
DU is so weak it cannot be measured on a geiger counter. There is more natural backround gamma,beta or alpha we are exposed to on a daily basis than what emits from an exploded DU shell.Background radiation comes from the sun and cosmic rays.The most common radioactive isotope is potassium-40--found in organic fertilizers such as dried chicken manure. To use the propagandists arguments ;no one should buy organically grown tomatoes because they are radioactive. Activist also conveniently ignore the many commercial uses of DU that everyone is exposed to (like in the airline industry.) And speaking of the airlines ;marijuana and tobacco have so much potassium-40 content that gamma radiation detectors are used at airports and border crossings to detect hidden drug shipments and cigarette tax evaders. Instead of being a radiation danger , DU is used as a radiation shield surrounding nuclear reactors and in X-Ray rooms . The IAEA has studied the issue . They say :
Based on credible scientific evidence, there is no proven link between DU exposure and increases in human cancers or other significant health or environmental impacts.
The most definitive study of DU exposure is of Gulf War veterans who have embedded DU shrapnel in their bodies that cannot be removed. To date none has developed any health abnormalities due to uranium chemical toxicity or radio toxicity. It is a common misconception that radioactivity is the main health hazard of DU rather than chemical toxicity. Like other heavy metals, DU is potentially poisonous. In sufficient amounts, if DU is ingested or inhaled it can be harmful because of its chemical toxicity. High concentration could cause kidney damage. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), very large amounts of DU dust would have to be inhaled to cause lung cancer from radio toxicity. Risks of other radiation-induced cancers, including leukemia, are considered to be very much lower still. This type of non-sense does not help Gulf-War vets and instead hurts them in their efforts to find the real reasons for Gulf-War Syndrome.Instead of searching for the causes and treatments, anti-DU propagandists use Gulf-War Syndrome as an excuse to attack DU. They would have vets believe that American use of DU must be the cause of Gulf-War Syndrome, ignoring the possibility that the disorders are caused by left over chemical munitions and residuals from the Iran-Iraq war, by poisons released in the hundreds of oil-well fires started in Kuwait under Saddam’s orders, or by a multitude of other causes. Instead of condemning it's use ,those concerned with the health of out troops should applaud it's use. It has been a life saver. It is 70 percent more dense than lead .A DU shell or round will penetrate enemy armor. It then ignites causing ammunition and fuel to explode and burn killing the enemy in their tanks in the case of Operation Desert Storm. Lead ammunition would've just bounced off. This is one of the main reasons the casualties were so low . And for those who would argue that the danger of using DU is not the radiation ,but the exposure to heavy metal ;the truth is that lead is much more hazardous. A short review of depleted uranium toxicity - Defence News - Jane's Defence News |
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[B] Dear Bobby,
You are very welcome. Do you know all about the so-called "testing" they have done in Nevada of radiaoctice materials in your open air since the 1940s to the present day? Are you aware that they drop DU rounds from A10 jets - 19,000 DU rounds annually- at the Nellis Air Force Base, just outside of Las Vegas, where millions of tourists visit each year? Do you know how to research what is going on there? Do you realize that Uranium-238 (the prime ingredient of "Depleted" Uranium) lasts for Billions - yes BILLIONS - of years in the environment? Do you realize that Uranium harms genetic material - in other words, it does a whammy on our DNA? Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona; Prospective Students Or Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona; Prospective Students Do you realize that the hydrogen bombs, which they initially started testing around 1950 in the open air, contain vast amounts of this "Depleted" Uranium, or U238? Why in the world do you think a government might want to radioactively contaminate itself with such a toxic contaminant - on purpose? They've known since the 1940s what they were doing. Please read this memo: Memorandum to: Brigadier General L. R. Groves From: Drs. Conant, Compton, and Urey / War Department, United States Engineer Office, Manhattan District, Oak Ridge Tennessee October 30, 1943 Declassified June 5, 1974 Cathy Garger [Comments on this post BABRAM agrees: Hi Cathy- As a resident of Southern Nevada, I want to thank you for sharing your article and expertise on the subject. Again! Thank you, Bobby/B] |
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You do a wonderful job of defending the US government's love and promiscuous use of Uranium!
They love it so much, in fact, that they have used it in combat and/or in "testing" in: Iraq and Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Somalia, Panama, Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, the US mainland, Vieques in Puerto Rico, Australia, Korea, Okinawa in Japan, too many islands in the Pacific to count, locations off the US West coast and the East coast... for starters! Please read the resources provided by Dr. Asaf Durakovic at the Uranium Medical Research Center: Uranium Medical Research Centre And by Dr. Chris Busby at Low Level Radiation Campaign: Low Level Radiation Campaign And by Dr. Rosalie Bertell here: Welcome to IICPH And by numerous DU experts here: LoneStarICON.com| Index After you explore these resources, then we can talk. Cathy Garger |
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 Originally Posted by tomder55
Delilah:) |
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Dark Crow, Delilah, you are a WISE woman indeed! I just posted something you might like to read!
Nothing Depleted, About Depleted Uranium by Fintan Dunne, Editor aids weight loss man health at SickofDoctors.com What if they started a nuclear war and never told you? When they said that depleted uranium was the US empire's weapon of choice, they lied. That word 'depleted' is a public relations spin. It makes it sound like the nuclear material is worn out. It's not. It's Uranium. Let's just call it Uranium. It's a nuclear warhead of solid uranium 238 in a bullet or a shell. It minimizes casualties among US forces. Casualties that would be hard to sell to domestic opinion. Instead, the casualties are transferred to the future. The Uranium babies of toxic Kosovo, or Iraq will die from it -whatever the name. In Yugoslavia, as in Iraq, uranium dioxide dust contaminates the environment. The future casualties of modern US warfare are unborn babies. Which makes the US abortion debates look rather hypocritical. What if they announced future babies deaths in time of war? Nightly News might go like this: "Coalition forces today captured a key enemy stronghold. Thirty terrorists were killed and 150 babies horribly malformed. President Bush says it proves that US strategy is working. In a statement, Mr. Bush said that only 75,000 more deformed babies could secure the capital for the US. Ed Carnage reports from Washington..." The Uranium Babies will be with us for a verylong time. For billions of years to come, Iraq, Kosovo and uranium test firing ranges in the USA, will be lands with a poison harvest. So will all theaters of this slow, hidden nuclear holocaust. Uranium nuclear war is a crime against humanity. Stop it. Sick of Doctors .com The Healing Truth about modern medicine The US Congress has been funding the purchase of Uranium-238 (so-called "Depleted" Uranium) submitted by the US Department of Defense for annual and supplemental "defense" (i.e. War) appropriation funding bills since the 1940s. Members of Congress sponsor and co-sponsor these bills and ho-hum (yawn) routinely and continuously voted into law without too much ado. These bills fund the combat use of DU as well as the "testing" of it in the air we (try to) breathe, right inside our own country. The US Congress approves the military's funding for these weapons that are illegal under UN International Laws. We do not, therefore, need a new law in order to "BAN" DU. The use of "Depleted" Uranium already is illegal according to the United Nations! The United States Congress simply needs to OBEY International Laws already in existence! Our Congressional legislators simply need to stop APPROVING the funding for what the UN calls a weapon of "indiscriminate effect": "Urged all States to be guided in their national policies by the need to curb production and spread of weapons of mass destruction or with indiscriminate effect, in particular nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, fuel-air bombs, napalm, cluster bombs, biological weaponry and weaponry containing depleted uranium; " Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBCOMMISSION ON PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION AND PROTECTION OF MINORITIES CONCLUDES FORTY-EIGHTH SESSION 9 - Press Release HR/CN/755 4 September 1996 Depleted Uranium UN Resolutions This "Depleted" Uranium has also been tested, burned, dropped, fired, and burned inside the United States, out in our open air, at numerous US military and Dept. of Energy national nuclear weapons laboratories locations all throughout America since the 1940s. Learn more about Not-So-Depleted "Depleted Uranium" below. Perform a google search typed in just like this (using quotation marks and + signs): "testing " + "laboratory" + "depleted uranium" to yield 192,000 "hits". Or type in: "testing " + "military base" + "depleted uranium" to yield another 30,200 "hits". For six decades, without most of us even realizing it, we have been truly "nuking our own". Talk about a permanent toxic and radioactive legacy for the genetic material of generations of American "Uranium Babies" still yet to come! This Uranium-238 is truly "the gift that keeps on giving" since half of it will STILL be around inside the US and all over the planet in more than 4 Billion years! Please do not keep this information to yourself. Do whatever you can do to spread the word in true grassroots fashion! Our kids - and your great, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews will one day thank you for it! Uranium Medical Research Center Uranium Medical Research Centre Interviews about DU LoneStarICON.com| News - HAVE DU WILL TRAVEL: Interview With Leuren Moret Low Level Radiation Campaign Low Level Radiation Campaign Dr. Rosalie Bertell and International Institute of Concern for Public Health Welcome to IICPH Articles by Leuren Moret MYTOWN Uranium, genetics, and DNA: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona; Prospective Students Cathy Garger Help the US become Radiation Free by 2033! Radiation and Public Health Project Cathy Garger MYTOWN Ohhhh Mr. Tomder, thank youuu SO much; I can’t tell you how much better I feel. You know we girls need strong men like you so we too can be certain about such things; I can hardly wait to tell Auntie the good news; but she was wondering, and I just know you have the answer, why is the Army Manual teaching the danger and how the solders are to go about protecting themselves? Delilah:)[/QUOTE] |
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DC you sure talk like a silly valley girl for someone who is retired living in Baaaahaaaaa !
I gave you sources from the UN IAEA report and from one of the most renown independent military publications.
why is the Army Manual teaching the danger and how the solders are to go about protecting themselves?
I hold to my contention that the danger in DU exposure is not because it used to be radioactive but because it is a heavy metal ;just like most munitions. I will add one more references to facts .Will you accept a report from the Wold Health Organization (WHO)since the UN IAEA is not sufficient for you ?
"The radiological hazard is likely to be very small. No increase of leukemia or other cancers has been established following exposure to uranium or DU."
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Originally Posted by tomder55
Anyway, thank you for the link; however, it isn’t quite like "Lettin' the cat outta' the bag” is it. I mean I can’t make heads nor tails of it. That is, it was sorta-like following Alice “Down the Rabbit Hole” and not getting “Through the Looking Glass.” |
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OK I'll make it simple for one of the best experts in philosophy I've seen on discussion boards ,who for some reason is putting on a strange act .
The radioactivity in the uranium is virtually gone. That is why they call it DEPLETED Uranium.In fact this uranium that has had the U-235 extracted is less radioactive than the uranium that naturally is present in soil and rocks. The military likes the uranium in some munitions because it is stronger than lead and can be used in anti- tank weapons .It is also used in armor for protection . It has saved American soldiers lives . Uranium like lead is a heavy metal . Ingestion of either is a potential health risk. But the risk of exposure to the uranium is no greater or less than it is if a soldier was exposed to a traditional round of lead arsenal that has detonated. If there is a harm in exposure it is from chemical toxicity, not radiotoxicity. The exposure would have to be a very high dose for it to be toxic . The bottom line is that I have sourced the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); organizations that are not quick to give the US a pass on anything. Both have studied this issue since at least Operation Desert Storm . They have found that the health concerns are over-hyped and over-stated . I will add another source ;the International Red Cross Depleted Uranium Munitions
In May 2000 the ICRC invited personnel working for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in western Kosovo to provide urine samples which were subsequently analysed to determine the concentration of uranium. Since uranium is naturally present in the environment, a small amount of uranium is expected to be found in urine. Results of the 32 personnel who agreed to provide urine specimens revealed normal levels of uranium, and thus do not give any evidence of increased uranium exposure among this group.
Currently available scientific information provides evidence that the increase in levels of uranium is marginal in areas where depleted uranium munitions have been used, except at the points of impact of depleted uranium penetrators. |
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All right, lets start at the beginning.
What is uranium? Uranium is a silvery-white, heavy-metal element (atomic #92 on the elemental chart) that is toxic and radioactive. It has 14 known isotopes, of which U 238 is the most common and least harmful. Uranium is often used in nuclear technology and nuclear fuels. The isotope most often spoken about and known to the public is U 235, which is the isotope used in nuclear weapons because it can cause a sustainable nuclear fission reaction if properly catalyzed. What is depleted uranium? Depleted Uranium is what is left over from natural uranium after uranium 235 (the radoiactive stuff) has been removed. DU is a very hard, almost non-maleable heavy metal used in many industrial applications. The most common used of DU is as counterweights in aircraft and sea vessels. Because of its hardness, it has applications in military use, including as tank and fixed-position armor. Also, because of its very high melting point (over 1,100 degrees), combined with its hardness, it is used in anti-armor ordinance applications. Because the DU has nearly 1/300th of the U 235 of "natural uranium", it is not dangerous in terms of radioativity. DU can be said to be the exact opposite of "enriched uranium", which is uranium in which the U 235 isotope levels are INCREASED in order to increase the radioactivity of the element in order to increase the fission reaction possible. Is DU dangerous because of its radioactivity? No. Because the U 235 has been removed, the residual radioactivity is about the same as that given off by a microwave oven. Is DU dangerous because of its toxicity? The jury is still out on this one. There are those who argue that DU dust is dangerous to mamals. However, there have been no conclusive field studies to prove that DU use in military applications has raised toxicity levels to any significant degree. Frankly, in my opinion, a lead bullet is a lot more dangerous than DU dust. So is the "regular" shell being fired by the enemy tank that the DU shell is supposed to be destroying. Of course, there is one sure way to make sure that no DU shells are ever used by the USA ever again... tell the enemy to stop attacking us, and we won't have to defend ourselves with DU shells. Elliot |
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Originally Posted by tomder55
The reason for the act was my complete and abject abhorrence of a couple of posters continued practice of adding to what otherwise might be a coherent set of propositions, the same silly obtuse comments as a “Valley Girl” might. As to DU, I find the resistance of American and UK political, and Military establishments to allow access to many records and the fact that they prohibited UNEP, WHO and other international agencies to conduct any exploration programs to assess the health risks to the people of Iraq of these radioactive contaminants sufficient for investigation. One Nation has banned the use of DU and some 70 organizations have condemned the use. In 1999 a United Nations subcommittee called for an initiative banning the use of DU worldwide. The initiative died in committee where it was blocked by, who, America and the UK. And above all I'm not prepared to blow off the report made by Dr. Doug Rokke, PhD. Major, retired, U.S. Army former Director, U.S. Army Depleted Uranium project. Especially for some asinine logic that tells me that because the adjective Depleted comes before the word Uranium we need not wonder about its effects. |
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I have seen countless studies that say the health risks are very overstated by critics and have yet to see a definitive one that links a soldier's or a civilian's adverse health to the exposure to uranium from exploded DU ordinance.
Ronald L. Kathren is Professor Emeritus at Washington State University and a leading authority on DU. His expertise on the subject is without debate . He is highly regarded in the field. He wrote the following :
"Health physicists are deeply concerned with the public health and welfare, and as experts in radiation and its effects on people and the environment, are quite aware that something other than exposure to uranium is the cause of the illnesses suffered by those who have had contact with depleted uranium from munitions. A truly enormous body of scientific data shows that it is virtually impossible for uranium to be the cause of their illnesses. Despite this body of scientific data to the contrary, misguided or unknowing people continue to allege that the depleted uranium, and specifically the radioactivity associated with the depleted uranium is the cause of these illness. This is indeed unfortunate, for health physicists and other scientists and physicians already know that depleted uranium is not the cause of these illnesses and thus any investigations into the cause of these illnesses should focus on other possible causes. If we are to offer any measure of relief or solace to these suffering people, and to gain some important additional knowledge of the cause of their illness, we should not waste our valuable and limited energies, resources and time attempting to point the finger at depleted uranium as the culprit, when it is already known that uranium is almost certainly not the cause of the problem."
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Originally Posted by tomder55
What bothers me most is that the reason DU is used is to save lives when titanium could be used just as effectively as Du. |
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Originally Posted by Dark_crow
There are two things certain. There were consequences called the Gulf War Syndrome and cancer is showing up among Iraqis at an alarming rate.
What bothers me most is that the reason DU is used is to save lives when titanium could be used just as effectively as Du.
Side note: did you know that, until the 1920s and 1930s, uranium (natural uranium, with the natural levels of U 235 still in it) was given orally in high doses as a treatement for diabetes? The incidence of cancer in patients treated with uranium was never found to be any higher than the general population. In fact, the only reason that the treatment was stopped was because of the advent of animal insulin and then synthetic insulin to treat diabetes. Until that point it was an effective treatment, and few side effects were noted. Elliot |
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I think Cathy Garger has shared some important information and appears to have written knowledge on the subject. I'm not suggesting that this is one sided issue, when it's obvious that researchers have divided conclusions. Some of the views expressed here feel secure that it's harmless. Personally I can't so easily dismiss the information mainly due to the fact I know what we did to the Japanese when we annihilated the population of two cities (actually I believe we hit a third city as well). For myself it's not a question of would our govt really care vs. convenience when I know they've proven in the past that they don't always understand the consequences. The other factor for myself is that I live in Las Vegas, Nevada and soaking up smoke from the casino daily at work is like working in a coal mine, bad enough.
Bobby |
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"tomder55 agrees: what was that 3rd city ? This is the 1st time I've heard ths claim ."
Thanks. I had to dust off a history book. Officially we only devastated the municipalities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their suburbs. We never got to the third epicenter or region. It became a choice narrowed down to only two targets, although in our ignorance we were not sure just how much damaged would be caused or needed. Actually Einstein and others warned our govt of the consequence, but they didn't care to listen. Sound familiar? The original choice of targets were: Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki. The other targets, another city and military insulation, were scratched from the hit list. The metropolitan area was stricken off because it was an educational center. The US military would had afflicted more damage if needed, but did stop with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think that was more than enough. Bobby |
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Originally Posted by ETWolverine
Side note: did you know that, until the 1920s and 1930s, uranium (natural uranium, with the natural levels of U 235 still in it) was given orally in high doses as a treatment for diabetes? The incidence of cancer in patients treated with uranium was never found to be any higher than the general population +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ You see, it is these kinds of absolutely ignorant arguments that appall me. Most of the arguments supporting the benign factor in DU are based on such irrational grounds. Of course DU in an original state is not particularly dangerous; it is in the “melting and spalling” stage that it becomes dangerous. Were the doses in the form of inhalation of smoke from melting DU given as treatment…NO!:mad: |
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