Guest guest Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 > " luckypig " <luckypig > Wed, 14 Jul 2004 21:54:58 -0400 > DU America's Silent > WMD > > > http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=1865 > > Wednesday 14th July 2004 : > Depleted Uranium: America's Silent Weapon of > Mass Destruction > > by Sally Carless > > American troops are coming home poisoned -- > not by Saddam -- but by their own government's > weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction. > > The first reports from soldiers returning from > Iraq have come in, and they are testing positive for > depleted uranium (DU) in their systems. And these > are not just random soldiers many are police > officers and fire fighters from New York who serve > in the NY Army National Guard. These are the very > symbols of what this war was supposedly about. > > Depleted uranium is a component of toxic > nuclear waste. As such, it is extremely cheap. It is > also very effective -- the densest material > available on the market, it can smash through tanks > as if they were butter. When DU weapons explode, a > fine aerosol of radioactive dust (uranium oxide) is > formed. This dust -- which remains radioactive for > billions of years -- is small enough to be inhaled. > Once inhaled, uranium oxides lodge in the body and > emit radiation indefinitely. The U.S. military has > used hundreds of tons of these weapons - not just in > the Iraqi conflict, but also in Afghanistan, Bosnia, > Kosovo, Serbia, and in the first Gulf War. This dust > attaches itself to tanks, clothing and equipment, > becomes absorbed in the soil, plants, and water, and > is propelled around every time the wind blows. DU > powder does not discriminate; it gets into the lungs > of Iraqi men, women, and children, as well as in the > lungs of American service people. The recently > tested soldiers from New York were not even in > combat - imagine the amounts of DU waiting to be > found in those who were in the midst of fighting and > deploying these weapons. Many of the troops > currently in Iraq are suffering from " mysterious " > symptoms. > > Why is it that so many of the troops do not > even know what depleted uranium is? Why were they > told to camp in areas where DU weapons were used? > Why weren't they told that the destroyed Iraqi tanks > they pass on their patrols are highly radioactive? > > The rates of birth defects and cancer in Iraq > have skyrocketed since the first Gulf War. Thousands > of veterans from that war have fallen ill with a > range of symptoms that have come to be known as Gulf > War Syndrome. Common complaints include chronic > fatigue, multiple cancers, musculoskeletal pain, > neurological damage, signs and symptoms involving > skin (including skin rashes and unusual hair loss), > sleep disturbances, menstrual disorders, > gastrointestinal problems, abnormal weight loss, > upper and lower respiratory problems, memory loss, > and chemical sensitivities. Veterans' children > suffer increased rates of sickness as well. > > Babies whose fathers served in the first Gulf > War are 50 percent more likely to have physical > abnormalities than those born to soldiers who were > not sent to that region, according to a recent study > funded by the UK's Ministry of Defense. The study > cited increased risks of genital, urinary and renal > abnormalities, deformed limbs, bones and muscles. > The Gulf War Veterans Association reports that at > least 300,000 Gulf War vets have developed > incapacitating illnesses. This is the fallout from > the supposedly " quick and easy " war that lasted only > a few weeks. > > While the U.S. military claims Gulf War > Syndrome is a mystery, many vets -- and scientists > -- believe that depleted uranium is one of the major > causes of their ailments. It took the U.S. thirty > years to admit that Agent Orange actually did harm > our Vietnam vets, so perhaps the military believes > it can put off admitting what is already known about > DU for many years to come. In the meantime, service > people are denied proper care. > > Major Doug Rokke (Ret.) led the Pentagon's > depleted uranium assessment team, which spent > several months in the Persian Gulf in 1990-91 > involved in DU cleanup, research, and follow-up > medical care for U.S. personnel exposed to DU. Rokke > has since become seriously ill, and many on his team > have already died. He published his research in an > Army pamphlet which, according to Rokke, was never > distributed to NATO troops operating in the Balkans > or to civilians living in areas bombarded by DU > shells. Rokke's research concluded that anyone who > comes in contact with DU must get medical attention, > including those who fired the weapons, as well as > anyone who has been near equipment or structures > struck with DU shells. > > 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 the U.S. In 2003 the European Parliament > called for a moratorium on the use of depleted > uranium. Despite the fact that the U.S. Army > acknowledges the hazards of DU in a training manual, > the Pentagon continues to deny that DU is dangerous. > > > Saddam's WMDs were not found. But, America's > DU weapons continue to contaminate our soldiers and > are likely to contaminate the planet for billions of > years to come. Our troops have not been informed of > the danger they face from DU. The American corporate > media remains silent. The politicians are looking > the other way. These weapons are being used in our > name; these are our tax dollars at work. Who is > keeping watch here? > > Sally Carless is the founder and director of > Global Village School for Peace and Diversity > Studies, an international K-12 distance-learning > diploma program dedicated to teaching about peace > and justice. She can be reached at > sally. Additional resources > as well as articles documenting the facts stated in > this article can be found at > www.globalvillageschool.org/resources.html and > www.globalvillageschool.org/troops.html. > > > http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0713-13.htm > > > by : Sally Carless > Wednesday 14th July 2004 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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