> Al-Ahram, Cairo > > http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/519/re4.htm > > A CANCEROUS WEB OF DECEPTION > > By Ashraf El-Bayoumi* > > [The writer is a professor of physical chemistry & > biophysics in Michigan State University and Alexandria > University, and Vice- President of Alexandria Human > Rights Association.] > > > Efforts over recent years by human rights activists to > expose the disastrous health consequences of using > depleted uranium (DU) weapons were for the most part > unsuccessful. Weapons containing DU made their debut > in combat during the 1991 Gulf war, when more than 300 > tons were used -- substantially more than the 12 tons > subsequently dropped on Kosovo and Bosnia. Large areas > of southern Iraq, and parts of Kuwait and Saudi > Arabia, have as a consequence been contaminated. > > Thousands of Iraqi civilians and soldiers were exposed > to DU. An unprecedented number of deadly cancers and > unusual deformities has since been documented amongst > them. Babies born to these victims are more likely to > be severely deformed than is statistically normal. > Thousands of Kuwaiti and Saudi Arabian civilians were > also likely to have been exposed to DU dust, as were > thousands of US, UK and Arab soldiers who participated > in the war. Egyptians were undoubtedly exposed as > well. > > DU weapons were used in Bosnia in 1994 and then > Yugoslavia in 1999. Reports of widespread outbreaks of > cancer related to radioactive DU among Iraqi civilians > and soldiers were met with repeated denials. Ailments > among thousands of US and UK soldiers who participated > in the Gulf war, known as Gulf War Syndrome, received > a persistent "lack of evidence" argument, as did > initial reports of "the Balkan Syndrome" among NATO > soldiers and civilians. > > However, when 15 European peace keepers who served in > the Balkans suddenly died from leukaemia, the > catastrophic effects of DU weapons became front-page > news. Several European leaders expressed their alarm > and called for the identification and clean-up of > areas targeted by DU weapons and for medical screening > of those who were exposed to it. > > So the wall of silence and denials has slowly begun to > crumble. Previously concealed official reports that > clearly warned in advance of potential health hazards > are now being openly written about in the media. One > example is a confidential paper issued by the UK > Atomic Energy Commission that warned of radioactive > contamination as a result of the use of DU. Another is > a letter issued by the US Army Surgeon General's > Office requiring more details about DU, "because the > effects on soldiers from exposure to DU dust include a > possible increased risk of cancer (lung and bone) and > kidney damage." > > Shells tipped with DU are highly effective in piercing > armour due to uranium's high density (1.7 times that > of lead) and inflammable properties that make it > ignite instantly and, therefore, roast alive anyone > inside the armoured vehicle it penetrates. DU is the > byproduct of the enrichment process to produce > weapons-grade nuclear material and nuclear fuel. > > As a result of 50 years of nuclear weapon and nuclear > fuel production in the US, there are now in excess of > one million tons of DU in existence. Storing large > amounts of radioactive and poisonous material presents > a problem for the US government, which, therefore, > provides it free to arms manufacturers -- who reap > huge profits as a result. > > Despite its name, the percentage of fissionable (and > more radioactive) uranium isotopes in DU is roughly > fifty per cent of that present in natural uranium. The > name "depleted" is deceiving, since DU remains > radioactive. Moreover, as a heavy metal, DU is highly > toxic. Upon impact, it burns and produces tiny > aerosolised particles of oxidised uranium that become > airborne and can spread for 40 kilometres or more. > This radioactive toxic dust enters humans by > inhalation and by the ingestion of contaminated > animals, water and plants. > > There is, for obvious reasons, tremendous resistance > at the Pentagon to the release of any information that > may eventually lead to a ban on those effective > "wonder" weapons. The Pentagon wants to protect DU > weapons for future wars. A main concern is the > possibility that compensation amounting to billions of > dollars would be paid to hundreds of thousands of > victims, along with billions more to finance clean-up > operations. Admission that there is a link between DU > weapons and cancer would also have damaging political > fallout, since several scholars have already > determined that DU weapons are illegal according to > international law. > > All these considerations help explain the official > denial campaign aided by a general blackout by the > Western media on the subject. One can compare this to > the years of effort undertaken by many activists to > expose the use of the highly toxic Agent Orange in > Vietnam. > > Last week it was reported that traces of Uranium-236 > have been found in spent DU shells retrieved from the > battlefields of Kosovo. This has resulted in alarm and > anxiety in Europe, since U-236 is 10 times more > radioactive than DU and "acts very quickly." These new > revelations may explain the quick deaths of exposed > soldiers. U-236 does not occur in natural uranium, but > rather is created by nuclear reactors. Its presence > must, therefore, mean that DU has been contaminated > with recycled nuclear fuel. > > Moreover, it could mean that other highly dangerous > isotopes such as plutonium are also present. On 20 > January, the German defence minister strongly > criticised the US for failing to inform its NATO > partners of these facts which were previously known to > Pentagon officials. A newly published book in France, > Depleted Uranium, Invisible War, refers to a US > military report in 1995 stating that DU provided by > the US government "may contain trace amounts of > U-236." > > Scientific studies in Iraq have shown a four-fold > increase in the incidence of cancer in battleground > and neighboring areas. The relationship of this sudden > increase to the Gulf war has been confirmed. Other > studies examined the relative frequencies of various > types of cancer and found them to be similar to those > in Chernobyl after the infamous nuclear accident > there. > > A recent international conference organised by the > Spanish Solidarity Committee also dealt with DU's > health effects. One of the papers revealed that there > is a clear correlation between the incidence of cancer > and the locations where DU was used in Iraq. Isotopes > found in plants near battlefields confirm conclusively > that uranium is its source. As a scientist who had the > opportunity to attend two international meetings on DU > and reviewed the available data, I personally find > that the methodology is sound, and the evidence > convincing. > > Recently, Ramsey Clark (former US attorney general) > and Damacio Lopez (a health activist researcher) > reported in the Italian parliament that the samples > they had collected a day earlier from the Iraqi desert > have "extremely high radioactivity." Undoubtedly, more > comprehensive studies, surveys and medical screenings > are urgently needed. Only then will the extent of the > damage be adequately assessed and individuals > requiring medical attention be identified. An > independent international scientific study would be > particularly welcome. This will counter claims that > there is a lack of evidence and "no epidemiological > data". Moreover, it would provide all the necessary > legal evidence. > > Particularly important to consider is that the amount > of DU weapons used in the Balkans was only a fraction > of what was used in the killing fields of Iraq. > Moreover, DU shells are suspected of having been fired > at Palestinians during the Intifada. > > Why is it that the Western media has not given > proportional coverage to the disastrous effects of use > of DU in Iraq? Why have the Arab governments, > including the Egyptian government, not initiated > independent studies to investigate the matter? Why did > the authorities not carry out medical surveys amongst > the thousands of soldiers -- Egyptian, Kuwaiti, Iraqi, > and Saudi -- to determine the extent of exposure to DU > during the Gulf war? > > Why have questions not been raised in the People's > Assembly in Egypt? Why has the Egyptian and other Arab > media not thoroughly examined the issues related to > DU? Why do we not hear protests and condemnation from > the Arab world against the Pentagon and the British > military for their use of DU in Iraq and for > concealing information regarding the hazards of DU > dust during the Gulf war? > > > source: Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 February 2001 > > > > ===================================================== > for fair use only > > > _______________________________________________ CrashList website: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base
