article#302602
This is my latest assessment updated for last night's Shock and Awe bombing
strike with 1000 cruise missiles reported. TV coverage was my first view of
large numbers of hard target warheads in combat - with very characteristic
effects: underground detonation, jets of fire up from the penetration
holes, dense black smoke and a shower of incandescent metal in the
explosion plume. These are the features of uranium, not tungsten warheads.
War and peace priorities move on day to day and very fast now. Peace
campaigners have failed to stop the war. But now we must try to stop the
bombing - within the next 24 hours or it may be too late to stop a further
escalation of humanitarian consequences of war. From my analysis the
greatest risk to both civilians and troops in Iraq is the suspected use of
Uranium warheads in the smart bombs and cruise missiles now being used in
the US Shock and Awe campaign.
For a summary of Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq see
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm and see the online PowerPoint
presentation
Last chance to question US Dirty Bombs for Iraq? at
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/Uhaz7feb03/index.htm
On 2 Feb (New York Times) the Pentagon revealed plans to use 9700 guided
bombs and 700+ cruise missiles. These are mostly the same weapons as used
in Afghanistan. About 1 in 3 use "hard target" warheads specifically
designed in
the 1990's to destroy Iraq's underground bunkers, command centres and
chemical or biological weapons etc. See weapons history in Part 3 of my
report Depleted Uranium weapons 2001-2002, Mystery metal nightmare in
Afghanistan?
January 2002, at http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/du2012.htm.
These warheads use from 50 kg to 1500 kg of a secret, "dense metal" to
increase their penetration and incendiary effects. Average about 500 kg.
This mystery metal is 2.5 x heavier than steel and 1.7 x heavier than lead.
This enables bomb and missile warheads to penetrate 2x deeper than old
weapons. According to US Patent Office records this secret metal is
Tungsten or
Depleted Uranium. Where powerful incendiary effects are needed Uranium is
the logical military choice. It burns at 5000 degrees. This does not just
burn, but carbonises victims (recall photos from the 1991 Gulf War).
URANIUM BLITZ My analysis of these weapons (main reports January and
October 2002) indicates
that US forces will use 1500+ tons of Uranium guided weapons in the Shock &
Awe phase of attacks. (3000 weapons x 500 kg see above). Key weapons are
the AGM-86D, Tomahawk, AGM-142 and AGM-130C cruise missiles plus the 2-ton
GBU-28
and 37 Bunker Buster guided bombs and the most widely used 2000 lb guided
bombs - GBU-15, 24, 27 (Paveway) and GBU-31 (JDAM).
The only description for this is a Uranium Blitz.
If military advisers deny this, ask them what the metal is that produces
showers of white stars in the explosion clouds seen on TV last night.
Nickel, Cobalt, Steel or Tungsten? - no way. Uranium is the only hi-density
metal in
cruise missiles and guided bombs that burns in air. Uranium warheads
explode at 5000 degrees - the highest non-nuclear explosion temperature.
Hence the fire storm inside targets.
Uranium bombs produce dense black smoke. This contains fine Uranium oxide
dust, 60% less than 1.5 microns. Much of this will stay in the atmosphere
for several months. Civilians and troops breathing this dust are at risk of
short
term toxic poisoning and long term radiation damage e.g. leukaemia,
lymphomas and birth defects. Please note I talk about Uranium weapons, not
only depleted uranium. The
Afghan bombing victims tested by UMRC last June had severe uranium
contamination - 100 x normal. This was from undepleted uranium - same effects
as DU but the contamination is effectively camouflaged to standard medical
and environmental testing. It is also politically camouflaged because all
questions to Governments have been restricted to Depleted Uranium weapons.
Sick but brilliant.
==
*** PRIORITY TODAY - STOP THE DIRTY BOMBS ***
We cannot stop the war now. But we can challenge Tony Blair to demand that
US and UK forces cease using ANY Uranium weapons in the US and UK attacks
on Iraq IMMEDIATELY. The 1000 cruise missiles used yesterday almost
certainly contained 250-500 tons of Uranium warheads in Baghdad. This is as
much Uranium contamination in
one night as the whole 300 tons used in the 1991 Gulf War. WORSE IS TO
COME. The B52 bombers from RAF Fairford each carry 24 x 2000 lb guided
bombs. Many of these will be hard target guided bombs, most commonly:
GBU-28 & 37 Bunker Busters - 2-ton bombs with 1500 kg suspected Uranium
ballast -- GBU-24, JDAM GBU-31 and AGM-130C -- hard target 2000-lb.
warheads with 500 kg suspected uranium in each. Lockheed Martin patent 1997
for tungsten AND Uranium versions
(http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm#appendix2
)
These B52s can deliver 12 tons of Uranium contamination per sorti - more
than the total 10 tons of Uranium declared by US forces in the 1999 Balkans
War. As in Afghanistan the guided bombing will follow the cruise missile
attack.
Baghdad (and other targets) may already be covered in 250 tons of Uranium
fallout from Tomahawk and CALCM AGM-86D cruise missiles.
If US bombing continues this may increase to 500-1000 tons within the next
week.
Civilians have absolutely no breathing protection against these weapons.
Significant numbers are likely to start getting sick within 2-3 days.
Uranium warheads are radiological bombs -- "dirty bombs". They are weapons
of mass destruction. Their use is a war crime. So, the use of UK air bases
for US bombers to deliver these weapons is a very grave issue for the UK
Government.
Action needed: If the US Government insists on continuing its air war then
Tony Blair should:
a) withdraw permission to use UK bases for US bombers and
b) withdraw UK troops from all regions that will become heavily contaminated.
Need for immediate UN Monitoring in Iraq
Stopping US Dirty Bombs is only part of the problem. The ones that have
already been used will have contaminated large areas. The radioactive dust
cloud as bombing plumes merge over the next 48 hours will form a lethal haze
over large areas. Independent environmental and health monitoring is needed
immediately in Iraq.
Military forces cannot be trusted to do this reliably. The UNEP and IAEA
have the relevant expertise. But their operations must have a cast iron
guarantee that US military, security or commercial interests will not be
allowed to
subvert their operations as NATO did in the Balkans. The UN Security
Council must hold an emergency meeting to decide how to monitor and
regulate the use of WMDs by US and allied forces in Iraq. UN Humanitarian
organisations (UNHCR etc) will then need to arrange rapid evacuation of all
contaminated areas - a massive refugee exodus. Every day this is delayed
will increase cumulative exposure risks to civilians and
health hazards. Environmental monitoring will be needed for many months. It
will be most
necessary in Southern Iraq, Kuwait and Western Iran as Iraqi air masses
usually drift to the south and east. US Dirty War and Humanitarian Disaster
The US Defence industry needs a war every 2 years to use up current weapon
stocks and to test new systems. US forces will use the maximum amount of
their current weapons inventory in Iraq to clear their stocks. They have a
long history of "over-bombing" tracing back to Europe and Japan at the end
of World
War 2..
It is absolutely vital that all further US dirty bombs be vetoed as fast as
UK politicians can act to challenge Government with these issues.
European MEPs already voted for an immediate moratorium on Uranium weapons
on 13 February in Strasbourg. US and UK ground forces will be determined to
finish their invasion to destroy
the Saddam regime. But since all strategic military and political targets
will already have been targeted in the first 48 hours the ground war should
be completed without needing additional hard target bombing support. UK
military commanders may be far happier with this "stop the bombing" change
anyway. There is no way that UK troops can operate for extended periods in
regions heavily contaminated with alpha radiation dust that will last for
months or years.
====
This updated assessment is based on information gathered from respected
public domain sources over the past 2 years and from latest media war
reports. I hope that scientists, NGOs, peace groups, politicians and the
international
media can raise these issues for international debate and action within the
next 24 hours. After the bombing it will be too late to stop the
contamination. Priorities will move on to health and radiation monitoring
and to evacuation. The international media were forbidden access to the
post bombing situation in Afghanistan. Full disclosure must be demanded for
Iraq to
minimise the new humanitarian disaster that has already begun. The
propaganda from the Pentagon and MOD that Uranium contamination is not
dangerous is as dangerous as it is deluded. It even risks exposing UK and
US troops to 5x higher risk of Gulf War syndrome from uranium contamination
than in 1991 - fratricide (friendly fire killing). The risks for Iraqi
civilians
are awesome and may amount to genocide. Please spread these warnings as far
and fast asa possible. Dai Williams, independent weapons researcher,
Chartered Psychologist Eos, Woking, Surrey, UK [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk (Community projects).
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=302602&group=webcast
