http://www.iacenter.org/poison-dust.htm
A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS During the current Iraq War the U.S. use of radioactive DU weapons increased from 375 tons used in 1991 to 2200 tons. Geiger counter readings at sites in downtown Baghdad record radiation levels 1,000 and 2,000 times higher than background radiation. The Pentagon has bombed, occupied, tortured and contaminated Iraq. Millions of Iraqis are affected. Over one million U.S. soldiers have rotated into Iraq. Today, half of the 697,000 U.S. Gulf War troops from the 1991 war have reported serious medical problems and a significant increase in birth defects among their newborn children. The effects on the Iraqi population are far greater. Many other countries and U.S. communities near DU weapons plants, testing facilities, bases and arsenals have also been exposed to this radioactive material which has a half-life of 4.4 billions years (c) 2005, DVD 84 min. (with modular chapters): $20; 28 and 57 min. versions: $20; 10 min. versions: $10 -- Call 212-633-6646; soon available at leftbooks.com partial bibliography / more information on depleted uranium / streamed preview / stills from Poison DUst upcoming screenings / media coverage/reviews Film Poison DUst features vets exposed to DU By David Hoskins February 20, 2005--The premiere showing on Feb. 15 of "Poison DUst"--a documentary highlighting the effects of Depleted Uranium [DU] on veterans returning from the Iraq war-- attracted a large and engaged crowd at the New School theater. Filmmaker Sue Harris was on hand to introduce the film and take questions afterward. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and Sara Flounders, national co-director of the International Action Center, also spoke at the event. DU refers to that portion of uranium left over after the enrichment process that makes natural metallic uranium suitable for nuclear uses. DU has limited civilian applications in the development of medical radiation therapy machines. However, the military has found a more sinister use for DU in its operations. Because of its high density, DU is used in armor-penetrating munitions. DU munitions were used extensively by United States forces in both the first and current Iraq wars, putting soldiers and civilians at risk of exposure. DU is both radioactive and toxic to the human body. Exposure to DU can cause a host of ailments associated with the kidneys, lungs and immune system. An increased risk of lung tissue damage and lung cancer has been documented among uranium miners. The film features soldiers whose health has been affected by DU exposure, along with the wives of military personnel discussing genetic disabilities faced by their children as a result of a parent's exposure to DU. An increased risk of miscarriages, maternal mortality and congenital disabilities is associated with DU contamination. It's a weapon of mass destruction. The top U.S. military brass are complicit in the cover-up of DU's harmful effects on civilians and soldiers. The current attitude of the U.S. military leadership is similar to the approach taken during the Vietnam War, when military leaders ignored the health risks connected to the use of Agent Orange as a defoliant. Several military servicemembers and their families, including veterans featured in the film, were in attendance at the premiere of "Poison Dust." The anger these individuals harbor toward the government that disregarded their health and safety was apparent during the open discussion that followed the film. It is up to the anti-war movement to channel this anger into an active resistance of the U.S. war of occupation in Iraq. As the Troops Out Now Coalition organizes for a mass demonstration in New York City's Central Park on March 19, "Poison DUst" helps demonstrate why soldiers have both a right and a duty to resist serving in a military that disregards the lives of GIs and Iraqis. To order a copy of Poison DUst, call 212-633-6646 [soon available at LeftBooks.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Partial Bibliography The Defense Department, the Pentagon, field research and personal testimony as well as veterans' organizations and environmental studies back up the statements made in Poison DUst. Sources include: Flounders, Sara "Another War Crime? Iraqui Cities "hot" with depleted uranium" from Workers World News Service, 2003 found on www.iacenter.org Shirley, John "Nukes of the Gulf War" Copyright 1996 by ParaScope, Inc (includes bibliography) found on www.gulfwarvets.com Catalinotto, John "VA medical expert exposes Pentagon cover-up" from Workers World News Service, 1997 found on www.gulfwarvets.com Reuters contribution on Gulfwarvets web-site 1/3/2001 "NATO weapons in cancer scare" Croke, Lisa Ashkenaz, "Tons of Depleted Uranium Polluting Iraq", YellowTimes.org, 12/1/2003 Nichols, Bob, Heads Roll at the VA: Mushrooming DU Scandal Blamed, 1/28/2005, from AxisoLogic.com (includes bibliography) Fahey, Dan "DU: America's Military 'Gift' that Keeps on Giving" 2/18/2001, copyright 2001, LA Times, found in www.gulfwarvets.com GAONSIAD REPORT on DU health effects, page 5 on lack of training for DU awareness. Downloadable 40 page booklet ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Upcoming Screenings April 19, 2005: Queens Screening of the New Full-length Documentary: POISON DUST: A new look at U.S. radioactive weapons April 21, 2005 : See the Baltimore screening of POISON DUst...a new look at U.S. radioactive weapons, 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. at the All Peoples Congress Hall, 426 E. 31st Street (near 31st & Greenmount Ave.) During the current Iraq war the U.S. use of radioactive DU weapons increased from 375 tons used in 1991 to 2200 tons. The Pentagon has bombed, occupied, tortured and contaminated Iraq. Millions of Iraqis are affected. Over one million soldiers have rotated into Iraq. Today, half of the 697,000 U.S. Gulf war troops from the 1991 war have reported serious medical problems and a significant increase in birth defects among their newborn children. The effects on the Iraqi people are far greater. DU is a war crime. This is a must see documentary. Bring family, friends and neighbors. ADMISSION FREE for more information call (410) 235-7040 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Media Coverage/Reviews From: The Queens Tribune, 4/21/2005 Queens veterans of the War in Iraq share military stories, pay tribute to their fallen comrades and talk to each other about their experiences - and one element keeps ringing true to many of the soldiers. Depleted uranium. On Tuesday night, in the basement of All Saint's Episcopal Church in Sunnyside, there was a screening of Poison DUst, a documentary that chronicles the United States government's use of depleted Uranium. ... The movie makes a convincing case for its argument that depleted uranium is being used rampantly in Iraq, among other places, and that wherever it is used it causes terrible health problems. The audience was clearly disturbed by the film. "Isn't there some crime being committed?" Bill Hagel, who attended, asked in the question and answer session that followed. "Shouldn't someone be in jail?" Queens Chronicle , 4/14/2005: Sunnyside Hosts Documentary On Depleted Uranium Exposure "We've known about the cancer-producing and death-producing qualities of depleted uranium since the 1850s," Harris said. She accuses the United States government of hiding the facts related to the harmfulness of this substance because the weapons it produces are so effective. "It's just not cost-effective to be open about this." Is depleted uranium the Agent Orange of this generation of soldiers? "Poison Dust" seems to think so. Uranium is an extremely heavy metal, making it ideal for munitions casings as it can pierce very heavy armor. It is also radioactive. When a uranium shell punches through another metal, like a tank, the casing vaporizes into dust. It is this dust that critics say is harming soldiers, their families and exposed civilians. Soldiers interviewed in the film report being covered in dust from morning until night, even shaking it out of their beds in the morning. They complain of symptoms from headaches to swelling to chronic fatigue. One Bronx soldier's daughter, conceived shortly after his return, has a severely deformed hand from a birth defect. He was convinced of the involvement of depleted uranium when he saw photographs of similar deformities in Iraqi children. 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