Depleted Uranium and the Medical Mismanagement of Gulf War Veterans

Friday 20 November 2009

by: Paul Zimmerman, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

(Photo: US Marines)

The United States insists that weapons containing depleted uranium (DU) pose no health hazards to exposed populations. This charade persists because an artful propaganda matrix has infiltrated and corrupted certain aspects of the radiation and biological sciences. The facts which follow will introduce how our debilitated veterans are being misinformed of the possible role played by uranium in their illnesses.

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Depleted Uranium: Nuclear Holocaust and The Politics of Radiation

Doug Rokke, a Vietnam and Gulf War I Veteran and the Army's expert on depleted uranium; Leuren Moret, a whistle-blower from Livermore National Laboratory, expert lecturer on the health effects of depleted uranium; and Veteran Staff Sergeant Dennis Kyne who served as an Army medic during Gulf War I shared their expertise at the Women's Solidarity Movement in California April of 2003.

Because they speak out about depleted uranium (DU), all three of these people are constantly harassed by the US government and its agents. Both Rokke and Kyne are in extremely serious medical condition because of their exposure to depleted uranium and other toxicants that the military tells our valiant warriors are safe.

Click to listen on Mindfully.org to these lectures

Depleted Uranium: Ethics of the Silver Bullet

White Paper on Depleted Uranium: Ethics of the Silver Bullet
By Iliya Pesic

“All the soldiers there were wearing NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical warfare) protective clothing. We said: ‘What’s going on here?’ And their answer was: ‘Didn’t you know? This ammunition is a bit dodgy.’” – Tim Pubrick, Gulf War veteran, British Royal Army tank commander." . . . continue

Depleted Uranium: Poisoning Our Planet

Soldier Health Scare Back in News

. . . . Lori Brim has joined other parents, hundreds of other sick soldiers, legislators, research scientists and environmental activists who say the cause of their problems results from exposure to depleted uranium, a radioactive metal used in the manufacture of U.S. tank armor and weapon casings . . . . continue

Sickened Iraq Vets Cite Depleted Uranium

. . . . . Reed believes depleted uranium has contaminated him and his life. He now walks point in a vitriolic war over the Pentagon's arsenal of it - thousands of shells and hundreds of tanks coated with the metal that is radioactive, chemically toxic, and nearly twice as dense as lead. . . .

His Story

There are WMD in Iraq - ours

Depleted uranium (DU) is the waste product from the process of enriching uranium ore for use in nuclear weapons and reactors. It is a very heavy substance, 1.7 times denser than lead, it is highly valued by armies for its ability to punch through armored vehicles. When a weapon made with a DU tip or core strikes a solid object, like the side of a tank, it goes straight through it and then erupts in a burning cloud of vapor. The vapor settles as dust, which is both chemically poisonous and also radioactive. (BBC News, 4 January 2001)

As an alpha particle emitter, DU has a half life of 4.5 billion years. DU materials are in the warheads of 23 weapon systems, including cruise missiles, bunker busting bombs and cluster bombs. DU munitions were central to the "shock and awe‚" attack on Iraq in 2003 and the continued military conflict since.

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Depleted Uranium is a Waste Product of the nuclear industry

Depleted Uranium (DU) is the byproduct of uranium enrichment or, as described by the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW),"DU is a waste product of the nuclear industry." The ICBUW adds: "Depleted Uranium itself is a chemically toxic and radioactive compound, which is used in armor piercing munitions because of its very high density. It is 1.7 times denser than lead. This allows it to easily penetrate the steel armor of tanks and other vehicles when fired at high velocity."
read more at the Green Glossary

Depleted Uranium & Gulf War Syndrome

Beyond Treason
Watch video clip

Depleted Uranium & Gulf War Syndrome

Depleted Uranium Blamed for Cancer Clusters Among Iraq War Vets

The Real Dirty Bombs: Depleted Uranium

White Phosphorous, Daisy cutters, Depleted Uranium, Thermobaric bombs, Clusterbombs, Napalm...

The US uses WMD against civilians.

This site shows the effects of the terrible weapons the U.S. is using in the Middle East - The site is deeply disturbing to the emotions and for some may make physically sick.