Another U.S. war crime? Iraqi cities 'hot' with depleted uranium

[DuctapeFatwa]

Has U.S. use of depleted-uranium weapons turned Iraq into a radioactive danger area for both Iraqis and occupation troops?

This question has already had serious consequences. In hot spots in downtown Baghdad, reporters have measured radiation levels that are 1,000 to 1,900 times higher than normal background radiation levels.

It has also opened a debate in the Netherlands parliament and media as 1,100 Dutch troops in Kuwait prepare to enter Iraq as part of the U.S./British-led occupation forces. The Dutch are concerned about the danger of radioactive poisoning and radiation sickness in Iraq.

Washington has assured the Dutch government that it used no DU weapons near Al-Samawah, the town where Dutch troops will be stationed. But Dutch journalists and anti-war forces have already found holes in the U.S. stories, according to an article on the Radio Free Europe website.

By now, half of all the 697,000 U.S. soldiers involved in the 1991 war have reported serious illnesses. According to the American Gulf War Veterans Association, more than 30 percent of these soldiers are chronically ill and are receiving disability benefits from the Veterans Administration. Such a high occurrence of various symptoms...

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/FLO308B.html

[htuttle]

1. Expecting some Dep. Uranium 'debunkers' to come along any moment...

Parnell: Radiation, yes indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked gogglebox do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense! Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They oughta have them too. When they cancelled the project it almost did me in. One day my mind was literally bursting. The next day nothing, swept away. But I'll show them. I had a lobotomy in the end.
-- J Frank Parnell, Repo Man

Where did the radiation come from, if not from Depleted Uranium? And don't say 'WMD', cuz they ain't got any...

[priller]

3. In Afghanistan, there have been reports of non-depleted Uranium

being found in soil samples, and of very high uranium levels in the urine samples of villagers. Perhaps the uranium in the bullets isn't so "depleted" after all?

[htuttle]

4. I read the same reports about that

I attributed it to the fact that what's billed as 'depleted uranium' rounds may in fact be a whole, toxic melange of reactor by-products. FAS found not only DU and non-D Uranium, but stuff like Cesium and even traces of Plutonium in some DU armament.


After all, nuclear waste is FREE (in a manner of speaking...).

[Kellanved]

7. how?

A few of my friends are physicists and they're telling that they are only allowed to work with DU using heavy shielding.

On impact very fine DU dust is created- very dangerous to inhale and far more serious than a X-Ray.

[htuttle]

8. The debunkers just repeat the US military's line

The US military states unequivocally that depleted uranium is not harmful.

The US military has a long history of lying about stuff like this (remember Agent Orange?).

However, I'm surprised that the other NATO countries put up with it. Their troops are getting almost as contaminated as US troops when they are in the field with them.

[Kellanved]

10. even worse

THE US-Army has some basic pricedures for protection.

AFAIK wrecks hit by DU ammo have to be bagged before transport - the UK (and most other NATO members) have none such regulation.

[LeftHander]

2. Depleted Uranium = Dirty Bomb

Plain and simple.

[TeeYiYi]

5. The U.N. is NOT going to want any part of this FUBAR mess. ....n/t

TYY

[truthisfreedom]

6. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS DEPLETED URANIUM

just uranium. "depleted" is a term they use to describe a type of uranium that is very slightly less radioactive than "normal" uranium, but it's still very radioactive.

from this site:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/du.htm

Depleted uranium results from the enriching of natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. Natural uranium is a slightly radioactive metal that is present in most rocks and soils as well as in many rivers and sea water. Natural uranium consists primarily of a mixture of two isotopes (forms) of uranium, Uranium-235 (U235) and Uranium-238 (U238), in the proportion of about 0.7 and 99.3 percent, respectively. Nuclear reactors require U235 to produce energy, therefore, the natural uranium has to be enriched to obtain the isotope U235 by removing a large part of the U238. Uranium-238 becomes DU, which is 0.7 times as radioactive as natural uranium. Since DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, there is very little decay of those DU materials.

[MrMonk]

13. Interesting language

"Natural uranium is a slightly radioactive metal . . ."
"Uranium-238 becomes DU, which is 0.7 times as radioactive as natural uranium."
"Since DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, there is very little decay of those DU materials."

Three quotes (from your source) that DU exhibits little radioactivity.
How do you conclude that it is highly radioactive?

[0007]

14. Excellent!!

* * * * *

[NYC]

9. Twisted words?

Could the "weapons" be made of something other than depleted uranium? That weapon is then contained in a casing or shell that is made of depleted uranium?

---

Washington has assured the Dutch government that it used no DU weapons near Al-Samawah, the town where Dutch troops will be stationed. But Dutch journalists and anti-war forces have already found holes in the U.S. stories, according to an article on the Radio Free Europe website.

---

Also, note they did not use DU weapons near Al-Samawah. They didn't say they didn't use them elsewhere. I think there is more word twisting going on.

[tom_paine]

11. What's another war crime when the Empire has already committed so many?

In the Days of the Old Republic, at least we tried to cover up war crimes, at least we were "ashamed".

But as with everything else on the Bushevik Agenda, they don't even pretend we are the "good guys". They don't even pretend they're in danger of losing the 2004 "Election" (they can't, it's rigged as a Stalinist Plebiscite). They don't even pretend to mask the lies. (They don't have to, the Imperial Subjects of Amerika are incapable of discerning them anyway.)

[Lindacooks]

12. Holes or craters?

"But Dutch journalists and anti-war forces have already found holes in the U.S. stories, according to an article on the Radio Free Europe website."

Why would they believe ANYTHING that Rummy et al says?

[MiltonLeBerle]

15. When will ENOUGH ever be E-FUCKING-NOUGH???

I was raised to be proud to be an American.
What a crock of shit.
We are becoming a deadly blight on this planet-
can't anything stop it?

[aquart]

16. I hope the Dutch refuse to go.

We have enough blood on our hands.

And I like the Dutch.

[oneighty]

17. There have been

several DUers in recent weeks that assured us

that Depleted Uranium is completly harmless.

I seem to have forgotten the names. Where are they now?

180

[BehindTheCurtain]

18. For more info

See this FAQ..

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/faq_17apr.htm
:smoke:

[newyawker99]

19. Hi BehindTheCurtain!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[votein04]

20. How do they hate us...let me count the ways

Haven't you heard? The State Department has determined that DU doesn't present any risk to soldiers.

This is certainly old news, not breaking news. Democratic candidates should pledge to stop using DU munitions in conflicts.
Trust that the American people want to start doing the right thing and they shall be rewarded.

[votein04]

21. You know what's REALLY funny?

Administration officials have been saying that it's *possible* that the sicknesses aflicting US troops could possibly be related to WMD.

They don't realize the irony of that though. DU munitions were labelled as WMD by the UN long ago.