DU Weapons Excluded From Simulations

["Grace Bukowsk" <rama@accutek.com>]

Pentagon Toxic Simulation Doesn't Include DU Weapons

Press Advisory

NEWS ADVISORY:
Press Contacts: (212) 679-2250 Tod Ensign/ Citizen Soldier
 (212) 633-6646 Frank Alexander/ DUEP

For May 22, 1997

SIMULATED RE-CREATION OF TOXIC EXPLOSIONS AT KHAMISIYAH
BEGINS:SITES WHERE LARGE-SCALE CONTAMINATION BY
DEPLETED URANIUM WEAPONS SHOULD ALSO BE STUDIED

GROUPS DEMAND RELEASE OF GOVERNMENT REPORT ON DU
CONTAMINATION OF DOHA BASE

On May 28th, the Pentagon will begin a multi-million
dollar project at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to
simulate the US military's destruction of the Khamisiyah
ammunition bunkers where large amounts of sarin and
cyclo-sarin gases were stored. Despite mounting evidence
of the health risks, research into the impact of Depleted
Uranium weapons continues to be neglected. Gulf War
veterans, scientists, and doctors have joined voices to
demand that investigations into the toxic and radiation
exposures from the widespread and uncontrolled use of
depleted uranium weapons begin immediately. Tod Ensign,
Director of Citizen Soldier commented; "Two large sites
of DU contamination have never been publicly studied.
Now is the time."

In just one example of DU contamination, a July 11, 1991
fire at the U.S. Army Blackhorse Base in Doha, Kuwait
destroyed more than 660 large-caliber DU tank rounds,
9,720 small-caliber DU rounds, and four M1A1 tanks with
DU armor. Over 9,000 pounds of DU penetrators were lost
in the fire exposing thousands of vets to airborne
uranium oxides. Despite the known health problems of
Vets, the U.S. Army's CHPPM report on exposures to
Depleted Uranium at Doha has not been released to the
Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses
and U.S. troops continue to be stationed at the Doha
Base.

Half of the large caliber DU tank rounds fired in the
Operation Desert Storm/ Desert Shield were test fired at
a large military staging area in Saudi Arabia, near the
Kuwaiti border. An independent team must conduct
samplings of uranium contamination at that site.

On May 19, the Environmental Protection Agency
permanently closed the Massachusetts Military Reservation
on Cape Cod. The area, used by 14,000 National Guard
members, was closed because "chemicals from the shells
and lead from spent bullets at firing ranges threatened
public health and groundwater." (May 20, NYT). Depleted
uranium is a heavy metal, 1.7 times as dense as lead, and
is highly, chemically toxic and radioactive, yet the
risks of its use, domestically and internationally, have
been concealed by the DoD.

Sara Flounders, Coordinator of the Depleted Uranium
Education Project, "Given the long history of DoD cover-
ups and false assurances, we demand an immediate release
of all government documents on exposures to depleted
uranium weapons and an independent investigation into the
health and environmental consequences of the use of
these radioactive weapons."
Call to set up interviews with veterans, scientists, and
doctors concerning the exposures to DU.

Citizen Soldier
175 Fifth Avenue, #2135, NY, NY 10010
(212) 679-2250, Fx: (212) 679-2252
DU Education Project
39 W 14th St. #206, NY, NY 10011
(212) 633-6646, Fx: 633-2889

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