Re: Depleted Uranium Quote

[Laura Olah <olah@speagle.com>]

Hi Steven,

Following is an exerpt from an informational flyer we put together in late
1996. DU is technically classified by the military as a "conventional"
munition however upon impact, it is an indiscriminate radioactive weapon.  
A ready analogy is Clinton's bumbling word-smithing regarding the Lewinski
matter -- the American public is NOT stupid.

Laura

"Depleted uranium or DU, used extensively in weaponry by U.S. military
forces during the Persian Gulf War, was used for its superior density --
DU ammunition was armor-piercing, and Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting
vehicles were reinforced with DU.  Remarkably, while the U.S. Army
acknowledges firing at least 14,000 rounds (or 40 tons) of DU ammunition
in Kuwait and southern Iraq, American and allied soldiers were not told
they had radioactive bullets in their arsenal , and moreover, were not
aware of the hazards and precautions required when dealing with DU and DU
contaminated vehicles .

When DU munitions smash into tanks or other objects, they partially burn,
producing uranium oxide dust which is chemically toxic and radioactive.  
As much as 70 percent of a DU penetrator can be aerosolized when it
strikes a tank .  On penetrating a tank or armored vehicle a DU shell
‘bursts into flame and all but liquefies, searing through armor like a
white hot phosphorescent flare.  The heat of the shell causes any diesel
vapors in the enemy tank to explode, and the crew inside is burned alive’.

 Wind-blown particles readily lodge in lung tissue, exposing the host to a
growing, toxic dose of alpha radiation and capable of inducing cancer and
other deadly illnesses.  A single, microscopic particle of DU lodged in
the respiratory system is the radiological equivalent of fifty (50)
x-rays, and can subject lung tissue to 8,000 times the annual radiation
dose permitted by federal regulations for whole-body exposure.  Military
experts estimate that somewhere between 300 and 800 tons of DU debris,
mostly particles and small fragments, are still scattered around Gulf War
battlefields.

 U.S. Army studies confirm the radioactive properties of DU have the
greatest potential for health impacts when DU is internalized. Equipment
contaminated with DU oxides becomes a source of contamination when the
oxides are resuspended, blown, washed or dislodged during transit.  In
addition to recovery and maintenance personnel, thousands of ground troops
encountered and entered contaminated vehicles, and likely ingested or
inhaled depleted uranium particles.

 Ingestion occurs primarily from hand-to mouth transfer or from
DU-contaminated water or food; once inside the body, DU concentrates in
the kidneys, liver and bones.  Inhalation can occur during DU munitions
testing, during a fire involving DU munitions or armor, and when DU
particles are resuspended by testing or fires. As far back as 1985,
Department of Energy tests with M829 rounds confirmed DU ordnance, under
severe fire conditions, remained in the fire and oxidized to powder rather
than being ejected undamaged from the fire, raising significant concerns
that exposure to uranium oxides may increase dramatically under these
conditions.  "

Sources for above: (sorry, footnote demarkations did not transfer when I copies
text)
 Multinational Monitor. January/February 1996.  Radioactive Ammo Lays Them to
Waste.
   Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium Use in the U.S.
Army:  Technical
   Report prepared by the Army Environmental Institute under the direction of
Lewis D. Walker,
   Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety, and
Occupational Health; page
   131-132.
   Fliszar et al, 1989, as cited in Health and Environmental Consequences of
Depleted Uranium Use in
   the U.S. Army: Technical Report prepared by the Army Environmental Institute
under the direction
   of  Lewis D. Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment,
Safety, and
   Occupational Health; p.78.
   James Ridgeway, Using Uranium Bullets, Village Voice, January 15, 1991.
   Heavy Metal -- Toxic munitions exact toll on both sides, January 26 - February
1, 1996 issue.  LA
    Weekly.
   Heavy Metal -- Toxic munitions exact toll on both sides, January 26 - February
1, 1996 issue.  LA
    Weekly.
   Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium Use in the U.S.
Army:  Technical
   Report,  1995; page 80.
   Defense Cleanup,  SECTION: No. 3, Vol. 7: ISSN:0083-9735. January 19, 1996.
   Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium Use in the U.S.
Army:  Technical
   Report, 1995; pages 107-108.
  Potential Behavior of Depleted Uranium Penetrators Under Shipping and Bulk
Storage Accident
   Conditions, February 1985.  Prepared for Tank Ammunition Section, Munitions
System Division,
    Large Caliber Weapons System Laboratory, Army Armament Research and
Development Center
    under a related Services Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy.
  Associated Press, New York Times. July 11, 1991.

--
Laura Olah, Executive Director
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, Wisconsin  53561
olah@speagle.com
Phone (608)643-3124 Fax (608)643-0005
Website  http://www.speagle.com/cswab