Re: [CPEO-MEF] DU munitions

[themissinglink@eznetinc.com]

So back to my original question which Ms Gawarecki's posts and study did 
not seem to address, what is the potential for using DU as a dirty 
nuclear weapon.  The scenarios and pathways exerpted from her report are 
based on low dose toxicity but I remember awhile ago there was talk on 
this CPEO list how the DU shells toxicity changed upon explosion and a 
misting of the radioactive material.  Obviously I am not a scientist but 
I don't think that I am "fear mongering" by bringing these issues up.  I 
love the code words liberally sprinkled throughout Ms. Gawarecki's posts 
meant to marginalize myself and the issue I bring up.

Does the exposure pathway and toxicity change if the material is 
exploded and becomes a dust?  The following is from an old post on CPEO 
from Laura Olah:

"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