Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.

The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallised over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.

Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumours, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.

A group of Iraqi and British officials, including the former Iraqi minister for women's affairs, Dr Nawal Majeed a-Sammarai, and the British doctors David Halpin and Chris Burns-Cox, have petitioned the UN general assembly to ask that an independent committee fully investigate the defects and help clean up toxic materials left over decades of war – including the six years since Saddam Hussein was ousted.

"We are seeing a very significant increase in central nervous system anomalies," said Falluja general hospital's director and senior specialist, Dr Ayman Qais. "Before 2003 I was seeing sporadic numbers of deformities in babies. Now the frequency of deformities has increased dramatically."

The rise in frequency is stark – from two admissions a fortnight a year ago to two a day now. "Most are in the head and spinal cord, but there are also many deficiencies in lower limbs," he said. "There is also a very marked increase in the number of cases of less than two years with brain tumours. This is now a focus area of multiple tumours."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/13/falluja-cancer-children-birth-defects

---

Heart breaking video at the link.

And Busch has the nerve to appear in public to announce his "Freedom Institute"?! Instead, he should be spending the rest of his life cowering in a cold damp corner of an institution.

[Eric J in MN]

1. K & R (NT)

NT

[Divine Discontent]

56. K & R should be done by all. The get over it comment by the right, that says, 'war is hell, ok?' is

unacceptable. We need people in Congress and, in the White House, who believe that war is a last option. Sadly, we're not getting that right now, but we can never let up in the future. This should be a question asked to every politician, "do you believe war is only to be actively pursued when we're directly being attacked?"

There are several things the current Admin. is getting bad grades on imho. Others they're doing good. But the war is a strong stone around the neck of our country, and sadly, we're sitting in an ocean of debt and misery - we need leadership!

[medeak]

63. 2 friends died of cancer at age 30 from Palestinian War

brother and sister.. sister was diagnosed on the one year anniversary of her brother's death. I will never forget how she cried inconsolably for 3 days as she had two little children. Oncologists believed rare cancer in them both was caused by toxins from war when they were small. We're just seeing the beginning am afraid.

[diane in sf]

74. I had a friend who was an olympic level athlete who died from leukemia after the 92

conflict. She was an Israeli and was visiting home during that time. DU doesn't care much about borders or ethnicity.

[Pavulon]

112. Negative. We used lots of this in Bosnia and the WHO

has concluded that nominal exposure to DU is not a health threat. Israel does not stockpile DU munitions. WP is different and to claim phosphorus causes cancer is silly.

[DebbieCDC]

2. Two words

Depleted uranium

[TheDebbieDee]

3. I agree.....I don't need to wait for a study!

It's not scientific but I bet you turn out to be right!

[Hekate]

5. Exactly

:cry:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. Those were the first two words that sprung into my mind. (nt)

[StarfarerBill]

69. Ditto.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Our government needs to stop obfuscating and denying

where depleted uranium is concerned. A preponderance of evidence shows that the material is NOT as safe as its proponents would lead the public to believe.

[DJ13]

8. Exactly, and that didnt come from decades of war with Iran

That only comes from the bunker busters that we used in both 92 and the current invasion.

[Greyskye]

11. DUh

Same two words that came to my mind as well. :(

[Hissyspit]

13. Could the use of white phosphous have long-term effects, as well?

I assume first and foremost that it is the DU, but I wonder.

Major war crimes committed there.

[TheWraith]

17. From where?

Depleted uranium is only used in armor-piercing light cannon shells, 20mm and up. Why would any amount of 20mm shells be used assaulting a town that has NO armored vehicles in it?

In any event, LEAD is over twice as toxic as depleted uranium.

[ManiacJoe]

21. Beat me to the question.

[Raster]

33. Good question: Why would 20mm depleted uranium shells be used to assault a town....

....that had no armored vehicles in it? Overkill, eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Fallujah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Fallujah

[TheWraith]

89. No mention of tanks, armor, or 20mm cannon usage.

Thanks for the backup.

[diane in sf]

75. Bullshit on your Lead is 2x as toxic as DU statement.

[TheWraith]

You're wrong. Check the LD50 numbers.

LD50 is Lethal Dose to 50%. If you feed a person or animal the LD50 of a given chemical, that gives them a 50% chance of dying. The LD50 on lead is 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. The LD50 on uranium is 10 MG/KG.

[chervilant]

77. hmmm...

I am SOOOOOO rolling my eyes over here...

And, you BELIEVE that our military 'only' used DU as an armor-piercing munition?!?

Furthermore, when DU munitions aerosol, the still radioactive particles become part of the dust storms that occur frequently across Iraq. Thus, the likelihood that DU plays a significant role in the spiked incidences of brain tumors and similar life-threatening anomalies should not be minimized!

In any event, on what do you base your assertion that lead is over twice as toxic as DU? Are you relying on data provided by the US Military? Or, did you just pull that statistic out of your ass?

In other words, who really knows how toxic is DU?!?

I am sooooooooo skeptical of ANY effort to diminish the toxicity of DU. I consider anyone who seems invested in such an effort SUSPECT at the very least.

[TheWraith]

90. Eye rolling and mockery are always effective Socratic techniques.

"And, you BELIEVE that our military 'only' used DU as an armor-piercing munition?!?"

I know so, because there's this thing called facts. You're free to check the specifications of military weaponry in the US arsenal.

Depleted uranium is used in armor-piercing shells because it's an incredibly hard and dense heavy metal. For that reason it's effective at both penetrating armor, and serving as armor on tanks. What other use do YOU think they're going to put it to?

"In any event, on what do you base your assertion that lead is over twice as toxic as DU? Are you relying on data provided by the US Military? Or, did you just pull that statistic out of your ass?"

Scientific research. Do a google on the subject of the LD50. The lethal dose of lead to 50% of a population is 5 milligrams per kilogram. The LD50 of uranium is twice that.

"In other words, who really knows how toxic is DU?!?"

Scientists. People who actually test theories rather than blindly repeating the rumors, innuendo, and horseshit that they heard on the internet.

[chervilant]

93. sigh...

Really, Wraith?! Really???!!!

Your arrogance knows no bounds, apparently.

No duh re: scientists providing fact-based information, Mr. "I can Read and use the Internet, and I Clearly Think I am Much Smarter than You"!!

Just in case you haven't noticed, there's a dearth of factual information regarding the purported toxicity of DU. The very 'scientists' who have created DU munitions have consistently minimized the 'risks' and the military has worked hard to insure that most US citizens know little or nothing about said risks OR about DU munitions.

Furthermore, the long-term effects of DU will continue to 'fuel' controversy for at least another ten years. Or, more... How clever of our militarists to use a radioactive substance as a weapon with NO REAL KNOWLEDGE OF OR REGARD FOR THE LONG-TERM DELETERIOUS EFFECTS!!!

Oh, and, since when have you trusted the military to fully disclose how and where they are using DU munitions?!?! I wonder what our young survivors of this illegal invasion might say about this?

I have actively opposed nuclear reactors and EVERY military use of radioactive munitions since before I attended college. I still have the button I wore in my early days of activism:

If we can risk nuclear war, we can risk disarmament.

As a citizen of the United States, I am FURIOUS that our military has used and continues to use nuclear weapons. I have little patience with anyone who supports such weapons, either explicitly or implicitly, hence the eye-rolling and sarcasm. BTW, I think Socrates would have stood with me, protesting on the front lines and not comfortably ensconced in front of a computer.

[Confusious]

96. Depleted Uranium is not radioactive

It is "depleted" because all the radioactive material has been removed.

That being said, it is a toxic heavy metal whose effects are relatively unknown when compared to lead.

[TheWraith]

103. Unknown? Not really.

Uranium (depleted or not) is a neurotoxin, capable of causing damage to the central nervous system, and mutagenic, meaning capable of damaging the DNA. (Translation: causing cancer.)

Also to be fully accurate, depleted uranium still releases alpha particles, however these are incapable of penetrating human skin. To have them affect you, you'd have to ingest the uranium, and a dose large enough to give you more than a miniscule dose of radiation would be rapidly fatal due to heavy metal poisoning.

[TheWraith]

102. Seriously, you're pushing the line.

Personal insults and attacks are against DU rules.

"Just in case you haven't noticed, there's a dearth of factual information regarding the purported toxicity of DU."

No, there isn't. There's reams of information on uranium toxicity going back to 1943. Here's the basic facts: Uranium is a heavy metal, like lead. That means it's both neurotoxic and mutagenic. We know the dangerous doses, safe doses, and know how it behaves in the human body. We also know the level of radioactivity in depleted uranium, which is practically zero, and the fact that to get a noticible dose of radiation you'd have a far more than fatal case of heavy metal poisoning. The fact that some people who want to shout panic IGNORE the reams of factual information in order to pump out non-factual information does not undermine the reality of the actual science.

Fact is that the military actually switched from depleted uranium to a tungsten/molybdenum mixture for their AP rounds for awhile, but ended up finding that that was far more carcincogenic than uranium ever could be. Now some lighter armor piercing rounds use pure tungsten (far less dangerous), such as the 20mm CIWS.

"Oh, and, since when have you trusted the military to fully disclose how and where they are using DU munitions?!?!"

This isn't a matter of faith--it's science. Again, where do YOU think they're using depleted uranium? The military specifications are out there for everybody to see; it's used in tank armor and in anti-tank AP rounds. This isn't nearly as secret as you want it to be.

"As a citizen of the United States, I am FURIOUS that our military has used and continues to use nuclear weapons."

Depleted uranium is not a nuclear weapon any more than glow in the dark lightsticks are a "chemical weapon." To say that only makes you sound massively ignorant of the actual power of nuclear weapons.

[ronnie624]

86. Even if your questionable claim about lead is true,

it is weaponized uranium oxide, not lead, that is being aerosolized into nanoparticles and sprinkled throughout the soil, water and food supplies of the countries that our government attacks.

Searches for information on this topic reveal that real scientific data is beginning to replace government and corporate propaganda, so you have no excuse for posting this sort of misinformation.

[TheWraith]

91. Google doesn't magically produce accurate information.

Most of the items that pop up if you search for "depleted uranium" contain such unsubstantiated horseshit and bad science that they would be thrown out of a high school chemistry class, because they lack the most basic understanding of both heavy metals and radiation. Throwing around words like "radiation poisoning" and "nuclear weapons" is a good way to scare the people who don't know any better, but the fact of the matter is this--to get enough radiation out of depleted uranium to get even light symptoms of radiation sickness, you'd have to literally ingest a dosage whose heavy metal toxicity would kill you within minutes.

Not to mention, most of them simply make things up out of whole cloth, like the frequently repeated claim that the US had used 300,000 tons of munitions containing depleted uranium in Iraq. The actual number is 30 tons.

And by the way, lead DOES aerosolize when a munition containing lead hits a hard target. It's why indoor shooting ranges need to be well ventilated to avoid killing their users.

[ronnie624]

92. Refine your searches to more than just 'depleted uranium'.

And lead does not burn on impact to 3000-6000 degrees Celsius and aerosolize into nano-particles which are absorbed by tissues, causing genetic damage. Lead poisoning is not the same as being poisoned by uranium oxide dust after it has been used in battle.

You should have no problem finding good information on this topic.

[chervilant]

94. Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie...

Apparently, TheWraith is an expert on DU munitions, where such munitions are used, AND the exact long-term effects of such munitions. We should genuflect in his general direction...

[Pavulon]

118. Yep, fuck the WHO and Science. I mean a doctors opinion

is just gold. You guys should be ashamed posting to this shit. Anything like this that does not include a study with a sample is worthless. Hit up the google for the WHO write up on Yugoslavia where we actually used this munition. Real science will follow.

My two headed DU turtle of shame looks scornfully at you.

[ronnie624]

120. I don't know of any research by the WHO

on the absorption of nanoparticles of DU. Their data on uranium toxicity are primarily concerned with exposure in an industrial setting - mining and the application of DU in manufacturing - where the occurrence of particles is rarely below 10 microns, in which case they will usually be filtered from the body. This does not address the effects of the material after it has been burned at 5000 degrees centigrade and recombined by exotic chemical processes into rare, ultra fine and highly toxic oxides and other compounds, both metallic and non-matallic. And measuring background radiation with a Geiger counter is not what I would call sound science when trying to assess the long term health effects of nanoparticles of uranium oxide, which can be absorbed by the body's tissues, where they will remain until death (which is almost always thereafter lingering, miserable and premature). It isn't really radiological toxicity that concerns thousands of doctors and researchers worldwide - although there is cause for concern among researchers about damage to cellular chemistry by the close proximity bombardment by radioactive particles. It is chemical toxicity, which is considerable and of great concern.

Weaponized DU, by the way, is not just uranium, but a highly specialized alloy consisting of uranium, titanium, molybdenum, zirconium, and niobium with traces of plutonium-239, americium-241, neptunium-237 and technetium-99. Each one of these elements is highly toxic, either chemically and/or radiologically, and manifest themselves on human physiology in a variety of harmful ways. How would you like to step into a swirling witches brew of dust particles from such a concoction? I am absolutely certain that you would not voluntarily do so.

It is only a matter of time before a cascade of definitive research shows what every doctor that has ever worked with the victims of DU weapons has suspected for a long time: that so called depleted uranium is in fact THE cause of the tremendous increase in cancer and birth defects in the areas where these weapons are used. News of such will no doubt be posted to Democratic Underground, and I am certain that you will scrupulously avoid taking part in the following discussion.

[Pavulon]

125. Bullshit the who and un have extensive studies classifying this as shit

this is political drama spread by people ignorant of basic science. dont eat lead laden dirt at a firing range, the routes of exposure in places where we actually deployed DU are documented. If you want go on faith, feel free.

Science is done you want to post this shit go for it, no different than a person knocking on my door peddling their region. you have nothing.

[Frank Cannon]

111. And white phosphorus is only used to create flares and smoke

Except when it's not.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

26. NOT SO Depleted

[KittyWampus]

28. two more words> toxic. debris.

[Ahpook]

48. Its got to be that..

What a fucking terrible mess we have made of that area. Yeah they are free now aren't they?

I wonder if that crap is going to be all over surplus store goods? I like to keep good sacks from the surplus stores.

[era veteran]

53. The new agent orange

[Raster]

57. Deformed babies in Fallujah/Iraq LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS

http://www.unobserver.com/layout5.php?id=6744&blz=1

2009-10-14 | H.E. Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki
President of the Sixty-fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations
New York, NY 10017

October 12th 2009

Your Excellency,

RE DEFORMED BABIES IN FALLUJAH

Young women in Fallujah in Iraq are terrified of having children because of the increasing number of babies born grotesquely deformed, with no heads, two heads, a single eye in their foreheads, scaly bodies or missing limbs. In addition, young children in Fallujah are now experiencing hideous cancers and leukaemias. These deformities are now well documented, for example in television documentaries on SKY UK on September 1 2009, and on SKY UK June 2008. Our direct contact with doctors in Fallujah report that:

In September 2009, Fallujah General Hospital had 170 new born babies, 24% of whom were dead within the first seven days, a staggering 75% of the dead babies were classified as deformed.

This can be compared with data from the month of August in 2002 where there were 530 new born babies of whom six were dead within the first seven days and only one birth defect was reported.

Doctors in Fallujah have specifically pointed out that not only are they witnessing unprecedented numbers of birth defects but premature births have also considerably increased after 2003. But what is more alarming is that doctors in Fallujah have said, “a significant number of babies that do survive begin to develop severe disabilities at a later stage”.

As one of a number of doctors, scientists and those with deep concern for Iraq, Dr Chris Burns-Cox, a British hospital physician, wrote a letter to the Rt. Hon. Clare Short, M.P. asking about this situation. She wrote a letter to the Rt. Hon.Douglas Alexander, M.P. the Secretary of State of the Department for International Development (a post she had held before she resigned on a matter of principle in May 2003 ) asking for clarification of the position of deformed children in Fallujah.

<more, shamefully so>

[pleah]

58. Yep. n/t

[Maestro]

64. You are correct!

And the military knows of material like exotic tungsten alloys that can replace DU in the ammo but the military does not replace it, why? Money! But I know that is no surprise to anyone. Actually, the tungsten is carcinogenic as well, but at least it is not radioactive. The best alternative is simply to not wage war. But that will never happen.

[Devil_Fish]

68. Two more: War Crimes NT

[midnight]

4. This war is the hell on earth that just keeps destroying..... Bring our troops home.

[JohnyCanuck]

9. Depleted Uranium, an introduction by Thomas Fasy MD PhD

This transcript of a lecture by Dr. Fasy was posted on Democratic Underground several years ago by DUer Reprehensor:

Dr. Fasy is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pathology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He has longstanding interests in carcinogenesis and environmental toxicology. In the past two years, he has lectured at conferences and university campuses on the toxic effects of inhaling uranium oxide dusts derived from depleted uranium weapons.

------------------------------

It is a high honor for me to speak before the WORLD TRIBUNAL on IRAQ. I thank the organizing committee for their invitation.

Uranium is radioactive and it is a toxic heavy metal. Inside the body, uranium exists as uranyl ions. Much of the toxicity of uranium is chemically mediated, in addition to the effects mediated by radiation.

In 1896, while conducting experiments with crystal of potassium uranyl sulfate, Henri Becquerel discovered the phenomenon of radioactivity. Uranium, however, was known to be toxic since the 1820's.

In june 1942, when a commission of scientists reported to President Franklin Roosevelt that a uranium fission bomb could be built "in time to influence the outcome of the war", they explicity warned about the toxicity of uranium and consequently, a large scale research program on uranium toxicology was begun in May 1943.

It is now clear that uranium has multiple toxicities. This slide summarizes some of the major toxicities of uranium.

By the early 1900s, uranium was well recognized to be a kidney toxin. By the mid-1940s, uranium was known to be a neurotoxin. By the early 1970s, uranium was recognized to be a carcinogen based on mortality studies of uranium workers and on experiments with dogs and monkeys. The first evidence that uranyl ions bind to DNA was reported in 1949 and by the early 1990s, uranium was shown to be a mutagen. Also, in the early 1990s, uranium was shown to be a teratogen, that is, an inducer of birth defects. The toxic effects of uranium on the kidney and on the nervous system typically occur within days of exposure and radiation probably plays little or no role in mediating these effects. In contrast, the carcinogenic effects of uranium have a delayed onset. The teratogenic effects of uranium might be due to exposure of one parent prior to conception as well as to exposure of the mother to uranium early in pregnancy.

Now let us briefly consider the routes of exposure to uranium. In the context of the dust particles derived from depleted uranium weapons, this means exposure to uranium oxides. By far the most dangerous route of exposure to uranium oxides is the inhalational or respiratory route. Absorption of uranium oxides through the gastrointestinal tract, the skin and the conjunctivae is possible but quite limited.

Following impact with hard targets, uranium metal undergoes combustion releasing large quantities of very small uranium oxide dust particles into the environment.

These dust particles derived from depleted uranium weapons are drastically different from the natural uranium that is normally present in rocks and soil.

Soil particles contain uranium at very low concentrations, typically less than 5 parts per million; the vast majority of these soil particles, however, are too large to be inhaled deep into the lungs. In contrast, the dust particles derived from depleted uranium weapons contain very high concentrations of uranium, typically more than 500.000 parts per million; moreover, most of the D.U. dust particles are sufficiently small to be inhaled deep into the lungs. Thus, compared to the uranium naturally present in the environment, D.U. dust contains uranium in a form that is vastly more bio-available and more readily internalized.

Uranyl ions bind to DNA; they bind in the minor groove of DNA. While bound to DNA, uranyl ions are chemically reactive and can give rise to free radicals which may damage DNA. Chemically mediated DNA damage of this type may contribute to the ability of uranium to induce cancers.

I would now like to present some epidemiologic data from the Basra governate in the south of Iraq. In February 1991, more than 300 tons (possibly much more than 300 tons) of D.U. weapons were used in South of Iraq. After 5-6 year latent periods, increases in childhood cancers and birth defects were documented in the Basra governate. The most recent data indicate a four fold increase in pediatric malignancies and a seven fold increase in congenital malformations compared to 1990, the year preceeding the war.

Link to original:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4124449

[aquart]

14. I once came across an army magazine.

It had an article in it about what to do with, say, remnants of depleted uranium. The solution, as I recall, was duct tape. If we think the Iraqis are having birth defects, wait till we see ours.

[defendandprotect]

24. They were talking about putting it in POTS and PANS two decades ago . . .

I also remember the Pentagon returned some stainless steel flatware because

they thought it contaminated!

[juno jones]

40. Thanks. I did not know that.

:wow:

[defendandprotect]

45. Yep . . . there used to be some pro-environment people with big ADS on Op-Ed/NY Times page ....

warning of that - --

they were there a long time ...

but I still don't think we really know what they did or didn't do???

[windbreeze]

80. How about the Stainless Steel silverware that comes from China?

and the kitchen graters, etc...that have been found to be radioactive...yeah...that ecko grater you just bought, made in China, just could be radioactive...scary, isn't it??? I check everything stainless these days...made in China....I won't buy it...wb

[Manifestor_of_Light]

107. WHere can I read up on that?

Did not know.

[windbreeze]

119. I will suggest you go to google...

and do a search on radioactive stainless steel from China...because the one mentioning the grater...is from a site I don't read...and wouldn't dare reference here...but you will see it...if you do the above search...apparently...it was found in Michigan...in a scrap metal yard...I had read the article before but not on that site...seems contaminated steel is a problem...wb

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Have we killed and maimed enough civilians yet?

[NeoConsSuck]

35. Remember

we only killed the ones who hated us for our freedoms. Everybody else was throwing roses.

[aquart]

12. WTF have we done to them?

Saddam was a bad man? Worse than this?

[Mithreal]

15. Letter to the United Nations from October

http://www.unobserver.com/layout5.php?id=6744&blz=1

[Tempest]

16. Families in Fallujah have been asking for help for years

Did US Army Cause Iraq Birth Defects?

7:32am UK, Thursday May 29, 2008

Families in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are calling for an investigation into their claims of a rise in the number of birth defects.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641317448

[Oregone]

18. Some DUers think those children deserve that fate

Sickening

[Kip Humphrey]

19. Depleted uranium, one of the greatest US crime against humanity ever!

[OnyxCollie]

20. The massacre of Fallujah

was payback for the four Blackwater contractors that were killed. (The contractors were in the wrong place at the wrong time because Blackwater HQ left them to twist in the wind. Unarmored vehicles instead of armored ones, even though Blackwater got paid for armored vehicles, no maps, no clear mission.) The US military sprayed white phosphorus down on Fallujah, not for illumination, as they claim, but as a weapon. (A war crime.)

Apparently, they used DU ammo on them as well.

[glitch]

50. And the four Blackwater contractors were killed in response to Abu Gharib.

The news about what was going in that prison had just broken in Iraq.

[OnyxCollie]

79. Three generations of clusterfuck.

[bobshin]

22. This story is OLD. Those of us reading anything but the MSM has known this.

What I don't understand is why DU wasn't immediately taken out of use when Obama came on as President. No matter how right some people think we were killing a million innocent Iraqi's for no reason, DU will continue to pollute and mutate the population forever.

It's easy to blame Bush and the Republican majority for allowing this happen, but what has been done about it since that changed to Obama and Democrats?

[defendandprotect]

27. Our own troops also suffer from this stuff . . .

Wasn't it also all over Vietnam????

But, certainly, we've been bombing Iraq for 25 years now . . . or more --

and they were beginning that we clean up this stuff -

We've repeatedly refused!!!

What can we think of our own government, except those in control are criminals????

[Turborama]

65. "Bush and the Republican majority" wtf?

The 1st paragraph got my spidey senses going and I read the last sentence like this.

"It's easy to blame Bush and the Republican majority for allowing this happen. What has been done about it since that changed to Obama and Democrats?"

My answer to that accusation is that Obama has pulled all troops out of Iraq's cities and we'll be out of Iraq in about 2 years. BTW Obama was against the invasion of Iraq, so don't try and twist this around to be something that's now his fault.

Bjorn Against's reply in post 43 is a good response to the denigration of this story being "OLD".

[defendandprotect]

23. What a surprise!!! How much do the "pro-lifers" care about any of this ???

And we've been bombing them now for something like 25 years???

How would we ever make amends for even just the harm done to their children???????????????

[KamaAina]

25. Now I know how Mom must have felt when she found out about My Lai.

:cry:

[Paper Roses]

29. You got it. Agent Orange. We were told by the army.....

Nothing to it. No problem. No lasting health concerns.

Sure

[libodem]

30. Thank you so much for posting this

There is also a youtube about a little girl with two heads that I tried to upload to the video forum but lack the proper talent for moving things around the internet. God bless you for doing a favor for us all by letting people know the horrors of white phosphorus and depleted Uranium. Maybe you could post the youtube video to the video forum. Everyone should google Falujah and birth defects.

[truedelphi]

31. Oh that is so awful. I am so sad to think that

My promise to myself - to see our involvement in wars end and that it was amde way back in 1969 when I was 17 - and that millions and millions of others pledged similar promises to themselves and to the world.

We need to abolish politicians and do as the Native Amerians once did. Let a council of the twelve best grandmorthers run the nation.

[libodem]

39. Yes we did make promises

that we wouldn't repeat Viet Nam. We watched the war on TV news every night at dinner and I think it helped change the tide of American prospective. These current wars take place under the cover of darkness. Imbedded reporters can't show what it is like on the other end of the guns.

[Turborama]

67. Al Jazeera were in there but the cease fire would only take place if they came out

What does that say about how under the cover of darkness they wanted the results of the mass slaughter/payback for killing 4 Blackwater mercenaries to be?

I'm not sure if you've seen this yet but Amy Goodman interviewed the Al Jazeera reporters in question, here: http://www.democracynow.org/2006/2/22/exclusive_al_jazeera_reporters_give_bloody

Also, the American public to this day see Al Jazeera as a terrorist TV station because of this and Rumsfeld's words afterwards. In fact, http://www.iwantaje.net/hm">Al Jazeera refute every single accusation made against them.

I recently put together a thread about this side of the story, here's the link to it if you'd like to find out more: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/84

I'll try and find that video and post it in the forum, do you have a link to the specific one you mentioned above?

[unaffiliated liberal]

32. I am not downplaying this story by any means

But this is old news. The stories of the almost Biblical destruction of Fallujah and the birth defects resulting from the American military action there have been around for years. But America doesn't give a shit because "THE SURGE WORKED".

Just goes to show the depths to which this nation has sunk.

Sometimes I can easily agree with Jeremiah Wright. This is one of those times.

On a side note, the initials "DU" are certainly duplicitous.

But it's OK. President Obushma is looking forward, not back.

He's little better than Gerald Ford when it comes to holding previous administrations responsible for their crimes.

So far, change we can believe in has turned out to be closer to "FOUR MORE YEARS!"

[NeoConsSuck]

37. +1,000,000

[Bjorn Against]

43. I get your point and agree with you, but I would never call this story old news.

It is not old news to the people of Falluja who are seeing infants born every day with birth defects, it is a very current story and has been a very current story for quite some time. I think too often Americans feel that once a story has been reported on for more than a day or two it should be dropped and we should move on to something else, I think stories like this require ongoing coverage and it is a shame we have not seen more stories on this issue. What makes the coverage of this issue particularly disturbing is that it has received virtually no attention in the American corporate media, unless you pay attention to foreign media or independent media you would never know about this important story.

[unaffiliated liberal]

46. That's my point

Americans are just hearing about this story, and not even from our own "free press". We have to rely on foreign press for stories we should have been aware of years ago. I guess our embedded "journalists" dropped the ball on this one. Or for some reason it didn't make it into the daily military press release from Iraq. I guess L. Paul Bremer and Dan Senor didn't deem it newsworthy.

[truedelphi]

99. Hi there and welcome to DU.

"Change we can believe in" has indeed changed to being about FOUR MORE YEARS.

[unaffiliated liberal]

101. Thanks for the welcome

I only wish it could have been under better circumstances. But it appears we have very little control over that.

[truedelphi]

106. It's almost always a "Control-less" world on DU

I joined right after the Stolen Election of 2004. That didn't seem to offer me much assurance that I had control.

And then the whole long Bush Admin. That didn't add to my sense of power.

There was that brief and wondrous moment after Obama won, before I realized that he was gonna be Mr Nice Guy to Monsanto, The Banksters, and others (like Health Insurers) of a criminal bent.

[unaffiliated liberal]

113. I came to the same realizations as you

That's when I switched from being a life-long Democrat to unaffiliated (New Jersey's designation for independents).

What a disappointment the Democratic majority and our new president have been so far. Shades of Jimmy Carter. His presidency, not the humanitarian he's become.

When will Democrats ever realize that after a big win there is precious little time to reverse the damage done by Republican administrations? There is no time to make nice with people who are evil and vindictive at their core, and trying to do so just enables them and wastes any chance of improvement in the lives of the people who are hurt most by the destructive Republican agenda.

By the time Democrats figure it out the Republicans are back in power, picking up right where they left off, doing more damage to the people who are stupid enough to vote for them.

We had a chance this time to change all that and all we got were bullshit stories about bipartisanship used to disguise the fact that the Democrats are on the same payroll as the Republicans.

[pokercat999]

34. Americans may not be safe in that part of the world.......ever.

AND THEY SHOULDN'T BE.

[proteus_lives]

38. That's nice.

Collective guilt.

Because of actions of the Bush Administration and Army brass you wish harm on Americans aboard?

I'm assuming you're including yourself in that curse.

[unaffiliated liberal]

71. Is it nice when we do it?

You can blame it on the Bush administration and Army brass but America pursued collective guilt against the people of Iraq when we as a nation allowed the Bush administration to use erroneous and unfounded claims that Iraq was behind 9/11 as a pretext for our unprovoked attack against that nation when, in fact, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. And even today, though Bush and Cheney themselves were finally forced to admit there was no connection, there are many Americans who still believe Iraq was behind 9/11. There are many Americans who still believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction even though the Iraq Survey Group spent several years and many millions of dollars searching Iraq for WMD and never found any.

We as a nation not only wished harm on Iraq but indeed committed irreparable harm to millions of innocent Iraqis, including abominations like Fallujah and Abu Ghraib, based on the very same collective guilt you deem unfair when we are its target.

Not so nice when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?

[pokercat999]

82. Yes I do. I have the means and will soon have the time to

travel abroad....but I won't. Our history of bad behavior toward other people across the globe makes me uncomfortable with the thought of traveling just about anywhere outside the US and our immediate neighbors. My in-laws travel abroad frequently. When they do, they speak Latvian in public and only use English when responding to English. Most everyone they meet assumes they are not Americans and they promote that idea.

I wish it were only the Bush administration. Our history is full of world-wide interference with other governments and people.

[Rozlee]

36. I'm a disabled Army Nurse from Desert Storm; my daughter came back home from Iraq

and had a baby a year later. My little granddaugher has Goldenhars' Syndrome. Google Goldenhars' and Gulf War and see how many hits you get. I wonder how many Iraq War babies will be born with this condition? The Pentagon released a study last year stating that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by a combination of the use of pesticides, oil well fires and the use of pyridostigmine bromide, which we used to supposedly combat nerve gas exposure. Yeah, right. Then, why are so many kids coming back from the Gulf in today's wars with the same symptoms? Oil well fires, PB, and pesticides aren't being used in any combination now; the only commonality in these wars is DU. The military is just using a bogus report to allow them to keep using one of the most highly effective weapons they have ever had.

I was a marathon runner when I went to Desert Storm. Within two years of coming back, I was having mini-strokes, seizures, and lost hearing in one ear. Docs told me I had contracted a disease common to the Middle East called Behcet's Disease. Well, it so happens, I'm an RN. There is no lab or specific tests to diagnose Behcets. It is an entirely clinical diagnosis based on three or more of it's characteristic symptoms. And guess what? I only have ONE of them. These poor kids coming home have a time bomb ticking in their bodies. They fought an unjust war. They're coming home with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Now, they may have another war to fight with their health and yet another one with the health of their future offspring. Oh, and don't forget, they'll also have to wait forever to get through the red tape to get VA benefits for their disabilites, and be losing their jobs, declaring bankruptcies, and all that other great stuff that I had to go through when I got too sick to hold a job. Damn Bush I & II, and this Oil Oligarchy running our country. And double damn Obama if he doesn't do something about getting our kids out of these hellholes NOW!!

[boppers]

47. More commonalities:

Regional theater:
-Water
-Air
-Food

Combat exposure:
-Small arms
-Explosives
-Military weapon/vehicle exhaust

I wouldn't be surprised if the first Dx cause/effect was wrong, but there's more than just DU in common.

[glitch]

51. It is criminal what these people have done to you, your family and everyone else they ever touch.

Welcome to DU. :hug:

[glitch]

52. It is criminal what these people have done to you, your family and everyone else they ever touch.

Welcome to DU. :hug:

[wordpix]

98. so sorry, Rozlee

:cry:

[juno jones]

41. K&R! n/t

[Swede Atlanta]

42. Another reason ............

to try and hang the entire Bush cabal by their nads or hooters. Period.

[FiveGoodMen]

44. First we have to do something about the guy who's protecting them.

[demoleft]

49. falluja. have a look at this.

http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/inchiesta/body.asp

from the public italian tv website rai.

[stray cat]

54. Let them die -not our problem since all we should do is leave right?

its their country....

[StarryNite]

55. War...

The gift that keeps on giving. :cry:

[this_side_up]

59. white (yellow) phosphorus MSFS

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/P3973.htm

Hazards Identification

Emergency Overview
--------------------------
DANGER! CORROSIVE. CAUSES SEVERE IRRITATION AND BURNS TO EVERY AREA OF CONTACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED.

SAF-T-DATA(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Health Rating: 3 - Severe
Flammability Rating: 0 - None
Reactivity Rating: 2 - Moderate
Contact Rating: 4 - Extreme (Corrosive)
Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES & SHIELD; LAB COAT & APRON; VENT HOOD; PROPER GLOVES
Storage Color Code: White (Corrosive)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------




Inhalation:
Inhalation is not an expected hazard unless misted or heated to high temperatures. Mist or vapor inhalation can cause irritation to the nose, throat, and upper respiratory tract. Severe exposures can lead to a chemical pneumonitis.
Ingestion:
Corrosive. May cause sore throat, abdominal pain, nausea, and severe burns of the mouth, throat, and stomach. Severe exposures can lead to shock, circulatory collapse, and death.
Skin Contact:
Corrosive. May cause redness, pain, and severe skin burns.
Eye Contact:
Corrosive. May cause redness, pain, blurred vision, eye burns, and permanent eye damage.
Chronic Exposure:
No information found.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Persons with pre-existing skin disorders or eye problems, or impaired respiratory function may be more susceptible to the effects of the substance.

.....

Ecological Information

Environmental Fate:
When released into the soil, this material may leach into groundwater. When released to water, acidity may be readily reduced by natural water hardness minerals. The phosphate, however, may persist indefinitely.
Environmental Toxicity:
No information found.


Somewhere, I read it seeps into groundwater.

[eppur_se_muova]

81. That's phosphoric acid, not white phosphorus.

Knew something was wrong when I saw "flammability rating -- 0 none". White phosphorus is an extreme fire hazard, has to be stored under water to prevent ignition!

MSDS for white/yellow phosphorus: http://east.cherryhill.k12.nj.us/msds/OP/Phosphorus%20Yellow.pdf

Health-3
Flammability-3
Reactivity-3
Exposure-3
Storage-3

0 is low hazard, 3 is high hazard


NFPA CODE
H-4
F-4
R-2

[L0oniX]

60. Our own vets are getting sick from DU as well. Check this link out!

Everything you ever wanted to know about DU ----> http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/ud_main.html

DEPLETED URANIUM BURNING: AN E T E R N A L MEDICAL DISASTER
Issues on the Use and Effects of an ILLEGAL RADIATION Weapon

http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/extremedeformities.html

[Solly Mack]

61. K&R

[this_side_up]

62. some MSDS info on depleted uranium

http://www.ibilabs.com/URANIUM-MSDS.htm

Conditions to Avoid: Prevent contact with incompatible chemicals. Do not create dusty work conditions. Do not expose to oxidizers.



Hazardous Decomposition Products: Uranium metal fume and/or oxide can be produced during uranium fires. Radioactive progeny (daughters) thorium‑234, protactinium‑234, and ‑234m (metastable) are produced by natural radioactive decay; they are the source of the majority of the penetrating radiation. These isotopes can be concentrated in situations where the metal is melted, condensed, or dissolved, potentially elevating the observed external dose rate.

Summary of Risk: Uranium and its salts are both toxic and radioactive. Dermatitis, renal damage, acute necrotic arterial lesions, and possibly death may occur from extreme exposure. Inhalation of fine uranium particles presents increased radiation hazards; isolated uranium particles in the lungs may be a long‑term cancer hazard. The more soluble uranium compounds are considered most toxic to the kidneys; the lung is the critical organ for insoluble respirable dusts or fines such as oxide powders. Uranium dusts are respiratory irritants, with coughing, shortness of breath as possible outcomes. Prolonged skin contact can cause damage to the basal cells. Radioactivity is the property of the spontaneous emissions of alpha or beta particles and gamma rays, by the disintegration of the nuclei of the atoms.



Medical Conditions Which May Be Aggravated by Contact: None reported.

Target Organs: Respiratory system; skin; eyes; kidneys; liver; blood; lymphatic system; and bone marrow.



Primary Entry Route(s): In solid forms, ingestion, skin, or eye contact. Inhalation of dusts or fines.



Acute Effects: Nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and coughing.



Chronic Effect(s): Primarily the effects of radiation from insoluble compounds. Possibilities include pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis, lymphoma, osteosarcoma, and lung cancer.



Eye Contact: Flush immediately, including under the eyelids, gently but thoroughly with flooding amounts of running water for at least 15 minutes.

Skin Contact: Immediately wash with soap and water. Decontaminate body surfaces following

radiation standards (procedures). Be careful not to abrade skin, in order to avoid

systemic uptake.

Inhalation: Remove exposed person to fresh air and support breathing as needed.

Ingestion: Never give anything by mouth to someone who is unconscious or convulsing. Seek professional medical assistance.



GET MEDICAL HELP (INPLANT OR COMMUNITY) FOR ALL EXPOSURES. Seek prompt medical assistance for further treatment, observation, and support after first aid. Follow established procedures including radiation monitoring programs. NOTE TO PHYSICIAN: Following significant ingestion, gastric lavage, with 2% bicarbonate solution, is recommended. A 5% bicarbonate solution has been used by some poison control specialists in radiation treatment. Depending on the solubility of the material, follow-­up bioassay (urine) sampling can be used to assess the severity of a potential assimilation.



Carcinogenicity: The NTP, IARC, and OSHA do not specifically list uranium and its compounds as

carcinogens; because of its radioactivity it is considered a carcinogen if inhaled, ingested, or injected. The ACGIH lists uranium and its compounds as an A1 (Confirmed Human) carcinogen. NIOSH also lists uranium and its compounds as a confirmed carcinogen.



SECTION VII. SPILL, LEAK, AND DISPOSAL PROCEDURES



Spill/Leak Procedures: Accidental leaks or spills of uranium and its compounds must be planned for well in advance of starting any work procedure. Special radiation procedures are required and professional assistance may be needed. Notify safety or health physics personnel, evacuate all non‑essential personnel, and provide adequate ventilation. Clean‑up personnel need protection against contact with and inhalation of dust or oxides.



Waste Management/Disposal: Follow all applicable federal, state, and/or local regulations governing the disposal of radioactive waste and contaminated materials.



OSHA Designations:

Listed as Air Contaminant (29 CFR 1910.1000)

EPA Designations:

RCRA Hazardous Waste (40 CFR 261.33): Exempted from RCRA regulation as Source Material.

SARA Extremely Hazardous Substance (40 CFR 355): Not listed.

SARA Section 313 Toxic Chemical (40 CFR 372.65): Not listed.

Reported in EPA TSCA Inventory: Yes

Transportation Data (49 CFR 172.101‑2):

Proper Shipping Name: Radioactive Material, Low Specific Activity, n.o.s.

Identification Number: UN 2912

DOT Hazard Class: Radioactive Material, Class 7 UN Register: UN 2912


Goggles: Wear safety glasses with side shields. In dusty environments, wear chemical safety goggles and a face shield, per OSHA eye‑ and face‑protection regulations.



Respirator: For emergency operations, entry into unknown atmospheres, or atmospheres immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH), wear a SCBA with a full‑face piece operated in the pressure demand (positive pressure) mode. If significant oxide or powder formation has become airborne or the concentrations exceed OSHA, and/or NRC limits, wear a properly fitted NIOSH-approved air‑purifying respirator equipped with HEPA cartridges. Because each type of respirator has an assigned protection factor, respirator selection should be done by an industrial hygienist, health physicist, or other qualified individual.

Workplace Considerations



Ventilation: Provide local ventilation as required to maintain exposure below the USNRC DAC (Derived Air Concentration) and OSHA PELs specified in Section 2.



Safety Stations: Where powders, fines, dusts, or fumes of the metal are likely to be present, make emergency eye wash stations, safety/quick‑drench showers, and washing facilities available in the work area. At a minimum, emergency eyewashes and showers should meet the design and performance requirements of the current ANSI Z358.1 Emergency Eyewash and Shower Standard.

Contamination: Practice good personal hygiene. Always wash thoroughly after using this material. Avoid transferring it from your hands to your mouth while eating, drinking, or smoking. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in work areas. Do not allow exposure of personnel with open wounds or cuts. Use radiation monitoring equipment, if available, responsive to alpha and beta emissions.


http://www.ibilabs.com/U3O8-MSDS.htm

SECTION VI. HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION

Summary of Risk: Uranium and its salts are both toxic and radioactive. Dermatitis, renal damage, acute necrotic arterial lesions, and possibly death may occur from extreme exposure. Inhalation of fine uranium particles presents increased radiation hazards; isolated uranium particles in the lungs may be a long-term cancer hazard. The more soluble uranium compounds are considered most toxic to the kidneys; the lung is the critical organ for insoluble respirable dusts or fines such as oxide powders. Uranium dusts are respiratory irritants, with coughing or shortness of breath as possible outcomes. Prolonged skin contact can cause damage to the basal cells. Radioactivity is the property of the spontaneous emissions of alpha or beta particles and gamma rays, by the disintegration of the nuclei of the atoms.

Medical Conditions Which May Be Aggravated by Contact: None reported.

Target Organs: Respiratory system, skin, eyes, kidneys, liver, blood, lymphatic system, and bone marrow.

Primary Entry Route(s): Inhalation of dusts or fines, ingestion, skin or eye contact.

Acute Effects: Nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and coughing.

Chronic Effect(s): Primarily the effects of radiation from insoluble compounds. Possibilities include pneumoconiosis, pulmonary fibrosis, lymphoma, osteosarcoma, and lung cancer.

Eye Contact: Flush immediately, including under the eyelids, gently but thoroughly with flooding amounts of running water for at least 15 minutes.

Skin Contact: Immediately wash with soap and water. Decontaminate body surfaces following radiation
standards (procedures). Be careful not to abrade skin, in order to avoid systemic uptake.

Inhalation: Remove exposed person to fresh air and support breathing as needed.

Ingestion: Never give anything by mouth to someone who is unconscious or convulsing. Seek professional medical assistance.

GET MEDICAL HELP (INPLANT OR COMMUNITY) FOR ALL EXPOSURES. Seek prompt medical assistance for further treatment, observation, and support after first aid. Follow established procedures including radiation monitoring programs. NOTE TO PHYSICIAN: Following significant ingestion, gastric lavage, with 2% bicarbonate solution, is recommended. A 5% bicarbonate solution has been used by some poison control specialists in radiation treatment. Depending on the solubility of the material, follow--up bioassay (urine) sampling can be used to assess the severity of a potential assimilation.

Carcinogenicity: The NTP, IARC, and OSHA do not specifically list uranium and its compounds as
carcinogens; because of its radioactivity it is considered a carcinogen if inhaled, ingested, or injected. The ACGIH lists uranium and its compounds as an A1 (Confirmed Human) carcinogen. NIOSH also lists uranium and its compounds as a confirmed carcinogen.

[Raster]

66. But...but...but... "...LEAD is over twice as toxic as depleted uranium."

[NickB79]

73. Have you ever read the MSDS for lead?

It's no prettier than that for DU.

[ronnie624]

88. Unlike weaponized uranium oxide

lead does not vaporize on impact into tiny particle that contaminate food and water, which are then absorbed by the tissues in the body. Some of the particles are small enough to pass through cell membranes, where they react harmfully with delicate cellular chemistry or bombard organelles like mitochondria with gamma rays. Comparing lead toxicity to that of depleted uranium after it has been used in battle is complete nonsense.

[Mira]

70. I am not able, tonight, maybe ever, to read the responses to this. I do have to

say:
In November 2004 I screamed about 2 things. Fallujah, and what was about to happen there and did, and the supposed re-election of you know who.
I look back on that month as one of the worst in my life for those reasons, and I have personally been through a lot.

Just writing this much makes tears run down my cheek, and there are people in my own family who have never seen me cry.

[condoleeza]

72. We're going to have to declare war on lots of countries if we want to get rid of all of

our toxic waste like we tried to do in Iraq. Truly one of the most shameful things this country has ever done, but then Bush Sr. has no soul and his son was almost as bad.

[Liberty Belle]

76. How close is Fallujah to regions with many Chaldeans?

We have the nation's largest population of Iraqi Chaldean Christian refugees in our area. These are families resettled here by our government because of the war. I am wondering if many of them are having babies with birth defects. I am a journalist and would be very interested in anyone with stats or info on birth defects among Iraqi refugees.

[arthritisR_US]

78. well.....isn't that the price of freedom?....

:sarcasm:

[irislake]

83. Thank God we have the U.S.

to keep us safe from terror.

[swilton]

84. Sounds Like the Usual Cocktails

White Phosphorous, Depleted Uranium et. al.

Thanks for Posting and Reminding Us :kick:

[swilton]

85. Depleted Uranium was first used in Gulf War I

Pardon me for rambling - I did a graduate school study on health and war in 2004 - though some of it is dated and the current stats are probably much worse, here is some info on depleted uranium and health in Iraq.

Before the 1991 war, the Iraqi health budget was about $80/person and was one of the best health care systems (less Israel) in the Middle East; by 1996, it had fallen to $17. In January, 2003, CESR (Center for Economic and Social Rights) reported that vaccine-preventable diseases of childhood were under reasonable control and diarrhea and acute respiratory infections were treated competently. Over the past decade however, CESR noted there had been outbreaks of poliomyelitis, diphtheria, measles, and typhoid fever – diseases which posed threats for a post-conflict period in Iraq.

Before its use in 1991 in the conflict in Iraq and subsequent conflicts in the Balkans and the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, depleted uranium (DU) had many medical and industrial uses. DU weapons alloy is 99.8% 238U, emitting 60% of the alpha, beta, and gamma radiation of natural uranium. Asaf Durakovic of the Uranium Medical Research Center in Washington, DC reports “DU is a heavy metal, 160% denser than lead. It is organotropic (settles in body organs to produce changes in those organs) and ultimately gets incorporated into target organs, such as the skeletal tissue, where it has a long-term retention. Slowly soluble, uranium isotopes are gradually incorporated from the retention sites and have been detected in the urine of Persian Gulf War I veterans 10 years after inhalation exposure or shrapnel wounds. Tissue distribution studies reported DU accumulation in the bone, kidney, reproductive system, brain, and lung, with verified genotoxic mutagenic and carcinogenic properties as well as reproductive and teratogenic alterations.” (Durakovic 2003, 524)

During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, DU, because of its high density, was used as an armor penetrating ordinance. Indeed, because DU is said to have rendered tanks and armor useless, it is credited for revolutionizing warfare. When a DU penetrator hits an armored target, the target disintegrates due to the resulting kinetic energy transfer resulting in high temperatures. The particles that form from disintegration of DU-penetrators are usually small, and due to their high density they probably settled on damaged armored vehicles, reinforced bunkers and on to the surrounding sand. The use of DU by the weapons industry is a cost savings tactic; reusing the uranium material saves the expensive process of disposing of nuclear waste. The downside is that the material clearly represents a radiation hazard which is indiscriminate; battlefields are going to be contaminated and civilian populations exposed. (Busby, 27)

Depleted Uranium or exposure to radiation is one of the leading theories associated with Gulf War Syndrome and Gulf War Illness, terms that have been used to describe a collection of chronic signs and symptoms reported by US, British, Canadian, Czech, Danish, Saudi, Egyptian, Syrian, Moroccan and other Coalition Armed Forces that were deployed to Operation Desert Storm in 1991.(Nicolson, et. al. 2002, 432) Common signs of this illness considered by the Center for Disease Control include: joint pain, chronic fatigue, memory loss, sleep difficulties, headaches, skin rashes, joint stiffness, depression, irritability, gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, sinus congestion, and speaking problems.(ibid) and According to the Center for Disease Control studies, veterans with GWI have chronic illnesses at higher rates than military personnel from the same units that were not deployed to the Persian Gulf . As of 2003, of the nearly 700,00 Gulf War Veterans returned to the United States after serving in ‘Desert Storm’, 240,000 are on permanent disability and more than 10,000 are dead. (Moret, 129)

INCIDENCE OF MALIGNANT DISEASE IN BASRAH CHILDREN (statistics from 2003)
YEAR 1990 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Leukemia 15 15 14 25 24 24 24 30 60
Lymphoma 2 4 1 5 8 8 9 19 13
Brain Tumor 1 4 3 2 5 6 2 2 3
Wilms Tumor 1 3 2 4 1 0 0 3 0
Neuro blastoma 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 6 3
Others 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 5 13
Total 19 27 21 36 38 43 42 65 92

[defendandprotect]

87. k i c k

[ConcernedCanuk]

95. Depleted Uranium - it will be killing for decades.

.
.
.

There is a REASON DU was banned

and a reason the PNAC gang ignored the ban

DU kills for millenniums

Hitler is smiling

(sigh)

[lovuian]

104. yep

we nuked Iraq Afghanistan and other places
we killed our own soldiers

all for GREED

[Pavulon]

114. WHO says that is bullshit.

it has a nice ring to it, but is just a lie.

[wordpix]

97. another Bush "freedom" legacy

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

100. Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours

[Name removed]

105. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pavulon]

110. Yep, google for similar pics in israel. It is a tactic. bullshit spread

to people who are to ill informed to tell the difference. They are blaming phosphorus which is not a radionuclide. This is a sucker story designed for people who want to believe this. ANyone with a background in any type of science would ask why is this not happening everywhere we used these weapons.
Kuwait?, nope.

Because there is NO DATA here, no study, no sample, just opinion. You cant make a gold watch from goldfish.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

108. I had a neighbor who died in the early 1980s.

He was a Vietnam War veteran. His family was convinced that Agent Orange (defoliant sprayed on Vietnam) killed him.


I would not be surprised at all if that was the reason.

[Pavulon]

109. Bullshit.

This did not happen on bosnia or kuwait where DU was used to destroy armor. There was no armor in Falluja and no reason to use a penetrator round. If you watch footage from liveleak you see plenty of HE rounds (the ones that splatter people) used. This is a bullshit story and is recycled from last week.

This is like the new bio weapon israel used in the last war that just kills muslims.

So WP is the culprit now?

[unaffiliated liberal]

115. WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?

Have you seen the satellite photos of Fallujah before and after the American military attack? They threw everything they had at Fallujah. EVERYTHING. White phosphorous, DU, and every other munition in their arsenal.

What's your explanation for the rise in birth defects?

BTW, it DID happen in Kuwait. Gulf War Syndrome. But just like you, the US government still won't admit the cause.

[Pavulon]

116. I have seen NGA photos before and after, they do not show that.

I will look for the links. If they threw everything the city would have looked like Stalingrad. If we set up a perimeter and used strategic bombers and hundreds of 155 tubes they would all be fucking dead. I know how 155 /105 works and it is the grim reaper in a ground war. I took a taxpayer tour of Yugoslavia after their war and saw massive devastation in major cities.

Where do you get this data from, your ass? Do you know what DU is used for, what weapon systems use it? I do. I cant think of any target that would require Du in falluja. HE would be used, as would WP.

The WHO has real data on this, unless you claim they are faking it you are just wrong. Here is a two headed Iraqi DU turtle for you effort. Teh turtle questions you logic..

[Pavulon]

117. And here are the KH photos..(see the little NGA stamp)

look at them. Or I can save you the time. it is not dresden. Again the two headed DU turtle scorns your unfounded claim.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/fallujah-imagery.htm

[unaffiliated liberal]

121. The FACT that 70% of the city was destroyed is widely accepted

except by a few people who refuse to admit the facts.

But you and your turtle keep having a good time, whatever it is you two do together.

[unaffiliated liberal]

122. Not to mention the FACT that America attacked Iraq

without provocation or cause.

But it's OK. No action happens in a vacuum. There is always a reaction, and we're suffering the blowback from our unprovoked attack still to this day. But that's OK too. Nice folks like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their cohorts in the military, along with nice all-American companies like Haliburton and Blackwater made a real killing killing all those innocent Iraqis.

Just a few more facts you can disagree with.

[Pavulon]

127. Blah, quit bullshitting, I called your shit

and you can post on topic or continue to shuck and jive. THis is not church, your beliefs are not relevant. Post a link that concludes we used DU and that it has an impact in this story. That or admit you got treble hooked by a horseshit piece of story.

I am not talking about the reasons leading up to and during the war that led us here. Plenty of good books you can read with out me spoon feeding you.

Focus, DU and claim of massive increase of cancer in a city, contrary to science. Recycled story is a spinoff of one claiming 1 in 4 kiddies had defect. Even a moron would spot that as shit.

Numbers to back it (like the WHO and UN data on kosovo) or sit down with this. You have no facts.

[Pavulon]

126. By who, I posted imagery, at least post something other than your worthless

opinion. Please. Else I will post two headed kittens. The extra head is an obvious side effect of uranium exposure.

[ronnie624]

123. Lol.

Doofus.

[Pavulon]

124. So the word one response

is accepted commentary. Standards are falling. post something, anything even a bullshit rense link is better than that.