Main Menu
Main menu Arabic
About us
Suggested sites
Weapon of mass destruction used
EXCLUSIVE: Iraq War records reignite debate over US use of depleted uranium
By Samuel Oakford
Freelance journalist based in New York, and regular IRIN contributor
NEW YORK, 6 October 20
Data to be made public this week reveals the extent to which the weapons were used on “soft targets”
Records detailing as many as 181,000 rounds of depleted uranium munitions shot in 2003 by American forces in Iraq have been unearthed by researchers, representing the most significant public documentation of the controversial armament's use during the US-led invasion.
The cache, released to George Washington University in 2013 but until now not made public, shows that a majority of the 1,116 sorties carried out by A-10 jet crews during March and April of 2003 were aimed at so-called “soft targets” like cars and trucks, as well as buildings and troop positions. This runs parallel to accounts that the munitions were used on a wide array of targets and not just against the tanks and armoured vehicles that the Pentagon maintains super-penetrative DU munitions are intended for.
US fired depleted uranium at civilian areas in 2003 Iraq war, report finds
US forces fired depleted uranium (DU) weapons at civilian areas and troops in Iraq in breach of official advice meant to prevent unnecessary suffering in conflicts, a report has found.
Coordinates revealing where US jets and tanks fired nearly 10,000 DU rounds in Iraq during the war in 2003 have been obtained by the Dutch peace group Pax. This is the first time that any US DU firing coordinates have been released, despite previous requests by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Iraqi government.
According to PAX's report, which is due to be published this week, the data shows that many of the DU rounds were fired in or near populated areas of Iraq, including As Samawah, Nasiriyah and Basrah. At least 1,500 rounds were also aimed at troops, the group says.
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium (DU; also referred to in the past as Q-metal, depletalloy or D-38) is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium.[2] (Natural uranium contains about 0.72% of its fissile isotope U-235, while the DU used by the U.S. Department of Defense contain 0.3% U-235 or less). Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3 (68.4% denser than lead). Civilian uses include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shielding in medical radiation therapy and industrial radiography equipment, and containers for transporting radioactive materials. Military uses include armor plating and armor-piercing projectiles.
Assessment of Environmental “Hot Spots” in Iraq
Depleted uranium (DU) rounds
Multi-national forces used depleted armour piercing DU ammunition in the 2003 conflict; as 30mm shells in A10 ground attack aircraft and as 100 and 120mm anti-tank rounds used in American and British tanks.
DU is used in military operations as its very high density makes it suitable for use as penetrators which destroy armoured vehicles by punching a hole in solid steel walls and breaking up inside the vehicle.
Many of the destroyed Iraqi tanks and APCs were hit by DU rounds, normally 2 -7 times per armoured vehicle. These vehicles are therefore expected to have extensive DU contamination in the form of dust and large fragments. Over time, DU corrodes to uranium oxide powder, causing further dispersion.
DU presents a chemical hazard as it is moderately toxic (approximately the same as other heavy metals such as lead). It also presents a low-level radioactive hazard10. If DU is included in tanks taken away for scrap metal recovery, its fate can vary according to its form and the type of processing:
IN A STATE OF UNCERTAINTY
Executive summary
The use of depleted uranium (DU) in conventional munitions has generated controversy for more than 30 years. Research increasingly supports the idea that there may be a link between its use and reports of increasing health problems in those countries where it has been deployed. Of these, Iraq is by far the most affected country, with large quantities of DU munitions used in 1991 and 2003. However, uncertainties over its impact and implications remain. This report is one of the first to attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the use of DU in Iraq by US and UK armed forces, and the subsequent actions, or lack thereof, that have been undertaken to address the issue of DU contamination and resulting exposure to civilians. Furthermore, it will provide an overview of reported health problems that might be related to exposure to DU, and other toxic remnants of war, and will provide recommendations for next steps to be undertaken in order to minimise the risks to the civilian population.
وكالات الأمم المتحدة المتخصصة وضحايا سلاح اليورانيوم المنضب
ا
لدكتور كاظم المقدادي
بحث من خمسة اجزاء
مع الإعلان عن فتح فريق تابع للأمم المتحدة تحقيقا في تأثير اليورانيوم المنضب Depleted Uranium على البيئة في البوسنة، حيث سيعمل علماء من برنامج البيئة التابع للأمم المتحدة مع الخبراء البوسنيين لتحديد ما إذا كان استخدام هذه الذخيرة شكل مخاطر على الصحة البشرية وسبب تلوثا للتربة والنباتات والمياه أم لا.أعلن ذلك بي هافيستو- كبير خبراء البرنامج ، في مؤتمر صحفي عقده في سراييفو، صباح يوم 15 تشرين الأول / اكتوبر 2002، وأضاف بأن الدراسة ستركز على تقييم التأثيرات القصيرة والطويلة الأجل الناجمة عن استخدام هذه الذخيرة, ووضع التوصيات اللازمة لتفادي وقوع أي مخاطر محتملة.مع فتح هذا التحقيق يعود موضوع أضرار اليورانيوم المنضب الى الواجهة، وإن بوجل، خصوصاً في وسائل الأعلام العربية، مع أن الدول العربية، وفي المقدمة منها دول الخليج، ولبنان وفلسطين، المتضرر الأكبر من إستخدام تلك الذخيرة المشعة والسامة كيمياوياً.كما وان التحقيق يأتي وسط تشكيك موضوعي قوي في مصداقية الوكالات المتخصصة التابعة للأمم المتحدة المعنية بالموضوع، لصمتها تارة، وتسترها،تارة أخرى، وحتى إنحياز خبراءها الى جانب مستخدمي السلاح المحرم دولياً، وإنصياعهم، ووقوعهم تحت تأثير الهيمنة الأمريكية على الأمم المتحدة وقراراتها، متناسين أن العلم بعيد عن المناورات السياسة.
مصادر وبحوث عن اليورانيم المضضب من مكتبة جامعة المستنصريه
مصادر وبحوث عن اليورانيم المضضب من مكتبة جامعة المستنصريه
Track Detection Technique Using CR-39 for Determining Depleted Uranium in Biological Specimens
Shakir M. Murbat Al-jobori Madenat Al-elem University College, Al-KhAdumia, Badhdad, Iraq. :
Abstract:
Track detecting technique using CR-39 track detector has been implemented for determining depleted uranium concentration in biological specimens (tissues, bones, and blood) of patients infected with cancer diseases. Results were compared with specimens of patients infected with conventional diseases (noncancerous). Specimens were collected from middle and south of Iraq have been contaminated with depleted uranium in the Gulf war in 1991. Results show that this technique is efficient for determining depleted uranium concentration in biological specimens. It was found that all studies samples determine for patients infected with cancer diseases contain a high concentration of depleted uranium
(more than the international standard) comparing with noncancerous diseases. Moreover, it was found that persons infected with Leukemia show more sensitive to uranium concentrations to induce the diseases (66-202 ppb), while (116- 1910 ppb) concentrations were needed for inducing cancer diseases in organs and tissues. Result confirmed the correlation between cancerous diseases and the munitions made of depleted uranium used in the Gulf war in 1991 leads to contaminate the Iraqi environment and causes a high risk against people in Iraq.
Depleted uranium used by US forces blamed for birth defects and cancer in Iraq
Published time: 22 Jul, 2013 13:21
The US military’s use of depleted uranium in Iraq has led to a sharp increase in Leukemia and birth defects in the city of Najaf – and panicked residents are fearing for their health. Cancer is now more common than the flu, a local doctor tells RT.The city of Najaf saw one of the most severe military actions during the 2003 invasion. RT traveled to the area, quickly learning that every residential street in several neighborhoods has seen multiple cases of families whose children are ill, as well as families who have lost children, and families who have many relatives suffering from cancer.
The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children
Published on Sep 16, 2014
An award winning documentary film produced for German television by Freider Wagner and Valentin Thurn.
The film exposes the use and impact of radioactive weapons during the current war against Iraq. The story is told by citizens of many nations.
It opens with comments by two British veterans, Kenny Duncan and Jenny Moore, describing their exposure to radioactive, so-called depleted uranium (DU), weapons and the congenital abnormalities of their children.
Dr. Siegwart-Horst Gunther, a former colleague of Albert Schweitzer, and Tedd Weyman of the Uranium Medical Research Center (UMRC) traveled to Iraq, from Germany and Canada respectively, to assess uranium contamination in Iraq.