Depleted uranium weapons

Premise





This article examines a very controversial topic, on which the sources do not allow you to make full clarity, and that is the use of depleted uranium weapons in the recent armed conflict and its effects on humans and the environment. In this context, several factors lead me to believe that in certain cases the Depleted Uranium (DU) could prove highly detrimental to health, but that its danger is often underestimated mainly due to objective difficulties involved in trying to determine experimentally the presence of metal1. On the other hand it is very likely that the use of depleted uranium falls into a market logic that favors the interests of the defense industry.

1 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis and facts on depleted uranium (DU), its use in the Balkans, on the health consequences of military and population, http :/ / www.scienzaepace.it /% 20scientifici/documentoDU1.html contributions, p.9.



Definition and use of depleted uranium



Uranium is a heavy metal that is found in small amounts in nature and which contains three radioactive isotopes (U-234, U-235 and U-238), with a clear predominance of U-238 . The uranium used in nuclear weapons is enriched with the fissile isotope 235, and is in fact known as enriched uranium. The waste material instead of doing this is known as depleted uranium, depleted or off. In uranium depleted in the isotope 235 is far less than that contained in natural uranium and its radioactivity is considered "low-level" compared to the "high level" of its nuclear weapons, and very dangerous because of the gamma-ray high energy2. Depleted uranium, emits only alpha and beta particles, is ranked in the lowest category of risk between the isotopes radioattivi3, but we can not exclude that it may prove to be equally harmful, especially if inhaled or ingested in large amounts.

2 The health effects of depleted uranium, http://www.uranioimpoverito.it/sanita.htm, p.2.
3 What is depleted uranium, http://www.uranioimpoverito.it/cosa_e.htm, p.1.

The relative abundance of depleted uranium, as found in deposits as radioactive waste material, in addition to its low cost and its high density and resistance are at the base of the main civilian use of Depleted Uranium (DU). It is used, for example, as material for protection against high-level radiation in the medical sector and as an element of the sinker bars, ie weights that serve to make sink equipment in oil wells. It 'also used as a counterweight for aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 or Lockheed C-130 military aircraft.

In addition to the sectors of civil, depleted uranium is also widely used in the armor of certain weapons systems and munitions for military use. It should be mentioned in this regard that if combined with other chemical elements, such as titanium or molybdenum, and subjected to heating at around 450 degrees, depleted uranium shows the same properties of hardness and strength which are proper hardened steel for tools . Therefore, in the case of its possible use in anti-tank ammunition, it is able to pierce the armor with greater effectiveness of the other chemical element present in the arsenals of different armies nazionali4, tungsten crystalline. The fact that the uranium off has a lower cost and is available in a quantity greater than the tungsten, however, means that it is preferred to the latter, and this in spite of its undeniable greater toxicity and radioactivity.

4 Depleted Uranium - Military Uses Depleted Uranium - http://www.peaclink.it/dossier/uranio/cosae1.htm, p.1.



Consequences for man and the environment



Depleted uranium was used for the first time in an armed conflict in 1991, during the Gulf War, and later involved in the military operations that saw NATO troops in Kosovo5. In this regard, several parts have been raised strong concerns about the fact that the ammunition used in areas that were the scene of the clashes could now pose a serious threat both to the health of those who live and work, both for ' environment. In particular, the risks could arise from chemical or radiological properties of uranium off.

5 PeaceLink (ed.), History. The history of depleted uranium, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/u238/storia.shtml, pp.1-3.

According to a 1999 report, prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however, the depleted uranium shells do not represent a real risk from the point of view radiologico6. The same report indicates, however, that the few scientific studies conducted in the areas covered by the conflict, would not be sufficient to express an opinion definitiv7.

6 International Atomic Energy Agency, Depleted Uranium, 1999 p.4.
7 International Atomic Energy Agency, Depleted Uranium, ibid.

In April 2001, another authoritative international organization, the World Health Organization (WHO), published "Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposure and Health Hazards", a monograph containing a series of recommendations related to Depleted Uranium and public health. According to the monograph, depleted uranium may have chemical and radiological effects on health, but to observe any symptom exposure to the metal should be significantly lunga8. However, the study carried out by the WHO admits the lack of comprehensive information about the effects of depleted uranium on the human body and identifies areas where more research accurate, however, citing the need to clarify the extent of possible damage to the kidneys caused at theuranium9 exposure.

8 World Health Organization, WHO makes recommendations on Depleted Uranium and Health in New Monograph, WHO/22 Press Release, 26 April 2001, p.1.
9 World Health Organization, WHO makes recommendations, p.2.

On the other hand several analyzes seem to confirm the fact that depleted uranium, albeit less radioactive than natural, however, would represent a serious danger to humans and the environment. The report prepared in January 2001 by the "Women of Science and scientists against the war" 10 states as in the case of explosions caused by uranium weapons off the dangerous metal and can catch fire quickly, and then you nebulizzi, contaminating the first 'environment and then reflecting the man through the air, water and alimenti11. Always based on the reconstruction of the Committee, to block the alpha radiation emitted by depleted uranium would be enough with a thin layer of skin, but if this radiation was emitted inside the human body it would cause serious damage to cells and cromosomi12. From the thesis of the Committee is clear, finally, that would be especially lung cells and the hematopoietic cells as a high rate of proliferation, to be particularly sensitive to radiation. The occurrence of any disease due to Depleted Uranium would depend, however, especially by the amount of uranium dust ingested or inhaled, and therefore the presence of depleted uranium in the environment, the physical characteristics of the chemical and radioactive expotitione13 time.

10 April 1999 in various research centers and university departments Italian arose spontaneously 'committees against the war "(that of NATO against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), consisting of male and female researchers who began to send e-mail messages showing dissent. Shortly after nationwide formed the Committee "of Science and scientists against the war." Among its key initiatives is to mention a scientific seminar on the effects of the war in the Balkans, held in Rome in June 1999, which intervened between the other researchers of CNR, ENEA, the Italian Ministry of Environment and teachers belonging to departments of several Italian universities.
11 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, p.2.
12 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, p.3.
13 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, ibid.

In addition to the potential effects on humans, then it is very likely that depleted uranium to produce long-term effects on the environment. The scientist Prof. Dr. Siegwart-Horst Guenther, president of the Yellow Cross International and an honorary member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, said in this regard that the toxic particles released by the burning of an unexploded shell or debris may be transported hundreds of kilometers by the wind before being deposited on the ground and then be absorbed by humans or polluting the water acquifere14. In this context, NATO would be involved in the first person, however, because of its substantial bombing, between April and June 1999, the Depleted Uranium weapons on Djavolnje Stene, in Yugoslavia, just to experience the impact of their arms locale15 environment.

14 What is depleted uranium, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/u238/scheda_pck.shtml, p.1.
15 The case of Djavolnje Stene: http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/ambiente/devils_walls.shtml, p.1.



The use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War



In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait to gain control of its oil resources, as well as an outlet to the Persian Gulf. In January 1991, the United Nations authorized it then Operation Desert Storm, which saw NATO forces involved. Despite the apparent gaps in the documentation, controversial opinions, constant accusations and denials, it has been suggested that all parties to the conflict have made extensive use of depleted uranium weapons in the share militar16.

16 The Gulf War and the Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), http://www.uranioimpoverito.it/golfwar.htm, p.1.

In particular, in 1999 it was estimated that the U.S. and allied troops had scattered some 315 tons of depleted uranium during the Gulf War. NATO also did not communicate to ground troops the potential risks of this radioactive metal, or disclosed information about the security measures necessary to defend itself against its effetti17. Consequently, a number of U.S. veterans associations and other interest groups are asking today whether there is a direct link between depleted uranium contamination and the so-called "Gulf War Syndrome", which would affect more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers and among other members of the military forces alleate18.

17 Roger Smith / Brice Friedman, Depleted Uranium Weaponry: Background, 6 April 1999 http://www.fas.org/ ... od-101/ops/docs99/990406-kosovo-du.htm, p.1. Roger Smith is the coordinator of the NGO "Committee on Disarmament", a coalition that helps citizens access to UN activities related to disarmament.
18 Roger Smith / Brice Friedman, Depleted Uranium Weaponry, p.1.

In May 2000, the Conference of the States members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iraq accused the United States and Great Britain have used depleted uranium during Operation Desert Storm, causing an increase in cancer cases , especially among children. The state then asked the Iraqi banning Depleted Uranium weapons and appealed to the Conference, in order for this to adopt concrete measures to reduce the effects of contamination on Iraq and recognize the right to demand reparations for the unjustified use of "weapons of Mass Destruction "19.

19 Press Release DC/2702, Iraq charges United States, United Kingdom with use of Depleted Uranium in the 1991 Gulf War; also in. 'aggression' against Yugoslavia, May 1, 2000. mold release is available on the website http://www.un.org.

Consistent with this approach, both the Iraq and Kuwait then demanded an independent investigation to clarify the potential effects of depleted uranium weapons on military personnel and civilians. In particular, the state of Iraq addressed to the Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, while Kuwait appealed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 20.

20 Paul Brown, seeks Gulf war Iraq uranium check, in The Guardian (London), April 30, 2001, p.13.

Confirming the fears of Iraq and Kuwait, to some research carried out between 1991 and 1997 by Prof. Dr. Siegwart-Horst Guenther in the state of Iraq, it is clear that contact with depleted uranium bullets would have resulted in an increase of suspicion illnesses among the Iraqi population, including leukemia and other malignancies, congenital diseases caused by genetic defects - such as malformation or lack of eyes and ears - herpes, dysfunction of the liver and kidneys. Prof. Dr.Guenther would, however, revealed a remarkable similarity between the strains found in hereditary children of American and British soldiers and Iraqi children, especially in the southern regions of the Iraq21.

21 Siegwart-Horst Guenther, as the residues of depleted uranium shells are poisoning Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/effetti/guenther.shtml , p.1.

The dangers of DU was confirmed during a scientific conference, held in December 1998 under the patronage of Iraq. In this circumstance Iraqi doctors and scientists exhibited their thesis on the consequences of the use of depleted uranium during the war of Golfo22. Some interventions illustrated as the beginning of military actions were recorded radioactivity levels higher than normal in the southern areas of Iraq, and birth defects in children, found especially near the city of Basra, were even tripled. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, however, would have refuted the figures released by the expert 23.

22 Outbreak of malignant tumors in Iraq, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/effetti/iraq.shtml, p.2.
23 Epidemic, ibid.

The differences that occur in the thesis advanced by scientists, politicians, journalists and representatives of interest groups seem, in fact, confirm the objective difficulties that occur in an attempt to demonstrate the toxic effects of uranium oxides. Probably the consequences may be less severe in the case of the soldiers who inhaled DU in a limited way, but you can not rule out greater risks for the local population. Years or even decades of exposure to depleted uranium, but also the penetration of fragments or particles of DU in the human body through wounds could be far more serious pathologies record. And still the embargo imposed on Iraqi civilians, which prevents them from access to medicines and appropriate equipment, certainly increases the likelihood that symptoms of contamination degenerate into irreversible damage.



The situation in the Balkans



Between August and September 1994 A-10 NATO planes bombed Bosnia with uranium impoverito24; then exactly one year after the Allied Forces returned to hit the Bosnian Republic with Tomahawk missiles and about 10,000 depleted uranium munitions. The areas most affected would be those around Sarajevo and in central Bosnia and center-meridionale25. The same U.S. Department of Defense has recognized on several occasions the responsibility of NATO in relation to the use of Depleted Uranium weapons in the course of the bombing of Bosnia in 199 526. Moreover, even an official statement of the time, the Allied Forces Southern Europe Fact sheet provides an estimate of depleted uranium munitions used during Operation Deliberate Force, between August 29 and September 14 199 527.

24 PeaceLink (ed.), History, p.2.
25 General Information, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/effetti/bastic.shtml, p.3.
26 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, p.5.
27 The Allied Forces Southern Europe Fact Sheet is available at http://www.afsouth.nato.int/FACTSHEETS/DeliberateForceFactSheet.htm.

With regard to the effects of the bombing, a Bosnian journalist intrattenutasi long in areas subject to attack NATO, Jasna Bastic, revealed disturbing details. The journalist reported, in fact, an alarming increase in cases of cancer and other diseases recorded in the five years since the start of military action. Only in the Bosnian town of Doboj, for example, the percentage of cancer and respiratory problems would have been 2.5 times higher than well before attacchi28. And not unlike the situation would appear to Kalinovik, especially where the lung cancer would be increased considerably as a result guerra29. As rightly denounced by Jasna Bastic30, one of the most urgent problems now concerns the fact that the Bosnian health authorities do not have adequate equipment to detect the presence of uranium in the civilian population and then barely able to take care of the people who would present the typical symptoms contamination or poisoning.

28 Information, p.4.
29 Information, ibid.
30 Information, ibid.

In the period between March and June 1999, NATO again resorted to bullets to Depleted uranium in the bombing of Kosovo and Yugoslavia, and in February 2000 the Allied forces publicly admitted the use of these munitions during Operation Allied Force. The Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson, communicated, in fact, the relevant data in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan31. According to the letter, NATO would have shot about 31,000 depleted uranium munitions in the course of nearly 100 missioni32. This information was then reviewed by a panel of scientists set up in 1999 within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in order to analyze the environmental consequences of the Kosovo war. The group, who were part of experts from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, concluded, however, that the new data were not sufficient to make a reliable scientific assessment in regarding the impact of DU on the environment and the population of Kosovo. However, the experts suggested that appropriate measures were taken to prevent local authorities and civilians access to the sites at risk contamination 33.

31 UN Press Release HAB/163 - UNEP/67, NATO Confirms to United Nations use of depleted uranium During Kosovo conflict, March 22, 2000, available at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2000 / 20000322hab163.doc.html, p.1
32 UN Press Release HAB/163-UNEP/67, NATO Confirms to the United Nations, ibid.
33 UN Press Release HAB/163-UNEP/67, NATO Confirms to the United Nations, ibid.

Subsequently, in order to investigate the effects on the ground in Kosovo caused by the use of dangerous chemical agent, some UN agencies established a team of 14 scientists, who in November 2000 conducted a survey in eleven of the one hundred and twelve sites - including five in the field Italian and six in the German one - in which NATO claimed to have shot spento34 uranium munitions. The study was carried out in collaboration with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR), which provided their contribution especially in the field of logistics. It should be mentioned, however, that the work was in part hindered by the presence of mines and cluster bombs in the area. During the inspection the scientists collected samples of water, soil, vegetation, buildings, military vehicles destroyed and penetrators. At three sites also withdrew milk directly from the cows. All of these samples were then analyzed in five different laboratories, including the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SSI) of Stockholm, the AC-Laboratorium Spiez Switzerland and Bristol University's Department of Earth Sciences English. The experts examined seven cases and seven DU penetrators, an increase in the level of beta radiation in eight sites. The soil under the penetrators, however, proved only slightly contaminated. As a result, the team concluded that in areas considered chemical and radiological risks were minimal, while stressing the need to conduct further research to investigate controversial issues such as the safety of groundwater. In particular, the scientists made recommendations to extend the search to all sites contaminated by depleted uranium in Kosovo, perform the decontamination of areas affected by the presence of radioactivity and communicate any identified risks to the civilian population. The results of this study are then appeared recently in the UNEP report in March 200135.

34 UNEP Press Release, United Nations Environment Programme recommends precautionary action Regarding depleted uranium in Kosovo, Geneva, 13 March 2001, pp.1-3.
35 UNEP, Depleted Uranium in Kosovo - Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment, March 2001, available at: http://balkans.unep.ch/du/reports/report.html.

Prof. Massimo Zucchetti36, member of the "Women of Science and scientists against the war", however, said that UNEP in the research would not have been appropriate bioaccumulators used, by which it would be possible to detect the presence of depleted uranium at a distance long time by the bombing. Moreover, the fact that research has been focusing exclusively on eleven hundred and twelve of the sites listed, and that you have neglected the investigations carried out by experts from Yugoslavia immediately after the bombing - under which they would be encountered in Kosovo excessive levels of the dangerous metal - would rise, according to the scholar, doubts about the systematic and complete dell'analisi37. In particular, the study carried out exclusively in the eleven sites would not be reliable, given the characteristics of "spot" of contamination by depleted uranium, which can pulverize and spread in the air 38.

36 Massimo Zucchetti is an associate professor of energy at the Faculty of Engineering of the Polytechnic of Turin.
37 Massimo Zucchetti, Estimation of the radiological hazards from depleted uranium to the population in the Balkans, Rev.1-9 April 2001 http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/documenti/stima_danni.html, p.10.
38 Massimo Zucchetti, Estimation, p.13.

As for Italy, March 19, 2001, the Commission of inquiry into depleted uranium, appointed December 22, 2000 by Ministerial Decree of Defense and chaired by prof. Franco Mandelli39, issued a preliminary report on the incidence of malignant tumors among the Italian soldiers in a single mission in Bosnia and / or Kosovo between December 1995 and January 200140. He studied about the following diseases: Hodgkin's Lymphoma (LH ), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), emolinfoproliferative diseases, solid tumors and other cancers maligni41. As already pointed out by prof. Massimo Zucchetti the Polytechnic University of Turin, the survey focused mainly on one aspect of the question, that the greater incidence than normal of leukemia and other diseases be linked to the so-called "Balkan syndrome" among the Italian soldiers in regione42. As a result, the small number of cases analyzed according to the scholar would not allow to shed light on possible links between exposure to radiation of the military and certain forms of cancer found. And in fact, the same report, however, does mean that it will take a protracted monitoring, both to examine any new cases is to extend the controls to other populations to risck 43.

39 Professor. Franco Mandelli is the owner of the Section of Hematology, Department of Human Biopathology, University "La Sapienza" of Rome.
40 Preliminary Report of the Committee set up by the Minister of Defence on the incidence of malignant neoplasms among military employees in Bosnia and Kosovo, 19 March 2001 available at: http://www.uranioimpoverito.it/documenti/relazione% 20mandelli. pdf.
41 Preliminary Report, p.2.
42 Massimo Zucchetti, Estimation, p.11.
43 Preliminary Report, p.1.

Another significant point is that, while denying the existence of a causal link between the Hodgkin's disease - a malignant tumor of the lymphatic tissue, present mainly in the lymph nodes and spleen - and internal exposure to depleted uranium, the report suggests, however, of "... follow in time the possible evolution of the database." In this regard, the report also mentions an important study UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) 1994, which refers to some cases in excess of Hodgkin's lymphoma, although in the presence of an incidence of cancer the bones and lungs less than expected, detected among the staff handling the uranium ore, and therefore exposed to dust containing isotopes of the uranium44.

44 Preliminary Report, p.12.

Based on the findings of the Commission of the number of cases of malignant tumors is lower than that atteso45. This may be due, as already mentioned, the fact that you have included in the statistics even military personnel engaged in the Balkans for short periods so as to make it exclude any significant exposure to depleted uranium. You may, however, be of great benefit to the proposal made by the Commission, according to which the NATO countries involved in the Balkans could develop uniform criteria to estimate the incidence of tumors in the soldiers of their respective countries. The different studies should then be compared to derive an assessment global46.

45 Preliminary Report, p.15.
46 Preliminary Report, p.16.

To complete the picture, it is worth mentioning that, according to reports by the Group of Experts established within UNEP in 1999, the Kosovo conflict would not have caused an environmental catastrophe in the Balkans, but the contamination recorded at four sites in Serbia would consistent and represent a serious threat to the health pubblica47.Ciò find reflected in the fact that in Pancevo, bombed by NATO in 1999, deaths from cancer or leukemia would be considerably increased since the beginning of war 48.

47 UN Press Release HAB/163 - UNEP/67, NATO Confirms to the United Nations, p.2.
48 Giuseppe Zaccaria (sent in Pancevo), The uranium bomb that kills. The drama of the Serbs in Pancevo: 10 000 cancers, The Press, 21 December 2000 www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/u238/effetti/zaccaria.shtml, p.1.



The legal aspect



A very important aspect of the matter "depleted uranium" is related to the edicts of the law enacted here from different countries and international organizations in order to limit the irresponsible use of DU weapons and unconditional. .

At the international level, it is important to remember, for example, that the problem of the limitation of armaments to Depleted Uranium was addressed by the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, to August 30, 1996 adopted a resolution very significant in which he urged "all States ... to inspire their national policies to the need to curb the production and the spread of weapons of mass destruction or indiscriminate effect, in particular nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, fuel-air bombs, napalm bombs fragmentation, and biological weapons containing depleted uranium; "49.

49 The Italian translation of the text of resolution 1996/16 of the Sub-Committee is available on the website: http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/leggi/internaz/du_1996_ita_shtml.

The use of DU weapons was also the subject of a joint resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 17 January 2001. On this occasion, the Parliament asked the NATO member states for a moratorium on the use of these weapons, and while affirming the difficulty of establish a cause-effect relationship between the use of metal and the manifestation of cancers among the soldiers in Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999, urged the High Representative for the CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy) and the Presidency of the Council to shed light on the "Balkan syndrome" 50.

50 European Parliament, Moratorium on the use of depleted uranium munitions, http://www.peacelink.org/tematiche/disarmo/leggiinternaz/du_eu.shtml, p.1.

As far as the Italian legislation, however, the previously mentioned study of the "Committee of Science and scientists against the war" refers to the Decree Law of 17 March 1995 # 230, which classifies DU as a radioactive nuclide, even if "a radiotoxicity weak, "and explicitly prescribes that the amount of the isotope U-238 is contained within certain livelli51.

51 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, p.6.

On the other hand, U.S. law is particularly severe, as evidenced by the fact that in February 1980, in the state of New York, the National Lead Industries, a manufacturer of munitions and depleted uranium counterweights, was closed for exceeding limits emission of radiation allowed in the United States, causing excessive contamination in the air 52.

52 M. Cristaldi, A. Di Fazio, C.Poma, A.Tarozzi, M.Zucchetti, some thesis, ibid.

These are positive signals that are recorded at the legislative level, but that in my opinion are not in themselves sufficient to prevent private companies and multinationals continue to manufacture weapons of mass destruction, or that some governments are authorized by indiscriminately use.