Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,938336,00.html
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Scientists urge shell clear-up to protect civilians

Royal Society spells out dangers of depleted uranium

Paul Brown, environment correspondent April 17, 2003 The Guardian

Hundreds of tonnes of depleted uranium used by Britain and the United States
in Iraq should be removed to protect the civilian population, the Royal
Society said yesterday, contradicting Pentagon claims it was not necessary.

The society's statement fuels the controversy over the use of depleted
uranium (DU), which is an effective tank destroyer and bunker buster but is
believed by many scientists to cause cancers and other severe illnesses.

The society, Britain's premier scientific institution, was incensed because
the Pentagon had claimed it had the backing of the society in saying DU was
not dangerous.

In fact, the society said, both soldiers and civilians were in short and
long term danger. Children playing at contaminated sites were particularly at
risk.

DU is left over after uranium is enriched for use in nuclear reactors and is
also recovered after reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. There are thousands of
tonnes of it in stores in the US and UK.

Because it is effectively free and 20% heavier than steel, the military
experimented with it and discovered it could penetrate steel and concrete
much more easily than convential weapons. It burns at 10,000C, incinerating
everything as it turns to dust.

As it proved so effective, it was adopted as a standard weapon in the first
Gulf war despite its slight radioactive content and toxic effects. It was
used again in the Balkans and Afghanistan by the US.

DU has been suspected by many campaigners of causing the unexplained cancers
among Iraqi civilians, particularly children, since the previ ous Gulf war.
Chemicals released in the atmosphere during bombing could equally be to
blame.

Among those against the use of DU is Professor Doug Rokke, a one time US
army colonel who is also a former director of the Pentagon's depleted uranium
project, and a former professor of environmental science at Jacksonville
University. He has said a nation's military personnel cannot wilfully
contaminate any other nation, cause harm to persons and the environment and
then ignore the consequences of their actions. He has called on the US and UK
to "recognise the immoral consequences of their actions and assume
responsibility for medical care and thorough environmental remediation".

The UN Environment Programme has been tracking the use of DU in the Balkans
and found it leaching into the water table. Seven years after the conflict it
has recommended the decontamination of buildings where DU dust is present to
protect the civilian population against cancer.

Up to 2,000 tonnes of DU has been used in the Gulf, a large part of it in
cities like Baghdad, far more than in the Balkans. Unep has offered to go to
Iraq and check on the quantities of DU still present and the danger it poses
to civilians.

Professor Brian Spratt, chairman of the Royal Society working group on
depleted uranium, said that a recent study by the society had found that the
majority of soldiers were unlikely to be exposed to dangerous levels of
depleted uranium during and after its use on the battlefield.

"However, a small number of soldiers might suffer kidney damage and an
increased risk of lung cancer if substantial amounts of depleted uranium are
breathed in, for instance inside an armoured vehicle hit by a depleted
uranium penetrator."

He said the study also concluded that the soil around the impact sites of
depleted uranium penetrators may be heavily contaminated, and could be
harmful if swallowed by children for example.

"In addition, large numbers of corroding depleted uranium penetrators
embedded in the ground might pose a long-term threat if the uranium leaches
into water supplies.

"We recommend that fragments of depleted uranium penetrators should be
removed, and areas of contamination should be identified and, where
necessary, made safe."

He added: "We also recommend long-term sampling, particularly of water and
milk, to detect any increase in uranium levels in areas where depleted
uranium has been used. This provides a cost-effective method of monitoring
sensitive components in the environment, and of providing information about
uranium levels to concerned local populations."

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