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Radioactive Wounds of War

by Open-Publishing - Saturday 27 August 2005
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Edito Nuclear Wars and conflicts Health USA

Tests on returning troops suggest serious health consequences of depleted uranium use in Iraq

By Dave Lindorff

Gerard Matthew thought he was lucky. He returned from his Iraq tour a year and a half ago alive and in one piece. But after the New York State National Guardsman got home, he learned that a bunkmate, Sgt. Ray Ramos, and a group of N.Y. Guard members from another unit had accepted an offer by the New York Daily News and reporter Juan Gonzalez to be tested for depleted uranium (DU) contamination, and had tested positive.

Matthew, 31, decided that since he’d spent much of his time in Iraq lugging around DU-damaged equipment, he’d better get tested too. It turned out he was the most contaminated of them all.

Matthew immediately urged his wife to get an ultrasound check of their unborn baby. They discovered the fetus had a condition common to those with radioactive exposure: atypical syndactyly. The right hand had only two digits.

So far Victoria Claudette, now 13 months old, shows no other genetic disorders and is healthy, but Matthew feels guilty for causing her deformity and angry at a government that never warned him about DU’s dangers.

U.S. forces first used DU in the 1991 Gulf War, when some 300 tons of depleted uranium—the waste product of nuclear power plants and weapons facilities—were used in tank shells and shells fired by A-10 jets. A lesser amount was deployed by U.S. and NATO forces during the Balkans conflict. But in the current wars in Afghanistan and, especially, Iraq, DU has become the weapon of choice, with more than 1,000 tons used in Afghanistan and more than 3,000 tons used in Iraq. And while DU was fired mostly in the desert during the Gulf War, in the current war in Iraq, most of DU munitions are exploding in populated urban areas.

The Pentagon has expanded DU beyond tank and A-10 shells, for use in bunker-busting bombs, which can spew out more than half a ton of DU in one explosion, in anti-personnel bomblets, and even in M-16 and pistol shells. The military loves DU for its unique penetration capability—it cuts through steel or concrete like they’re butter.

The problem is that when DU hits its target, it burns at a high temperature, throwing off clouds of microscopic particles that poison a wide area and remain radioactive for billions of years. If inhaled, these particles can lodge in lungs, other organs or bones, irradiating tissue and causing cancers.

Worse yet, uranium is also a highly toxic heavy metal. Indeed, while there is some debate over the risk posed by the element’s radioactive emissions, there is no debate regarding its chemical toxicity. According to Mt. Sinai pathologist Thomas Fasey, who participated in the New York Guard unit testing, the element has an affinity for bonding with DNA, where even trace amounts can cause cancers and fetal abnormalities.

Dr. Doug Rokke, a health physicist at the University of Illinois who headed up a Pentagon study of depleted uranium weapons in the mid ’90s after concerns were raised during the Gulf War, concluded there was no safe way to use the weapons. Rokke says the Pentagon responded by denouncing him, after earlier commending his work.

No one knows how many U.S. soldiers have been contaminated by DU residue. Despite regulations authorizing tests for any military personnel who suspects exposure, the U.S. military is avoiding doing those tests—or delaying them until they are meaningless.

"When we asked to be tested at Ft. Dix, they wrongly told us we didn’t have to worry unless we had DU fragments in our body," says Matthew. His buddy, Sgt. Ramos, who exhibits symptoms resembling radiation sickness and heavy metal poisoning, adds that at Walter Reed Medical Center he was grilled for hours about why he wanted to be tested and was then branded a troublemaker by his own unit. Matthew says Walter Reed "lost" his sample.

At the war’s start, the United States refused to allow U.N. or other environmental inspectors to test DU levels within Iraq. Now the United Nations won’t even go near Iraq because of security concerns.

"It doesn’t seem right that we are poisoning the places we are supposed to be liberating," Ramos says.

The Pentagon continues to insist, on the basis of no field evidence, that DU is safe. To date, only some 270 returned troops have been tested for DU contamination by the military and Veterans Affairs. But even those tests, mostly urine samples, are useless 30 days after exposure, because by that time most of the DU has left the body or migrated into bones or organs.

Gonzalez and the Daily News paid for costlier tests for nine Guardsmen—tests that could pinpoint uranium inside the body and identify the special isotope signature of man-made DU. Four of the nine tested positive for DU; all had symptoms of uranium poisoning.

Even harder evidence may soon arrive. Connecticut State Representative Pat Dillon (D-New Haven), a Yale-trained epidemiologist, has crafted state-level legislation that Connecticut and Louisiana have unanimously passed, authorizing returned National Guard troops to request and receive specialized DU contamination tests at the Pentagon’s expense. This approach bypasses the Pentagon’s feet-dragging because National Guard troops fall under state, rather than federal, jurisdiction.

"This was not a Democratic or a Republican issue," Dillon says. "These are our kids and someone needs to protect them." She says that since passage of her bill, which takes effect this October, military groups and family organizations, state legislators, and even National Guard unit commanders have contacted her for copies of her bill to promote in their states. Bob Smith, a veteran in Louisiana who got hold of Dillon’s bill and spearheaded a successful effort to pass similar legislation in Louisiana, claims that 14 to 20 other states are considering similar measures.

If enough Guard troops avail themselves of the testing—and start testing positive for contamination—it seems likely that reservists and active duty troops and veterans will demand similar access to rigorous tests, which can cost upwards of $1000 per person.

One way or another, the Pentagon will pay a price. "DU is a war crime. It’s that simple," Rokke says. "Once you’ve scattered all this stuff around, and then refuse to clean it up, you’ve committed a war crime."

Dave Lindorff, an In These Times contributing editor, is the author of This Can’t Be Happening: Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy. His work can be found at This Can’t Be Happening.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2298/

Forum posts

  • Dirty tricks, Dodgy memos and Dirty bombs = Disease, Deception and DEATH.

    "That stump of a leg,
    won’t do at all,
    why didn’t you run,
    from the cannon ball
    Johnny I hardly knew you."

    Todays soldiers are being fried, mutated and treated like lab rats.

    jt

  • I don’t feel sorry for any of those "soldiers". They deserve it!

    Doing evil on behalf of the American rogue government makes yourself a rogue. Or does anybody of these soldiers think they do wonderful things to Iraqis? With so many unarmed Iraqi civilians killed you should be ashamed of yourself and not wimping around because you got hurt by using your brutal weaponary.

    Ridiculous!

    • They DESERVE it? When I read your response, I was sadly reminded of how completely ignorant and dense so many people are, like yourself. In case you forgot, every single one of the casualties on 9-11 were unarmed civilians. Let’s not forget what we’re fighting for, and even more so, let’s not forget the fact that we are blessed with hundreds of freedoms that other countries can only dream of possessing. This "American Rogue Government" is the same goverment that protects you and permits all of the freedoms we enjoy, (including the freedom of speech which I believe you have definitly just abused), yet you have the nerve to insist that the soldiers who risk their lives for these freedoms, and in this case, the lives of their children and loved ones, are deserving of this? THAT is ridiculous, and you should be ashamed of yourself for being so completely benighted!
      – Anna, Chicago Illinois

    • Ann, they take women in the army too or didn’t you remember that? You would be perfect, so stupid and so gung ho just what they need. You and the Bush twins should get aboard the next transport to Iraq and defend those freedoms you think you have. You could help the sluts "train", bet the three of you would be real popular now that Lyndie isn’t there anymore.

    • Me thinks Lindorff is an alias...this letter is a plant to discredit the critics of the war who believe our soldiers need to be taken care of...no one who cares about the contamination of DU would ever call our soldiers evil....this nonsense happened at the end of Viet Nam as well to discredit the Peace movement...don’t buy it.

    • freedom? what freedom the patriot act destroyed that. We are becoming more and more a police state. This is not a democracy never was this is a government that is totally controlled by the global elite. The fact that our government is dumping uranium 300,000 tons of it in Iraq that they know full well what the dangers are tells me that they are in fact detroying the population of Iraq. In other words GENOCIDE. NEW WORLD ORDER IS HERE.

    • I would otherwise agree with you on the point of the DU dumped into Iraq. But knowing this country the way I do, I think it is more a decision to get rid of that pesky nuclear waste by recycling it. The U.S. military assembled the troops numerous times in the early 1950s to "watch" the open air nuclear testing that took place regularly in Nevada. They wanted the troops to see the amazing display of power and assured the soldiers that there was no threat from the fall out after having accused the Japanese of fabricating the radiation sickness that killed large numbers of their citizens who survived after we nuked them twice in 1945.

      Our military has a long history of concluding as "fact" the outcomes that they wish would be the case. It is this "wishful" thinking that convinces them that they can do whatever they want to and the results will be the "wished for" ones. Things like facts and scientific evidence just get in the way of those hoped for outcomes. So instead of questioning their own actions, they do as they please with fabrications or no scientific proof to back up the conclusions they wish for. When the truth comes out (like agent orange) they cover it up and lie some more, and they accuse everyone else of trying to discredit them or refuse to discuss the issues or worse "investigate" themselves (nope we’re not guilty). And since no one is ever held responsible, they risk nothing and have no reason to try to be more certain of the consequences.

      Its so easy to be in the business of killing and fall into the habit of not caring for another human’s life or quality of life. That after all is the business of the military, human life becomes cheap and "collateral damage" is a nice way of saying who cares.

    • On the topic of agent orange, who (even in the military) could watch a chemical compound kill a 50 foot tall tree before their eyes and have a doubt in their mind that it might harm a human or other animal? Yet the military to this day claims that they had "no idea" that agent orange would kill people or harm them. Maybe it is just a cover up, or maybe they just wished it would wipe out an entire jungle but all of the animals and people living there would remain healthy and alive (?) But the logic is certainly flawed that would allow someone to have "no idea" that it "might" be harmful to living things other than plants and trees.

    • I believe we All understand NO link between 9/11 and Iraq. Anything else to say?

  • They don’t deserve it, but they had a choice and they chose to take part in an illegal war. We and the British didn’t allow the German soldiers the luxury of saying "we were just following orders" and therefore, neither can our soldiers use that excuse. They had and they have a choice. If they didn’t know then that what they were being asked to do was wrong, they know now. Now, knowing what they know, if they choose to take part in an illegal war, then they will and should suffer the consequences. These may include a horrible death or watching their children (future children) suffer. If I was in that position (I have applied to all parts of the armed forces with a view to making a stand and merely going to prison on refusal to take part in the war—but they won’t take me because I am 43) I would opt to go to prison. If my children (thankfully they are too young) were called or desired to join the military, I would urge them to go to prison. It’s better to visit them in prison than to have the "honor" to visit their grave. We all have a choice.

    • And the people running the country call themselves ’devout christians’? All they are, are psychopathic killers. And all for material wealth. How stupid. War criminals they are, one and all. Will the world ever get rid of these abnormal creatures?

    • That is a comment with common sense. No excuses for anybody who is part of the war industry!
      Soldier is not a profession like f. e. carpenter or medical doctor.

      No moore: we just following orders!

    • According to Pentagon figures its an average $ 16,000 to recruit and $100,000 to train a soldier, a cool million for a pilot (signing bonus, mortgage help, and university fees later)
      Ex soldiers (security guards eg mercenaries) go for a $1,000 a day, some buddy must think they are professionals.)
      Most armies train mechanics etc, is this not true for the US army.?
      As you know .48 cents of every tax dollar goes to supply the war industry.
      Am I to assume you withhold this amount, or are ’you just following orders, by paying the piper.

      jt

    • jt, I think the figure is more accurately 63% of the total tax revenue goes to the military. In America (a country dominated by "Christians" and "Christian Values") killing and world domination are the largest priority, therefore, the largest slice of the pie is reserved for the cause. Have you or anyone else ever heard them say we would really like another huge expendature for weapons or war, but "We just can’t afford it"? No you have not, nor will you ever.

      We do not have money for the old people, the sick or the poor, we have all heard how we "just don’t have the money" for education, or a department of peace, or anything that would be up lifting or positive for the people of this country, but somehow there is always unlimited funds for warmongering, it is never a problem. Could it be the bribes, kick backs, campaign donations, etc. are always from the war industry?

      Could it be that standing behind the Bible, and the flag is all it will ever take to justify ever more gruesome mass murder planning for generations into the future, maybe even to the end of all life on earth, maybe until the last tax dollar is distributed to your "representatives" in government and in the churches?

    • Thanks for the updated stats, but you didn’t answer my question. And the "representatives" are not mine, I am not an American citizen.
      jt

    • Yes they train them to be mechanics, etc., or hired killers, etc., so what is your point?

    • The bottom line is once you go over to Iraq you will NEVER be the same. You may die, become wounded, suffer psychological trauma, or think you are just fine and then have a malformed baby! They are all being contaminated and the US Gov’t doesn’t care because they are in with the Drug Companies who will make millions off of all the antidepressants and all the other meds to treat the DU exposure, including lifetime disabilities for their offspring.
      They are the criminals not the people who thought they were defending their Country and will pay with their life’s dead or alive!

    • ...do, you really believe this soldiers think? On the first hand they would be wiser to desert!
      Canada or Europe would take this refugees of war!

    • So they are professionals, and you contribute to their training with your tax money, that’s my point .

    • You are right!! If they are thinking now they would desert and not spend one more day fighting an illegal, immoral War to keep the Bushies and Cheney’s(Haliburton) wealthy!!

    • Leave the Brits out of this. I don’t recall the Brits cutting the heads off of captured German civilians for use in propaganda videos. That’s what the jihadists do because that’s exactly what they want you to see. The bastards are as proud of themselves for shooting that Italian prisoner in the head as they are of cutting a flight attendant’s throat or executing an adultress in the middle of the soccer stadium in Kabul. So cut your "moral equivalence" drivel.

      One of the basic prereqs of morality is getting your facts right.

    • How is Bush’s anus smelling today?

    • Bush trolls think cluster bombing innocent women and children frying thousands of them is an act of God. Especially if it enriches their heros like Bush and Cheneyburton.

    • What your vivid discussion of jihadist methods has to do with whether Brit and American soldiers should refuse immoral orders is anyone’s guess, unless you believe the end justifies the means. If that is the case . why did we bother with Nuremberg? Get your facts straight ? How about getting your logic straight !