Reaching for a Critical Mass of Political Will for Nuclear Disarmament
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Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) General
Assembly
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Depleted Uranium (DU)
What is DU and what is it used for? Depleted Uranium (DU) is a byproduct of the enrichment of naturally occuring uranium for use in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Despite the name "depleted", DU retains 60% of the radioactivity of natural uranium. (1) The Nuclear Policy Research Institute estimates that 12 countries currently possess DU weapons in their arsenals: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Thailand, Israel, France, China, Jordan, and Taiwan. Reports indicated that DU has been used repeatedly recent wars including the Gulf War, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and in the most recent Iraq war, the latter in reportedly unprecedented quantities. For more infomation on on the uses of DU see, NPRI's Depleted Uranium: Scientific Basis for Assessing Risk. (2) DU is used as shielding to protect army tanks and in non-explosive radioactive metallic core bullets and anti-armor munitions. It has been used in bullets, tanks and tank armor in Bosnia, Kosovo, possibly Afghanistan and most recently in the Iraq War. Though less radioactive than natural uranium, DU is still chemically toxic and radioactive. It is also extremely dense- the half-life of DU, that is, the time it takes for half of it to decay is 4.5 billion years. In "Gulf War Veterans and Depleted Uranium," Dr. Rosalie Bertell, president of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health, wrote: "The difference in radioactivity between natural and depleted uranium is that given equal quantities, depleted uranium has about half the radioactivity of the natural mixture of uranium isotopes. However, because of the concentration of the uranium in the depleted uranium waste, depleted uranium is much more radioactive than uranium in its natural state."(3) Back to top Governments and civil society around the world continue to research DU to fully understand both the short and long term effects. However, as compared with the wide body of literature on the health effects of natural and enriched uranium, there is very little that directly addresses the health effects of its depleted form. DU bullets are self-sharpening and pyrophoric, bursting into flame upon impact. At issue however, are the fine particles and dust released when DU is aerosolized. In addition, the depleted uranium remaining at former sites of conflict is potentially hazardous to agriculture, groundwater and human occupants of the area. DU is a toxic heavy metal and radioactive, therefore the damaging effects to one's health depend on the degree of exposure, i.e., inhalation, ingestion, skin contact or wounds. In "Facts,
Myths and Propaganda In the Debate Over Depleted Uranium Weapons
" Dan Fahey claims that: "Once inside the body, DU
may cause harm due to its chemical toxicity and/or alpha radiation."
A 10 to 30 year lag may exist after a person's exposure to DU dust.
(4) Fahey addresses the US Pentagon's denial
of the occurance of an uncommon lymphatic cancer among 50 DU-exposed
veterans. He refers to contradicintg reports, as in a statement
made by the US Department of Defense: "There have been no cancers
among US Gulf war veterans exposed to DU." In his response,
Fahey recognizes that "at least one of 50 veterans examined
in 1999 by the US department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Depleted
Uranium Follow-Up Program (DU Program) had a lymphatic cancer:
Hodgkin's disease." He sites the U.S. Institute of Medicine
Report on DU which points to the lymphatic system as a potential
target for uranium radiation. The University of Virginia Health System refers to GWS as a term widely used to refer to the unexplained illnesses occuring in Gulf War Veterans. Symptoms of this illness are joint pain, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, memory loss, skin rashes, and diarrhea. Dr. Rosalie Bertell notes that at least 320 tons of DU was "lost" in the Gulf war. Much of that was converted at high temperature into an aerosol. She adds that experience with Gulf War veterans indicates that a urine collection analysis (done within 24 hours) shows the most promise of detecting depleted uranium contamination seven or eight years after exposure. (3) Dr. Helen Caldicott documents that the US military's own medical studies have shown that DU can cause serious kidney damage, cancers of the lung and bone, skin disorders, neuro-cognitive disorders, chromosomal damage and birth defects.(6) A 1999 study by the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute was conducted on rats to assess the potential health risks associated with chronic exposure of DU. This study showed that physiological consequences of exposure to uranium target the brain and lymph nodes. From this study, researchers found kidney and bone to be the primary reservoirs for internal exposure. (7) Leuren Moret, President of Scientists for Indigenous People, points out that report summaries from the military show that from 1974-1999, DU testing took place on military testing grounds, bombing and gunnery ranges and at civilian labs. Moret recognizes at least 42 states in the US as being contaminated with DU from manufacture, testing and deployment. (8) On March 27, 2003 Representative Jim Mcdermott sponsored HR
1483: Depleted Uranium Munitions Study Act of 2003 that
requires "certain studies regarding the health effects
of exposure to depleted uranium munitions, to require the cleanup
and mitigation of depleted uranium contamination at sites of depleted
uranium munition use and production in the United States, and for
other purposes." Are there laws governing the use of DU? Currently, there exist no laws governing the production, use or threat of use of depleted uranium. In 2002, Iraq sponsored draft resolution A/C.1/57/L.14 in the General Assembly, entitled "Effects of the use of depleted uranium in armaments." According to this draft resolution, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to seek the views of States and relevant organizations on all aspects of the effects of the use of depleted uranium in weapons and report to the Assembly. Paragraph 4 of 57/L.14 reads: "Taking into account the facts that have come to light on the use of depleted uranium shells in military operations during recent years, inasmuch as such ammunition, when used, releases radioactive particles and chemical dust that are spread through the air over large areas and contaminate animal and plant life and the soil." The resolution, unlike the vast majority of other resolutions tabled at the First Committee, did not pass. DU munitions are not generally considered radiological weapons because the purpose of the DU is to strengthen weapons, not to cause injury or death from the radiation. However, there is increasing concern about the radiological impact of DU as the health effects of its use in Iraq and Bosnia are now surfacing. Many believe that DU contaminates land and can cause cancers among those who come into contact with it. Studies have linked exposure to DU with Gulf War Syndrome (see above), birth deformaties in conflicting areas in the Middle East, and cancer. In order to make DU illegal, it is imperative to research the effects of DU further. From the little research that has been done thus far, the public has become more informed about the dangers of DU. On 17 November 2005, the European Parliament issued for the third
time a call for a moratorium on the use of so-called "depleted”
uranium munitions. The resolution regarding depleted uranium is
part of an 11-page document entitled, “Texts
adopted by European Parliament, on non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction; A role for the European Parliament.”
The Resolution's section No. 82 says the EP, “Reiterates its
call for a moratorium -- with a view to the introduction of a total
ban -- on the use of so-called ‘depleted uranium munitions.’”
(Thanks to Davey Garland of NucNews for the EU report.) 1) Hilborne, Lee H. and Beatrice Alexandra Golomb. "A Review of Scientific Literature as it Pertains to Gulf War llnesses," Infectious Diseases, 2000, Vol. 1. http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/library/randrep/infectious_paper/ (2)"Depleted Uranium: Scientific Basis for Assessing Risk," Nuclear Policy Research Institute, July 2003, p22, 22p. http://www.nuclearpolicy.org/Documents/DU_report_final_7_6.pdf (3) Bertell, Rosalie, Ph. D, "Gulf War Veterans and Depleted Uranium," Prepared for the Hague Peace Conference, May 1999. http://www.ccnr.org/du_hague.html (4) Fahey, Dan. "Science or Science Fiction? Facts, Myths and Propaganda in the Debate Over Depleted Uranium Weapons." March 2003. http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/pdf/dumyths.pdf (5)Mackay, Neil. "US Forces'
Use of Depleted Uranium Weapons is Illegal," Sunday Herald,
March 30, 2005. 6) Caldicott, Helen. Editorial, Baltimore Sun, October 6, 2002. http://traprockpeace.org/caldicottondu.html 7) Pellmar TC, Fuciarelli AF, Ejnik JW, Hamilton M, Hogan J, Strocko S, Emond C, Mottaz HM, Landauer MR. "Distribution of uranium in rats implanted with depleted uranium pellets." Toxicol Sci. 1999 May;49(1):29-39. (8)Moret, Leuren. "Depleted Uranium: Dirty Bombs, Dirty Missiles, Dirty Bullets," San Francisco Bay View, August 2004. http://www.sfbayview.com/081804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml. British Ministry of Defense: background and briefs British Ministry of Defense Oversight Committee on Depleted Uranium (DUOB): fact sheets, information, meeting agendas U.S. Department of Defense Deployment Health Support Directorate: military website with background information, uses of DU, statistics, links to governmental reports U.S.
Department of Energy: DU management information, documents,
news and events, glossary Abolition 2000 working group: basic information and links Awakened Women Project: e-magazine articles BBC News page: excellent resource for DU news Campaign
Against Depleted Uranium (CADU) : history, CADU News since 2000 For Mother Earth: DU campaign The Guardian: articles Information Clearing House: Military DU video Institute for Energy and Environmental Research International Action Center: Depleted Uranium Education Project, news articles, Medal of Dishonor The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons: factsheet series, articles International Depleted Uranium Study Team: articles, books and videos, and documents. This NGO is made up of international researchers, activists and scientists with a global strategy to stop the use of DU in military weapons by the year 2010. Medical Association for Prevention of War: http://www.mapw.org.au/mapw-policy/03-11uranium.html for full policy Nuclear
Policy Research Institute: scientific documents, power point
presentations, information about DU usage in the 2003 Iraq war,
articles, media files Traprock Peace Center: projects, interviews, articles Uranium Medical Research Center: research, papers, articles, conferences, and background information Victorian Peace Network: animation, lists and links World
Depleted Uranium Weapons Conference The Dirty Dozen report - Alliant Techsystems is the largest supplier of large and small caliber munitions employing depleted uranium penetrators. Alam, Hina, "Uranium pollution in Iraq damaging," Health and Science, November 2, 2004. Arbuthnot, Felicity. Depleted Uranium: A Post-war Disaster for Environment and Health. Laka Foundation; Amsterdam, 1999. Beckett, Jason A. . "Interim Legality: A Mistaken Assumption?--An Analysis of Depleted Uranium Munitions under Contemporary International Humanitarian Law." Chinese Journal of International Law; 2004, Vol. 3 Issue 1, p43, 44p. Bem, Henry, and Bou-Rabee, Firyal. "Environmental and health consequences of depleted uranium use in the 1991 Gulf War." Environment International; Mar2004, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p123, 12p. Betti, Maria. "Civil Use of Depleted Uranium." Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Jan. 2003, Vol. 64 Issue 2/3, p113. Bleise, A., P.R. Danesi, and W. Burkart. "Properties, Use and Health Effects of Depleted Uranium (DU): A General Overview." Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Jan. 2003, Vol. 64 Issue 2/3, p93, 20p. Caldicott, Helen, Michio Kaku, Jay Gould, and Ramsey Clark. Medal of Dishonor: How Depleted Uranium Penetrates Steel, Radiates People, and Contaminates the Environment. International Action Center, 2004. "Depleted Uranium: Scientific Basis for Assessing Risk." Report of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute (NPRI). July 2003. Fahey, Dan. "Science or Science Fiction? Facts, Myths and Propaganda in the Debate Over Depleted Uranium Weapons." March, 2003. Fahey, Dan. "The Use of Depleted Uranium in the 2003 Iraq War: An Initial Assessment of Information and Policies." June, 2003. Graham-Rowe, Duncan. "Depleted uranium casts a shadow over peace in Iraq." New Scientist, April 19, 2003, Vol. 178 Issue 2391, p4, 3p. Greenberg, Neil, Amy Iversen, Cotherin Unwin and I. Hull. "Screening for depleted uranium in the United Kingdom armed forces: who wants it and why?" Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, Jul 2004, Vol. 58 Issue 7, p558, 4p. Gut, Anne and Bruno Vitale. "Depleted Uranium - Deadly, Dangerous and Indiscriminate: The Full Picture." CADU. Harley, Naomi H., EC Foulkes, Lee H. Hilborne and Arlene Rand, "Depleted Uranium," A Review of Scientific Literature as it Pertains to Gulf War Illnesses; 1999. "Invisible War: Depleted Uranium and the Politics of Radiation." Canal+; dir. Martin Meissonnier, 2000. videocassette. Johnson, Hillary. "Is the Pentagon Giving Our Soldiers Cancer?" Rolling Stone. October 2, 2003, Issue 932, p74, 6p. McDonald, Avril. "The International Legality of Depleted Uranium Weapons." Background paper for presentation on " The International Legal Ramifications of the Use of DU Weapons,' Symposium on the Health Impact of Depleted Uranium Munitions. Held at the New York Academy of Medicine, 14 June 2003. Moret, Leuren. "Depleted Uranium: The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War." Journal of International Issues, July 2004. Parsons, Robert James. "The Balkan DU Cover-Up." Nation; April 9, 2001, Vol. 272 Issue 14, p22, 3p. Pellmar, T.C., A.F. Fuciarelli, J. W. Ejnik, M. Hamilton, J. Hogan, S. Strocko, C. Emond, H. M. Mottaz, and M.R. Landauer, "Distribution of Uranium in Rats Implanted with Depleted Uranium Pellets," Toxicological Sciences. Prather, Gordon. " Uranium-Enrichment Myths Busted," AntiWar.com, November 20, 2004. Tashiro, Akira. Discounted Casualties: The Human Cost of Depleted Uranium. The Chugoku Shimbun; Hirsohima, 2001. Williams, Thomas D. " Weapon Dust Worries Iraqis Provisional Government Seeks Cleanup; U.S. Downplays Risks," The Hartford Courant, November 1, 2004. In the News Rym Ghazal, "Lebanon: New study detects traces of uranium in South," UN Observer, 5 January 2007.
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