General Discussion

Purveyor

(29,876 posts) Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:14 PM Jul 2013

Depleted Uranium Used By US Forces Blamed For Birth Defects And Cancer In Iraq

Cancer is more common than flu in the Iraqi city of Najaf, a local medics told RT. While doctors say the government discourages them from talking openly to the press on the disease, local families are scared of having more kids with birth defects.

Rates of leukemia and birth defects “rose dramatically” due to use of depleted uranium by the US military since 2003 invasion.

“After the start of the Iraq war, rates of cancer, leukemia and birth defects rose dramatically in Najaf. The areas affected by American attacks saw the biggest increases. We believe it’s because of the' illegal' weapons like depleted uranium that were used by the Americans. When you visit the hospital here you see that cancer is more common than the flu," Dr. Sundus Nsaif tells RT's Lucy Kafanov while talking on the rooftop of her house in Najaf, instead of her laboratory. Why the secrecy? As she reveals, there’s an active push by the government perhaps not to embarrass the coalition forces, not to really talk about this issue.

RT crew went to the city of Najaf about 160 km south of Baghdad that saw one of the most severe military actions during the US's invasion. Now every residential street in several neighborhoods that RT visited has multiple cases of families whose children were ill, families who had lost children who had to bury children, families who had many relatives who were suffering from cancer.

“The war isn’t over. Yes, the Americans are gone, but we are still suffering from the Consequences," said Leila Jabar, whose three children died because they were born with congenital deformities. She blames radioactive ammunition used by American forces during the war for the health problems of her children. Her only surviving 8-months-old son Ahmed has a nervous system disorder and doctors don't expect him to survive his first birthday.

MORE...

http://rt.com/news/iraq-depleted-uranium-health-394/

22 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Depleted Uranium Used By US Forces Blamed For Birth Defects And Cancer In Iraq (Original Post) Purveyor Jul 2013 OP

Gee, who'd a thunk it? NV Whino Jul 2013 #1

Oh but I was assured that it is not dangerous after I posted a simular op. L0oniX Jul 2013 #2

I argued with them until I was blue in the face... Junkdrawer Jul 2013 #3

The radioactivity IMO is not the main problem ...it's a poisonous highly toxic metal. L0oniX Jul 2013 #4

Hard to tease out which of the two effects is causing birth defects.... Junkdrawer Jul 2013 #5

I hear that Fukushima has lots of DU ...the dangerous type. L0oniX Jul 2013 #6

The toxicity is the bigger problem, but it's less toxic than the molybdenum it replaced Recursion Jul 2013 #15

We warned about this for years malaise Jul 2013 #7

I wonder when US veterans and their families will start to suffer from hedgehog Jul 2013 #8

I hear you there 90-percent Jul 2013 #9

At what point (if connection is found) will we be asked to pay "War Reparations?" KoKo Jul 2013 #11

Interesting Question 90-percent Jul 2013 #13

And now we get to try to prove it didn't. Peachy. nt bemildred Jul 2013 #10

DU is lethal, but not for the reason most people think NickB79 Jul 2013 #12

OTOH it's less toxic than the molybdenum it replaced Recursion Jul 2013 #16

Thanks... Either way, though, it pollutes the environment and travels so... KoKo Jul 2013 #18

US troops and their children are sick, too, from exposure to DU and chemicals Hekate Jul 2013 #14

Wow! What a legacy we have. JEB Jul 2013 #17

US/NATO "Ravages of Freedom Museum?" Down the street in DC KoKo Jul 2013 #20

I'm sure the war profiteers are proud as punch. JEB Jul 2013 #19

I don't even need to read the article. I know this too well. Victor_c3 Jul 2013 #21

A new form of genocide? BobbyBoring Jul 2013 #22

NV Whino

(20,886 posts)

1. Gee, who'd a thunk it?

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:16 PM

Jul 2013

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)

2. Oh but I was assured that it is not dangerous after I posted a simular op.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:19 PM

Jul 2013

MIC shills make me barf.

Junkdrawer

(27,993 posts)

3. I argued with them until I was blue in the face...

Reply to L0oniX (Reply #2)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:26 PM

Jul 2013

Not only is U238 an alpha emitter, but DU contains many other radioactive impurities.

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)

4. The radioactivity IMO is not the main problem ...it's a poisonous highly toxic metal.

Reply to Junkdrawer (Reply #3)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:29 PM

Jul 2013

Junkdrawer

(27,993 posts)

5. Hard to tease out which of the two effects is causing birth defects....

Reply to L0oniX (Reply #4)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:39 PM

Jul 2013

But I'm hearing that the DU used in Iraq was produced with equipment that was contaminated by transuranium materials.

L0oniX

(31,493 posts)

6. I hear that Fukushima has lots of DU ...the dangerous type.

Reply to Junkdrawer (Reply #5)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:43 PM

Jul 2013

Yea ..I wouldn't dare say that MIC DU although processed would be much less harmful.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

15. The toxicity is the bigger problem, but it's less toxic than the molybdenum it replaced

Reply to Junkdrawer (Reply #3)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:23 PM

Jul 2013

Yet another reason not to start wars.

malaise

(269,004 posts)

7. We warned about this for years

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:44 PM

Jul 2013

Ah well - the 1% don't give a flying fuck who dies

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)

8. I wonder when US veterans and their families will start to suffer from

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 12:46 PM

Jul 2013

exposure to DU?

90-percent

(6,829 posts)

9. I hear you there

Reply to hedgehog (Reply #8)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 01:54 PM

Jul 2013

DU used in the Iraq Invasion and Occupation will be this generation's AGENT ORANGE.

Nice to know we may be "supporting the troops" in the future, too.

-90% Jimmy

KoKo

(84,711 posts)

11. At what point (if connection is found) will we be asked to pay "War Reparations?"

Reply to 90-percent (Reply #9)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:01 PM

Jul 2013

If we and NATO did this knowingly. Then the Iraqi Citizens do have a right to compensation. The precedent is Nazi Germany when survivors of those killed in Concentration Camps got monetary reparations.

Or, will we claim it was not a Declared War on Iraq and therefore we are not responsible?

90-percent

(6,829 posts)

13. Interesting Question

Reply to KoKo (Reply #11)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:18 PM

Jul 2013

Has The USA ever paid reparations to another country in our history? I don't think so.

-90% Jimmy

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

10. And now we get to try to prove it didn't. Peachy. nt

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 01:56 PM

Jul 2013

NickB79

(19,243 posts)

12. DU is lethal, but not for the reason most people think

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:16 PM

Jul 2013

It is not dangerous via radioactive poisoning as most people assume. The radiation released by it is very, very low; after all, it has a half-life of 4.4 BILLION years vs. plutonium's 26,000 years.

However, it is a very dangerous heavy metal, damaging the human body through chemical means in the same fashion as lead or mercury would.

The most horrifying aspect of depleted uranium munitions is that they are pyrophoric, meaning they vaporize and ignite into flames as they penetrate due to the extreme friction temperature. This means that uranium dust is easily distributed in the local environment, and can then be blown about by wind.

Unfortunately, some of the replacement munitions don't appear to be any less toxic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium#Ammunition

According to 2005 research,[32] at least some of the most promising tungsten alloys that have been considered as replacement for depleted uranium in penetrator ammunitions, such as tungsten-cobalt or tungsten-nickel-cobalt alloys, also possess extreme carcinogenic properties, which by far exceed those (confirmed or suspected) of depleted uranium itself: 100% of rats implanted with a pellet of such alloys developed lethal rhabdomyosarcoma within a few weeks.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

16. OTOH it's less toxic than the molybdenum it replaced

Reply to NickB79 (Reply #12)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:23 PM

Jul 2013

But molybdenum doesn't sound as scary

KoKo

(84,711 posts)

18. Thanks... Either way, though, it pollutes the environment and travels so...

Reply to NickB79 (Reply #12)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:36 PM

Jul 2013

the repercussions will be there and spread around for years.

Hekate

(90,690 posts)

14. US troops and their children are sick, too, from exposure to DU and chemicals

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:20 PM

Jul 2013

This information was all over Democratic Underground a decade ago. Time to bring it back.

JEB

(4,748 posts)

17. Wow! What a legacy we have.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:36 PM

Jul 2013

There needs to be a museum with graphic images of deformed children and anguished parents. Bush library perhaps.

KoKo

(84,711 posts)

20. US/NATO "Ravages of Freedom Museum?" Down the street in DC

Reply to JEB (Reply #17)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:40 PM

Jul 2013

from the Holocaust Museum?

JEB

(4,748 posts)

19. I'm sure the war profiteers are proud as punch.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:39 PM

Jul 2013

Victor_c3

(3,557 posts)

21. I don't even need to read the article. I know this too well.

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:52 PM

Jul 2013

Another article I read a while back stated that the birth defect rate in Fallujah is higher now than the birth defect rate in Nagasaki and Hiroshima after we dropped a nuclear bomb on them.

I'm glad to see this article is getting as many hits and recs as it is. The last couple of times I've seen this subject brought up it hardly got any traction at all on DU.

War's a bitch.

BobbyBoring

(1,965 posts)

22. A new form of genocide?

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Mon Jul 22, 2013, 02:57 PM

Jul 2013

Sounds like it~

Reply to this discussion