Damage to health due to uranium ammunition residues

Residues of uranium ammunition cause long-term massive damage to health

25/11/2013

In former war zones such as Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, tons of armor-piercing depleted uranium (DU) ammunition has been fired, and its debris still poses a massive health risk to local populations. According to IPPNW (International Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Doctors in Social Responsibility e.V.), uranium ammunition „Radioactive uranium oxide aerosols released in nanoparticle size, which are distributed with wind and weather in the environment.“ Through the respiratory system, the digestive system and the skin, the radioactive heavy metal is absorbed by humans and can cause many diseases, such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as non-cancerous diseases. Incorporated DU also damages the genetic material, so that children from appropriately loaded parents have numerous congenital malformations.

The IPPNW therefore calls for a ban on uranium munitions, similar to what has been done by the international community, for example for land mines or cluster bombs. In conversation with „Heilpraxisnet.de“ answered the pediatrician Winfrid Eisenberg from the Atomic Energy Working Group of the IPPNW asked a few questions about this subject, which until now has been little discussed by the general public.

From which armed forces and where uranium ammunition has been used?
Dr. Eisenberg: To the best of our knowledge, the NATO countries USA, Great Britain and France have used uranium munitions in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, in Bosnia and Serbia in 1995, in Kosovo in 1999; the use of DU in Afghanistan and Libya is contested but is likely.

What long-term damage to health can be expected or recorded through the use of uranium ammunition??
Dr. Eisenberg: DU does not develop its harmful effects "from the outside", but "from the inside", ie after absorption of the fine uranium dust via the air, eating and drinking as well as injuries and splinters that have invaded the body. The uranium is a radioactive element "radiotoxic" and as a heavy metal additionally "chemotoxic". The affected population, but also the war veterans, primarily suffer from malignant diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, lung and bone cancer, but also non-cancer diseases, such as renal insufficiency, liver damage and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). Equally devastating are the genetic changes that cause numerous congenital malformations. Neural tube defects (hydrocephalus, anencephalus, spina bifida), congenital heart defects, malformations of the urogenital tract and extremities are particularly common. All this affects both newborns in the former war zones and children of American and British war veterans.

What is your assessment of the public perception of this critical issue??
Dr. Eisenberg: Public perception of uranium ammunition's long-term problems is low; Policymakers and the media have too little knowledge about health threats from DU; the risks for their own soldiers are downplayed. We try to counteract this.

What measures would be needed to protect the population in crisis or war zones from the long-term health risks - also in relation to the already contaminated regions?
Dr. Eisenberg: The special feature of uranium ammunition in comparison to other "conventional" ammunition is that the health consequences after the end of the war persist over many generations. (The main component of the DU, the Uranisotop U-238, has a half-life of 4.5 billion years!) In this respect, a war conducted with uranium ammunition is never over. To mitigate health risks, it would be helpful to accurately disclose the locations of the operations by the military leaders, then mark these sites, and at least try to "decontaminate" them. The US Army has so far refused to divulge the coordinates of the DU sites.

How can our readers support you in calling for a ban on uranium munitions??
Dr. Eisenberg: IPPNW and ICBUW (International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons) have jointly launched a petition to the Federal Government and the Bundestag, which they can sign until October 2014 (also online) (see websites IPPNW.de and ICBUW Germany).

The statements made by the IPPNW expert highlight the importance of broad support for the call for a ban on uranium ammunition, even though in Germany the problems have so far hardly been realized. For the population in the war zones of this world, the use of DU has fatal consequences in the long term. For decades, entire areas are contaminated. The petition calling for a ban on uranium ammunition can be found at the following link. (Fp)