Special Feature : Depleted Uranium ... Crime of the century

After more than 50 years producing atomic weapons and nuclear energy, the USA has 500,000 tonnes of Depleted Uranium stored, according to official data.

Depleted uranium is radioactive also and has an average lifetime of
4.5 thousand million years. This is why such waste has to be stored safely
for an indefinite period of time, an extremely costly procedure.

In order to save money and empty their tanks, the US Department of Defence and Energy assigns Depleted Uranium free of charge to national and foreign armament companies.

When a projectile hits a target, 70% of its Depleted Uranium burns
and oxidizes forming tiny particles which can be ingested or inhaled after being deposited on the ground or carried kilometres away by the wind, the food chain or water.

A 1995 technical report issued by the American Army indicates that "if DU enters the body, it has the potentiality of causing serious medical consequences. The associated risk is both chemical and radiological. Depleted Uranium when deposited in the lungs or kidneys will cause cell death and genetic mutations resulting in cancer and genetic abnormalities in exposed individuals as well as their descendents over the years".

In its 110,000 air raids against Iraq, the US A-10 Warthog aircraft
launched 940,000 DU projectiles, and in the land offensive, its M60, M1 and M1A1 tanks fired a further 4,000 larger calibre also uranium projectiles.

It is estimated that there are 300 tonnes of radioactive waste in the area
which might have already affected 250,000 Iraqis.

Accordingly, Iraq has been considered an experimental lap for the use of Depleted Uranium weaponry for the first time in the history of recent wars. The enormity of the repercussions and harm related to the use of radioactive and lethal weapons on the environment and the human residents mostly resulted from the intended covering, refutation , and false data released by the Pentagon about the quantities, descriptions, and the area's in Iraq , in which these weapons have been bombed.

Leak of information concerning what is called the Gulf War Syndrome among exposed American veterans assisted Iraqi researchers and Medical Doctors to realize the devastating effects of these weapons on Iraqi civilians.

Iraq and its population have been exposed constantly to DU weaponry since 1991.
Moreover, Additional rounds of DU have been lately used since 2003 invasion of Iraq in heavily populated areas such as Baghdad, Samawa and other provinces.

Thus, Millions of Iraqis have been exposed to higher doses of radioactivity than ordinary background levels. As a result a multi-fold increase of low level radiation exposure; related diseases have been registered since 1995. An increase of children's leukemia, congenital malformations, breast cancer etc...

Accordingly, USA and its allies have prevented any kind of (DU) related investigation research. They have also worked on covering up destructive health effects on the population, refusing to release data on the amounts, types and locations of these weapons within Iraq.

As a consequence, thousands of Iraqi children and their families are suffering from different low level radiation (LLR) related diseases such as congenital malformations, malignancies, congenital heart diseases, chromosomal aberration and multiple malformations. Women in the contaminated areas suffered high rates of miscarriages and sterility.

Dozens of studies were made and published in Arabic or English peer-reviewed scientific journals of various Iraqi universities. The published investigation programs were all conducted by well-known professors and researchers who followed the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and other international scientific standards procedures.

All research and radiological laboratory tests that were done in conjunction of the environmental department of the Iraqi Atomic Commission were searched and reviewed by periodic inspection teams of the IAEA who were checking the IAEC [ International Atomic Energy Commission] activities throughout the nineties until the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In related development, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report in 2005 specified the existence of 311 sites related to DU contamination in Iraq.

The report came out with the following conclusions:

1- The USA and UK constantly used Depleted Uranium weapons against the population and environment in Iraq from 1991 until today.

2- The USA and UK in Iraq intentionally denied and covered up the types, locations and amounts of weapons that were used to prevent taking measures which could reduce health damages resulting from LLR exposure.

3- The USA and UK banned UNEP, World Health Organization (WHO) and other international agencies to carry out any investigations which aid in measuring the health risks of Iraqi civilians from such radioactive contaminants.

4- Forbidding the release of any casualty statistics by the health ministry in Iraq right after the American invasion is part of the crime that has been continuously committed against Iraq and Iraqis.

5- Exploration programs and site measurements proved without a doubt that the existence of DU related radioactive contamination all over most of Iraq (except the northern area of Kurdistan).

6- Published epidemiological studies in Basrah introduced a clear correlation between DU related exposure to LLR and the multifold increase of malignancies, congenital malformations and multiple malformations in detected DU contaminated areas.

7- Other pathological and haematological studies indicated the existence of chromosomal and DNA aberrations and abnormalities in the 1991 Iraqi Gulf War veterans. Other studies proved their effects on lowering the activities of the human immune system in exposed individuals.

8- Iraqi researchers' site measurements of 2000 revealed the fact that the Muthana governorate and Al-Samawa city were contaminated since 1991. This fact was proven by the Dutch troops in 2003, and then the American Guardsmen who served in that area after the invasion and confirmed exposure to DU contamination.

9- Intentional continuous use of DU against the people and environment of Iraq is a crime against humanity due to its harmful health impacts on civilian long times after the military operations. Existing DU contamination in the surrounding environment is a continuous source of (LLR) exposure to civilians which can be considered systematic attacks on civilians in an armed conflict [Article 4 of the official regulations and Article 7 of the International Criminal Court (ICC)].

Besides, Data showing the enormity of the crisis came from inside US, "More than ten times the amount of radiation released during atmospheric testing [of nuclear bombs] has been released from DU weaponry since 1991," said Leuren Moret, a U.S. nuclear scientist. "The genetic future of the Iraqi people, for the most part, is destroyed. The environment now is completely radioactive."

Investigative researchers have discovered an official U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs official, but not well publicized count, of 73,846 U.S. soldiers who have perished as an apparent result of Depleted Uranium based bio-chemical warfare exposure. This exceeds an estimate of 58,000 U.S. soldiers who had been killed in relation to the Vietnam War.
And over 200,000 American soldiers could be killed by 2010, as a result of the after effects of exposure to U.S. dirty bombs.

Besides, over One million U.S. soldiers have apparently been disabled from Depleted Uranium based biochemical exposure. Moreover, over one million Iraqis have also been documented to have been killed.

Following the 2003 US-led invasion, over 140,000 cases of cancer has been reported in Iraq, which are believed to be caused by toxic weaponry used by the American troops. It is reported that 2,000 tons of (DU) expenditure were used during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The United States and its allies have turned a blind eye to all international laws and Human Rights declarations regarding DU, which has been classified as an illegal weapon of mass destruction.

While the current situation surrounding DU use might not be sufficient to have the illegality affirmed by the United Nations (UN) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and that can be seen in the bizarre and irresponsible actions of the U.S. which has done everything in its power to avoid drawing negative attention to DU and to avoid liability for its consequences.