- 1) Depleted Uranium is a radioactive heavy metal with
a half life of 4.5 billion years. It is nuclear waste, created when natural
uranium is enriched to make nuclear weapons (at a ratio of 7 to 1). The
US government uses DU as penetrators. In bullets, missiles and bombs, it
self sharpens as it penetrates the target and burns upon impact (pyrophoric).
( http://www.umrc.net/whatIsDU.asp UMRC, 2001)
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- 2) The Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC) warns
that the name is misleading as it is "depleted" only in the isotopes
U234 and U235. These isotopes constitute less that 1% of the total uranium
which means both "depleted" uranium and "natural" Uranium
are over 99% composed of Uranium 238. In addition to this, DU contains
U236, highly radioactive, man-made particles resulting from the enrichment
process. ( http://www.umrc.net/duBasics.asp UMRC, 1999)
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- 3) As it decays, DU gives off Alpha, Beta and Gamma
particles. It is generally accepted that Alpha and Beta are not an external
threat and can be blocked by a sheet of paper. However, because of their
pyrophoric nature, as DU munitions strike, they transform into tiny ceramic
aerosol particles. This DU dust can travel great distances, and is easily
resuspended in the air becoming inhaled and ingested. ( http://www.umrc.net/duBasics.asp
UMRC, 1999)
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- 4) Once inside the body, there is no way to prevent
the radioactive properties of DU from creating hazardous ions or causing
extensive damage to bonds that hold molecules together, proteins, enzymes,
cells, chromosomes, DNA and RNA. ( http://www.umrc.net/duBasics.asp UMRC,
1999)
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- 5) While most Depleted Uranium is excreted from the
body, the small amounts that remain are a constant source of low-level
radiation that damage cell structure. When this kind of damage takes place
in reproductive organs it leads to genetic mutations, which are passed
on from generation to generation. ( http://www.umrc.net/duBasics.asp UMRC,
1999)
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- 6) Cells face even more damage due to the Second Event
Theory of Radiation. After cells have been hit one time with radiation,
they enter a repair stage and for 8-10 hours are more susceptible to damage
from another dose. As DU stays in the body indefinitely it constantly
radiates cells in this delicate stage of repair. ( http://www.llrc.org/du/duframes.htm
Busby, 2000)
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- 7) Pentagon officials estimate that 1,100*-2,200 tons
of depleted uranium were dropped by U.S.-led coalition forces during their
attack on Iraq in March and April 2003. This contrasts with about 375 tons
used in the 1991 Gulf War, 11 tons fired during the 1999 war against Serbia
over Kosovo and a much smaller quantities used against rebel Serb positions
in Bosnia in 1995.
( http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0615-01.htm Borst, 2003)
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- *1,100 metric tons of DU = 1,100,000,000 grams of DU
= 7,931,000,000 rem/yr, contaminating heavily populated cities like Baghdad
and Basra (personal communication). The US sets a limit of 5rem/year for
external exposure to DU and 50rem/year for deep dose (inhalation) exposure.
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- 8) In 1993, Congress passed PL-103-160 Section271, ordering
the DoD (Department of Defense) to study the effects of inhaled and ingested
DU ( http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d103:HR02401:|TOM:/bss/d103query.html
Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet). In violation of the law,
the DoD has not funded a single study, instead focusing on embedded DU
using non-battlefield scenarios.
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- 9) Cleanup crews at Lowry Air Force Base discovered
two DU shells in 1999. The shells and 1 acre of soil were collected and
are now residing at a low level radiation storage facility, so are the
drums associated with that removal. (
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/release/1999/031899.html CDPHE, 1999, 30)
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- 10) Are the cleanup crews at Lowry being overly cautious?
Consider the number of alpha particles emitted by a single spherical pellet
of Uranium Oxide (UO2) 0.0001 inch or 2.5 microns in diameter (equivalent
to 1/40th the width of a human hair) and the dose rate it produces ( http://www.ccnr.org/du_hague.html
Bertell, 1999). [Uranium Oxide is created when the DU penetrator burns
into ceramic aerosol particles. Anything under 10 microns can be inhaled]
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- The 2.5 micron Depleted Uranium Oxide pellet contains
210 billion atoms (2.1 x 10 to the power of 11) of U238. Each year, the
pellet will emit an average 32.3 alpha particles. It also contains U234,
235, 236 which together yield an additional 5.3 alpha particles per year.
Thus a single pellet of Depleted UO2 will produce a total of 37.6 alpha
particles per year.
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- The 37.6 alpha particles will deliver a radiation dose
of 17 rads/year. With an RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) factor
of 10, the dose rate is 170 rem/year for the surrounding body tissue. Remember,
the limit for deep dose DU is 50 rem/year (personal communication.
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- Political violence is an act of force, intimidation or
abuse by a group or individual aimed at influencing, maintaining or seizing
political power. The time has come to end such illegitimate violence perpetrated
by our own United States government.
-
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