Introduction | News
| Information | Resources
| Affiliate | Action
| Links | Contact
Potential
Health Effects
In the areas where
depleted uranium was used in southern Iraq, a number of serious health
problems have emerged among both soldiers and civilians.
For instance, there has been a 66% increase in leukaemias and cancers
in southern Iraq. There has also been a marked increase in the numbers
of children born with birth malformations, with horrific reports of 3
children in one family being born with severe congenital malformations.
There are also
large numbers of soldiers who served in the Gulf with Allied forces and
in the Iraqi army, who are now suffering from mysterious illnesses - often
referred to as Gulf War syndrome. Many of these illnesses reflect
those seen among Iraqi children and civilians. For example, of the
697,000 US troops who served in the Gulf, over 90,000 have reported medical
problems. There are also defects reported among their newborn children.
In a veterans community in Mississippi, 67% of the children were born
with malformations.
The area of
southern Scotland used to test depleted uranium weapons has the highest
rate of childhood leukaemia in Scotland. The residents of the
flats in Amsterdam into which the El Al jet crashed in 1992 have also
reported mysterious illnesses (the jet had depleted uranium counterweights
- see CADU News issue 3).
However, although
we can point to these facts and statistics in relation to the use
of depleted uranium, it is impossible to prove a causal link.
Just as it is impossible for scientists to prove a causal link between
the leukaemia clusters around Sellafield nuclear power station, and
radioactivity released from the plant. It is not scientifically
possible to categorically state that depleted uranium has caused any
particular illness in any person - certainly, in relation to the Gulf
War, there were many other 'compounding' factors - other toxics present
which could be linked to illnesses.
What we can do though, is examine the toxic and radioactive properties
of depleted uranium, and the potential adverse effects resulting from
these - and place this alongside reported illnesses where depleted
uranium has been used.
Like other
heavy metals, depleted uranium is chemically toxic: it causes chemical
poisoning of the body, particularly to kidneys and tubules.
However, it is its radiological properties which cause the most
concern. On impact, depleted uranium burns and oxidises to form
tiny ceramic aerosol particles. These particles are between
1 and 5 microns in size, which means they are easily breathed in.
As they are ceramicised depleted uranium, they are insoluble - they
do not dissolve in bodily fluids, and so are not easily flushed
through the body and may remain lodged in the lungs or other organs
for years. It is also important to note that these particles
can be carried in air, by wind, or can be disturbed by movement
of vehicles or people. Tests have shown they can be carried
for at least 26 miles.
The Ministry of Defence, government scientists, among others, claim
that as depleted uranium is only of low level radioactivity, it
is not particularly dangerous. In fact, it is this type of
thinking which is dangerous, as they use a radioactive model based
on the effects of gamma and beta radiation, external to the body.
depleted uranium, however, is an alpha particle emitter. Of
all the types of radiation alpha particles when released internally
(ie breathed in) are the most dangerous to living cells. They are
the biggest and most heavy of the three types of radiation. Because
they can be stopped by a piece of paper they are sometimes considered
less dangerous than beta (which need a centimetre of aluminium to
stop it.) or gamma (which need several feet of lead to stop it),
but that is only when they are outside of the body. As the
Low Level Radiation Campaign and other scientists have proved, an
alpha source next to living tissue can severely damage the DNA in
the nucleus of the cell, cause mutations and later cancers. On its
way from the lungs to the bladder the depleted uranium spends time
in the blood and could get lodged in a capillary or tissue anywhere
in the body and cause cancer there. This is why depleted uranium
is so dangerous if it is in the body: particularly if it stays there
for many years.
Government scientists claim that the radioactivity dose received
from inhaling depleted uranium would not exceed the minimum radiation
dose permitted. However, this is because they take the effects
of alpha particles in one small section of body tissue, and average
the harm out over the entire body. Yet as shown above, the
damage to this small part can lead to cancers and mutations affecting
the whole body.
The expected health effects of chronic lung burdens of depleted
uranium include fibrosis of the irradiated lung tissue, lung cancer,
eventual entry of depleted uranium into blood over subsequent years,
with effects on liver and kidney, together with incorporation of
depleted uranium into bone. When in bone, the uranium can
irradiate the sensitive stem cells which form the white blood cells,
especially the monocytes. Clinical manifestations of this
toxicity include kidney and liver damage, anaemia, depressed cellular
immune system and general heavy metal poisoning. Uranium can
pass the placenta causing congenital malformation and can be carried
to the infant in mothers milk. It can damage the ovum and sperm
causing genetic damage.
Therefore, when
we look at the properties of depleted uranium, the effects it could have
on the body, and compare this with the medical problems among depleted
uranium workers, Gulf veterans, Iraqi civilians and so on, we cannot rule
out depleted uranium as one of the causes.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
From CADU News 7: Spring 2001
Read more articles about The Health
Effects of Depleted Uranium
Introduction | News
| Information | Resources
| Affiliate | Action
| Links | Contact
Page last updated: January 28, 2003
|
