This is a major health concern for Iraqi citizens, our own soldiers, and unborn children. Over 200,000 US soldiers experienced chronic muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and memory loss because of DU in the first Gulf War. Cancer rates in veterans has increased 7 to 10 times and deformities has increased from 4 to 6 percent. 320 metric tons of DU were scattered across the battlefield after the first gulf war. DU has a half life of 4.5 billion years, so this toxic debris will continue to contaminate the environment for 4.5 billion years. a UK atomic energy authority stated that 500,000 people will die because of the DU left behind from the first gulf war. because of DU 67% of gulf war vets had children with birth defects, some of which are extremely shocking and disturbing.
The pentagon admits there "may be a link between DU and the skyrocketing cancer rates," but they refuse to stop using it. The World Health Organization released a report proving the horrible effects of DU, but this still hasn't stopped our government from using our tax dollars to wage a nuclear war.
This is important to me because we are destroying the earth. We are polluting the air, water, and food supply of Iraq. If we wish for peace in the middle east, we cannot rape their land and leave radioactive waste all over their country.
Links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6105726.stm
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/
Is it Ethical to use DU even though there are studies that prove that it can be detrimental to our troops and civilians?
Was it acceptable that the US army denied and did not inform their soldiers of the negative effects of DU?
It is completly unethical to use this material when there are know health defects for both the American soldiers deploying it and the people that are unwillingly being effected by it. War is already devestating enough, the use of this material on top of that is totally ridiculous. I understand that it increses the effectivness of the bullets we use, but it is not worth the cost. There is no reason why we should not only be killing the enemy, but also maiming the physical health of the generations of people that will come after them. I was so shocked when I saw the images of babies effected by depleated uranium, it disgusts me that our goverment continues to use this even though there is obvious evidence of the negitive effects of this material. ESPECIALLY that they did not inform the soldiers that are not only risking their lives on the battlefield to defend our country, but now risking their lives and the health of their children just by using the weapons the goverment supplies them with.
ReplyDeleteThis was by far the most disturbing story I heard about all semester. The effects of depleted uranium is just outrageous and extremely upsetting. The most upsetting part is the fact that the soldiers using this awful material were uninformed of the risks they were putting themselves through, and also their children. Harming infants, children, ourselves, and our enemy all because our military and government are stuck in the mind state that we must have something bigger and better, is just ridiculous. This does not make us look any stronger or better in my opinion. It only makes us look stupid for going to such extremes as to harm ourselves and our own children just to increase the effectiveness of our bullets. I am appalled at the fact that people are aware of the health defects and yet depleted uranium is still being used.
ReplyDeletedepleted uranium is not something we want to be playing around with. It is a waste that isn't meant to come into contact with people. It is unethical that our own government would send our own soldiers to fight a war with toxic waste. How can they not even tell the soldiers what are on the tips of their bullets? It is even more unethical that the government knows what they are doing,and they know that it causes these cancerous defects in babies.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this is our government in it's evil and darkest state. This has been an informative article that has been brought up this year because what shocks me is how we can take this uranium and dispose of it from our land onto other countries that cause all sorts of future problems. I just wonder if we are the only ones using this or are our allies doing the same? This has all happened before with all other toxic and new weapon developments. There are always negative sides and the soldiers in the field are never fully told what happens with the new weapons "of the future". Sure they may get the job done, but is it worth it to expose it to OUR troops who get rid of the uranium on other human lives, only to survive a war and return home to bring infection onto themselves and people around them, all the way to future generations? To bad the government won't think about their men and women who give up their lives so that they may have the positions they hold and the money that goes into their pockets.
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty scary news of the day. The youtube video was pretty messed up.It's hard to believe that this is what we're doing to the environment and the government doesn't want to admit it.It really makes you wonder what other kinds of things we might be putting into the environment.I along with many others give credit to anyone willing to go to war so why are we creating long term health issues for people who just want to support our country?
ReplyDeleteis there any alternative for DU, like for making things armor piercing?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a sick disply of the government trying to regulate its human population problem because by affecting not only the enemy soldiers with DU it also is affecting the American soldiers as well so that it will cause difficulties with reproduction at a later time. All for population control.
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