The on going effects of the Depleted Uranium used by the USA in Iraq
Violation of the Geneva convention and the human rights
regulation breached on a large scale by America and the West many times since
the beginning of the World War 1 and 2. However the worst of these violations was
during the American wars in Iraq from 1991 until 2011 including the barbaric
sanction in between.
One of the most dangerous uses of weapons of mass
destruction after the use of nuclear weapons in Japan is the use of the
Depleted Uranium (DU) by America in Iraq.
This resulted in serious and huge increase in the cancer rates
especially in the South of Iraq where the DU was used since 1991. Leukaemia, thyroid cancer, skin cancers,
soft tissue cancers, congenital anomalies, and other cancers increased above
dangerous levels in Basra and other southern cities of Iraq. It affects children more than adults and
resulted in emergence of new and serous versions of cancers never known before
in the region such as different kinds of Kaposi’s sarcoma which is a skin
cancer.
DU is a radioactive material which stays in the environment
hundreds of millions of years and may enter into the chain of the living been
such as the plants, the animals and remained as a radioactive dust. When exceeding the normal limit in the body
(90 microgram) it cause disastrous outcomes on the affected population. The DU contains 60% radioactivity of that of
the Natural Uranium (NU). Both consist
of 3 active radioactive isotopes but in different concentrations. However both are behaving, chemically,
physically and toxicologically the same.
DU has been used recently in the 1991 and 2003 USA wars
against Iraq as well as in the Balkan region.
Its main use is due to its penetrating effects on armoured vehicles and
tanks. DU is bursting after shooting
into flame and at least 70% of it forms particles less than 5 microns in
diameter which make it easily inhaled to the lungs, rains, penetrate the soil,
and consequently contaminate the water resources and the agricultural and animal
products. Man may be affected by the DU
by radiations, inhalation, swallowing, wound contamination and ingesting water
or food. In the body, DU is toxic to the
kidneys, testes, ovaries, placenta, embryo, blood cells, the nervous system
including the brain, the thyroid gland and the other body systems. In Iraq all the cancers of these systems were
dramatically increased after the American wars on Iraq since 1991. According to the IAEA (the International
Atomic Energy Agency), one need to have only (3 microgram per gram of kidney)
to have its dangerous effects.
Children are more affected from the side effects of the
DU. There were marked increase in the
childhood cancers and congenital anomalies in the South of Iraq. The American and the West use of the DU on
Iraq in the 1991 war, resulted in hundreds of tons of inhaled particles and
more than that penetrated the soil and contaminated the water and the other
things. So many cancers up surged in
Iraq which behaved quite divergently from the classical cancers as well as the
congenital malformations which were stranger than before. Some of these cancers increased more than ten
times. It is the alpha rays in the DU
which penetrate and hit the DNA molecules.
This will result in passing of the disastrous effects to many
generations to come.
There are lack of information from the media and the
international health authorities about the DU and its disastrous effects in
Iraq. Everyone including the WHO, the
International Health Authorities, the Media, the Human rights groups and every
one should make substantial efforts to bring this issue to an existence not
only to condemn the use of DU in Iraq but to prevent its use any future
wars. On the other hand America and the
West who used this weapon of mass destruction should bear the responsibilities
to help Iraq to clear its soil and abandoned contaminated tanks from the effect
of the DU. The danger of using the DU
may affect any other population in any future war and could be on a larger
scale. More researches need to be done
to uncover the disastrous effects of these killing rays! Those who wage wars using nuclear weapons
have to be brought to justice as criminal of wars and genocide. They will definitely face severe punishment on
the Day of Judgment without any doubts.
Between them and that Day is the number of years the live only! They may see it long but it is so close like tomorrow
morning, is so near!
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