News and Politics | May 22, 2008 | 7 comments

Depleted uranium shells used by U.S. worse than nuclear weapons

source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/du-shells-used-by-us-worse-than-nuclear-weapons/3547/

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cubbingabout
The use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by the U.S. military may lead to a death toll far higher than that from the nuclear bombs dropped at the end of World War II. DU is a waste product of uranium enrichment, containing approximately one-third the radioactive isotopes of naturally occurring uranium. Because of its high density, it is used in armor- or tank-piercing ammunition. It has been fired by the U.S. and British militaries in the two Iraq wars and in Afghanistan, as well as by NATO forces in Kosovo and the Israeli military in Lebanon and Palestine.

Inhaled or ingested DU particles are highly toxic, and DU has been classified as an illegal weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations
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7 comments // Depleted uranium shells used by U.S. worse than nuclear weapons

  • Kabimbi
    • 0
      Kabimbi  

    • its going to keep blowing around the middle east causing birth deformities and cancer for decades, its an abomination.

    • 4 years ago
  • BlueDotProdux
    • 0
      BlueDotProdux  
    • Image

    • To add insult to injury DU may be linked to Gulf War Syndrome, which is not recognized by the VA as meriting benefits.

      Follow the link to look at the other possible causes of GWS and make your own judgment.

    • 4 years ago
  • Uelthomas
    • 0
      Uelthomas  

    • Benefits outweigh the cost in their eyes. Makes other peoples methods of protection useless while if others try to use it against their soldiers and tanks they can call it illegal. Good thing China doesn't have the same attitude as America or we'll all be screwed.

    • 4 years ago
  • cubbingabout
  • poohkits
  • Vierotchka
    • 0
      Vierotchka  

    • The poisoned gift that keeps "giving" (and killing) for billions of years... It takes four and a half billion years for depleted uranium to lose half of its radioactivity.

    • 4 years ago
  • poohkits
    • 0
      poohkits  

    • I think it is the last paragraph that is important. The fact that the UN has classified them as illegal weapons of mass destruction

    • 4 years ago
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