1. Terza relazione della "Commissione Mandelli" (giugno 2002)
2. UN (UNEP) testing for depleted uranium in Bosnia (AFP, ENS)
3. Uranium and plutonium are killing the residents of Serbian Sarajevo
4. Auf Deutsch: URANIUM IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA; DEKONTAMINIERUNG BEI
BUJANOVAC
5. Uranium weapons 2001-2003 update (Dai WIlliams)
One interesting link:
US Department of State: Fact sheet on depleted uranium
> http://wwww.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/54F86853DF28C26DC1256C4C0043C65F
=== 1 ===
Subject: [Scienzaepace] relazione mandelli III
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 16:19:09 +0200
From: luca nencini
To: scienzaepace@...
car* tutt*,
vi allego una copia della terza relazione mandelli sull'UI in
jugoslavia.
La relazione e' dello scorso giugno. La novita' piu' rilevante e' che
hanno (finalmnete) usato, come campione di controllo, anche un gruppo
di carabinieri, delle stesse classi di eta' dei militari mandati in
jugoslavia. In questo modo si vede chiaramente che l'incidenza di
linfomi di hodgkin per i militari mandati in missione e' di piu' del
quadruplo di quella attesa!
Inoltre e' stata correttamente usata una statistica poissoniana (come
del resto anche nella seconda versione) ed e' stato studiato l'effetto
di eliminare dalla statistica i militari che hanno svolto missioni di
durata inferiore a 30 giorni.
Rimangono comunque valide alcune delle critiche fatte alla prima
versione del documento mandelli: l'aver incluso nella statistica
militari che hanno svolto la missione in localita' che non sono mai
state bombardate dalla nato (come mostar) e il non aver tenuto conto
del fatto che il numero di tumori di cui la commissione e' venuta a
conoscenza e', con ogni probabilita', molto inferiore a quello reale.
Resta aperta, a mio parere, una questione di fondo, riguardo
l'epidemiologia in generale: una scienza per la quale sono necessari
due anni di studi per dimostrare faticosamente cio' che era evidente
fin dal primo giorno, e cioe' che i militari di ritorno dalla
jugoslavia si ammalavano piu' del dovuto.
ciao
luca nencini
LA RELAZIONE SI PUO' SCARICARE ALLA URL:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/Relazione_Mandelli_III.doc
=== 2 ===
(from Rick Rozoff)
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/du/Qbosnia-un-uranium.RsDJ_COE.html
UN testing for depleted uranium contamination in Bosnia
-Six of the sites have been identified by NATO as
having been struck by depleted uranium weapons during
air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and 1995.
-At the request of the local authorities, the UNEP
will also examine cancer rates in Sarajevo, Banja Luka
and the eastern town of Bratunac, where many refugees
from areas hit during bombing raids now live.
Bosnia was hit by three tons of depleted uranium NATO
shells in 1994-1995, Haavisto said.
Bosnian officials said at the time that the number of
cancer cases increased after the war....
SARAJEVO, Oct 14 (AFP) - Experts from the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) on Monday began tests for
contamination in several locations in Bosnia where
NATO forces used depleted uranium shells during the
country's 1992-1995 war.
"The UNEP's aim is to determine whether the use of
depleted uranium during the conflict in Bosnia may
pose health and environmental risks either now or in
the future," team leader Pekka Haavisto told
reporters.
Last year the UNEP concluded that depleted uranium
shells used by NATO forces in Yugoslavia had not
caused widespread contamination.
But in early 2001 many NATO and non-NATO countries
raised concern over possible link between the use of
depleted uranium ammunition in the Balkans and
increased cancer rates among soldiers who had
participated in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and
the Serb province of Kosovo.
Over the next 10 days, the 17-member UNEP team plans
to take soil, water and vegetation samples from 12
sites across the country.
Six of the sites have been identified by NATO as
having been struck by depleted uranium weapons during
air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and 1995.
The samples will be tested in nuclear laboratories in
Italy, Britain and Switzerland, Haavisto said, adding
that the final conclusions were expected be published
in March next year.
At the request of the local authorities, the UNEP will
also examine cancer rates in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and
the eastern town of Bratunac, where many refugees from
areas hit during bombing raids now live.
Bosnia was hit by three tons of depleted uranium NATO
shells in 1994-1995, Haavisto said.
Bosnian officials said at the time that the number of
cancer cases increased after the war, but gave no
evidence to link it with depleted uranium.
A NATO committee has said that scientific and medical
research has so far not shown any link between
depleted uranium and reported health problems.
http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2002/2002-10-15-02.asp
Environmental News Service
October 16, 2002
UN Assesses Depleted Uranium in Bosnia-Herzegovina
-"Previous studies of DU in Kosovo and Serbia
recommended that governments and civilians take
precautionary action to avoid contact with DU."
-At the request of the local authorities, the medical
sub-team, led by an expert from the World Health
Organization (WHO), will examine data on cancer rates
in the main urban centres of Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
They will also visit a local hospital in Bratunac to
meet with the local medics and with patients who may
have been exposed to DU during the conflict.
-DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity that
affects the kidneys and the lungs.
-"We learned," UNEP reports, "that still, more than
two years after the end of the conflict, particles of
DU dust can be detected from soil samples and from
sensitive bio-indicators like lichen."
-Young children playing in or near DU impact sites
could ingest the radioactive substance lingering in
contaminated soil when putting their fingers in their
mouths, WHO warns.
-"One of the most significant findings," of the
Balkans research, UNEP says, is that "future risks to
groundwater maybe posed by the gradual corrosion of DU
penetrators."
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, October 15, 2002 (ENS) -
At the request of the government of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, a team of experts from the United
Nations Environment Programme is investigating 12
sites in the country that may have been targeted by
ordnance containing depleted uranium (DU) during the
Bosnian conflict in 1994 and 1995.
The 17 member team UNEP Depleted Uranium Assessment
Team began its research October 12 and will be in the
field until October 24. Their conclusions will be
presented in a report to be published in March 2003.
The assessment mission is headed by Pekka Haavisto,
the former Finnish environment minister who has led
war damage assessment teams in the Balkans, and most
recently in the Palestinian Territories.
"UNEP's aim is to determine whether the use of
depleted uranium during the conflict in Bosnia and
Herzegovina may pose health or environmental risks -
either now or in the future," said Haavisto.
"Previous studies of DU in Kosovo and Serbia
recommended that governments and civilians take
precautionary action to avoid contact with DU," he
said.
The team will take soil, water, air and vegetation
samples at six sites that have been identified by the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as having
been struck by DU weapons. They will examine six other
sites that local residents believe may have also been
targeted.
At the request of the local authorities, the medical
sub-team, led by an expert from the World Health
Organization (WHO), will examine data on cancer rates
in the main urban centres of Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
They will also visit a local hospital in Bratunac to
meet with the local medics and with patients who may
have been exposed to DU during the conflict.
The mission is being funded by the governments of
Italy and Switzerland.
The assessment team includes experts from UNEP, the
Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Spiez
Laboratory of Switzerland, Italy's National
Environmental Protection Agency, the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the Greek Atomic Energy
Commission, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion
and Preventative Medicine, the Nuclear Safety
Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the
University of Bristol, UK.
The samples being collected will be analyzed in detail
for radioactivity and toxicity in the Spiez
Laboratory, in Italy's National Environmental
Protection Agency lab, and at Bristol University.
The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched
fraction contains about 99.8 percent 238U, 0.25
percent of 235U and 0.001 percent 234U by mass. This
material is referred to as depleted uranium or DU.
Due to its high density, about twice that of lead, and
other properties, DU is used in munitions designed to
penetrate armor plate and for protection of military
vehicles such as tanks.
DU is described by the World Health Organization (WHO)
in an April 2001 Fact Sheet as "weakly radioactive." A
radiation dose from it would be about 60 percent of
that from purified natural uranium with the same mass.
DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity that
affects the kidneys and the lungs.
UNEP's Balkans Task Force report giving field
measurements taken around selected impact sites in
Kosovo indicates that contamination by DU in the
environment was localized to a few tens of meters
around impact sites.
"We learned," UNEP reports, "that still, more than two
years after the end of the conflict, particles of DU
dust can be detected from soil samples and from
sensitive bio-indicators like lichen."
The "extremely low" levels were only detectable
through lab analysis, but UNEP confirmed that
"contamination at the targeted sites is widespread,
though no significant level of radioactivity can be
measured."
But the task force found that levels of DU may be
significantly raised over background levels in close
proximity to DU contaminating events.
Over the days and years following such an event, WHO
warns, the contamination will become dispersed into
the wider natural environment. "People living or
working in affected areas can inhale dusts and can
consume contaminated food and drinking water."
"Levels of contamination in food and drinking water
could rise in affected areas after some years and
should be monitored where it is considered that there
is a reasonable possibility of significant quantities
of DU entering the ground water or food chain," the
agency says.
Young children playing in or near DU impact sites
could ingest the radioactive substance lingering in
contaminated soil when putting their fingers in their
mouths, WHO warns.
There is a possibility of lung tissue damage leading
to a risk of lung cancer if a high enough radiation
dose results from insoluble DU compounds remaining in
the lungs for many years, says WHO. "No reproductive
or developmental effects have been reported in humans,
but studies are limited."
The UNEP Balkans assessment team used modern air
sampling techniques and detected airborne DU particles
at two sites, indicating for the first time, that the
radioactive substance could remain in the air for
months, and possibly for years.
"One of the most significant findings," of the Balkans
research, UNEP says, is that "future risks to
groundwater maybe posed by the gradual corrosion of DU
penetrators." The magnitude of this risk is unknown,
and UNEP recommended continued monitoring.
In April 2001, WHO published a monograph entitled
"Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposures and Health
Effects" which reviews the best available scientific
literature on uranium and depleted uranium.
UNEP's post-conflict depleted uranium reports are
online at:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications.htm#du
=== 3 ===
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/70522
Patriot, Banja Luka, Republika Srpska
July 22, 2002
Uranium and plutonium are killing the residents of Serbian Sarajevo
According to information uncovered by Patriot 1,226 patients with
malignant tumors were registered in this hospital from 1995 to 2001; 370
of them have died. "Also released during the explosion of the alloy used
to manufacture such ammunition, like from Pandora's box, were various
other toxic substances, including free plutonium particles. We know that
plutonium is used to manufacture the atomic bomb. It is a catastrophic
agent, a exceptionally carcinogenic radiation source which causes
immediate malignant growth if introduced into the organism in any form,"
said Dr. Guzina
By Zoran Zuza
A few years ago when British scientist Roger Coghill, who headed
comprehensive research on the effects of using depleted uranium
ammunition, made the frightening prognosis that about 10,000 persons in
the Balkans would die from malignant tumors, few people took him
seriously. Also dismissed as part of a "conspiracy theory" against NATO
was research conducted by Italian scientists after several dozen
soldiers from countries serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo died of
leukemia or other malignant illnesses. "Just inhaling once at the moment
of explosion is enough for DU to enter the body. Danger also exists in a
contaminated environment from contaminated food and water but this
process is slower. The first symptoms manifest themselves in one to five
years," warned Massimo Giani (sp?), a hematologist from the National
Cancer Institute in Milano. Sick military minds which continue to
produce DU ammunition today and give orders for its use long ago
declared these humanitarian scientists to be lunatics standing in the
way of earning millions of dollars and subjugating small peoples.
Frightening proof
Where is the proof for the claims of these two scientists? It can be
found in Bratunac, where the Serb population originally from the
Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici, a proving ground for the excesses of NATO
bombers in 1995, continues to die from malignant illnesses; and in the
medical center in Kasindol, where a tremendous increase has been noted
in the annual number of cases of malignant illness, as well as the
number of deaths. Almost all of the patients are from parts of Serbian
Sarajevo which were bombed with DU ammunition seven or eight years ago.
Patriot uncovered information at Kasindol Hospital amounting to
irrefutable proof of the existence of what became known as "Balkan
syndrome" two years ago. According to this information 1,226 patients
with malignant tumors were registered in this hospital from 1995 to
2001; 370 of them have died. Entire families from Serbian Sarajevo with
no previous family history of cancer are receiving treatment today as a
result of the effects of DU. After reviewing the percentages by which
malignant illnesses have increased each year, including this one, the
situation becomes even more alarming. In comparison with 1995 the number
of instances of malignant tumors of lymphatic and blood producing
tissues increased by 27.7 percent; tumors of the skin, connecting and
soft tissues increased by 50 percent; tumors of the urogenital organs
increased by 58.5 percent; tumors of the respiratory organs increased by
64.9 percent, and tumors of the digestive organs increased by a
remarkable 109.6 percent.
Professor Dr. Trifko Guzina, surgeon and pre-war director of the
urological clinic in Sarajevo, a man who has operated on over 25,000
people from this region before the war, could offer no other explanation
for the increase in malignant illnesses except the effects of DU and
other toxic materials released after the explosion of DU ammunition. "I
have been a surgeon my whole life. Before the war I followed morbidity
and mortality rates rfrom all kinds of illnesses in this region.
However, I have never seen or recorded such strange pathology. After the
appearanceof multiple malignant tumors in the same patient in two or
three independent organs which were not the result of metastasis of one
malignant tumor, it became clear to me that the causal agent must be an
external factor. The patients who were suffering from multiple,
independent malignant tumors lived in immediate proximity to the bombing
sites or were in these areas at the time the bombings occurred," said
Dr. Guzina in a statement for Patriot.
He said that experts at Kasindol Hospital who compared statistics on the
number of patients concluded that 1995 was the first year in which a
drastic growth in the number of malignant illnesses in this region
became apparent. "The first to become ill and die were those who were
most directly exposed to the effects of DU, that is, those who were
bombed and those who inhaled air concentrated with toxic particles after
an explosion. A large number of the deceased, especially young people,
were not registered in this hospital. Some of them died in Bratunac,
where former residents of Hadzici have been decimated; others in areas
where Sarajevo Serbs fled after the signing of the Dayton Agreement;
still others in hospitals in Serbia," said Dr. Guzina.
DU in food chain and water
Explaining why, in his opinion, there is such an increase in the
percentage of malignant tumors of the digestive organs, Dr. Guzina
warned of the frightening fact that DU has entered the food chain and
the water chain. "Two years ago at a press conference in this hospital I
warned that we can expect an increase in the number of illnesses of the
digestive and urogenital tracts. It is well known that DU is a heavy
metal which falls to earth; rainfall permits it to enter the soil and
contaminate underground waters. This has also been confirmed by the
Atomic Commission in Vienna which determined after analyzing the
underground waters in this region that there is a increased
concentration of DU. Now the time has come when the effects of this
poison in the water and food chain have set in and that is why we see
the high indices of malignant tumors of digestive organs," said Dr.
Guzina.
He is convinced that, in addition to DU, enormous danger to the lives
and health of the population of this entire region, including the
residents of Sarajevo, is posed by plutonium, which was also released
during the explosion of DU ammunition.
"Toxic effects on the human organism first appear as a result of the
dust from the explosion in the air. These particles, depending on the
wind, spread like an umbrella to a zone of some 40 to 50 kilometers.
Moreover, DU is never pure. Also released during the explosion of the
alloy used to manufacture such ammunition, like from Pandora's box, were
various other toxic substances, including free plutonium particles. We
know that plutonium is used to manufacture the atomic bomb. It is a
catastrophic agent, a exceptionally carcinogenic radiation source which
causes immediate malignant growth if introduced into the organism in any
form," said Dr. Guzina.
Criminal logic
He says that it is extremely difficult to take preventative action
against the spread of malignant illnesses in cases such as this one,
where they are caused by an external factor whose effects are
practically unlimited in duration. "I would recommend that all water
lines in this region be immediately equipped with filters which block
heavy metals. In addition to this, we also need a mass spectometar for
diagnosis and confirmation of illness in the initial phases. Most of the
population of this region should undergo testing, especially those who
lived close to the bombing sites. Unfortunately, BH does not have a
medical institution with a mass spectometer nor is there a specialized
clinic which would carry out this type of work. The device itself is
very expensive. It costs as much as 300,000 German marks," said Dr.
Guzina.
In response to the reporter's comment that this instrument should be
donated by those who sowed DU throughout this region, Dr. Guzina said
that in his experience military logic was incompatible with common
sense. "I gave several lectures on the results of the effects of DU in
this region in Brussels, which is also the home of NATO headquarters. We
even took a patient with us on whom we had operated for multiple
malignant tumors. They acted as if they knew nothing about it but
typically their own soldiers do not drink the local water. The
impression I got, however, was that they did not care about their own
soldiers, let alone about the local population. They view this type of
ammunition only as an ideal means of destruction, which is a catastrophe
for humanity. If people have any grain of conscience, this type of
ammunition must not be used ever again," concluded Dr. Guzina in a
statement for our paper.
Independently of the criminal logic of NATO officers and their political
bosses and sporadic but failing attempts to prove the harmfulness of the
use of DU ammunition and ban its use, the people of Serbian Sarajevo are
dying.
Leukemia
From 1996 to 2000 18 deaths were recorded in Kasindol Hospital as a
result of acute leukemia. Among the deceased were a four year-old boy, a
15 year-old girl, a 16 year-old boy and a 23 year-old young man. As of
the end of last year a total of 85 patients in Serbian Sarajevo were
suffering from malignant tumors of the lymphatic and blood producing
tissues.
Weeping like willows
"After the lectures in Brussels, they asked me why the Albanians in
Kosovo were not suffering from the same illnesses. I said to wait two to
three years and we would see. And now the Albanians in Kosovo are
weeping like willows because of the high instance of cancer deaths in
Kosovo. Foreign soldiers are also becoming ill and there are some
Yankees among them, despite the fact that they put their military base
in the eastern part of Kosovo, where they conducted the fewest campaigns
using DU ammunition. They hide these cases because the soldiers'
families could potentially sue the state and recover enormous damages,"
said Dr. Guzina. He asked the rhetorical question to whom the residents
of Serbian Sarajevo and this entire region should complain and who they
can sue. "Long ago I said that Sarajevo itself would not be spared
because it gets its water supply from this region. I told my colleagues
this but they did not believe what those of us in Kasindol were telling
them. Now they believe us."
Hiding the effects
Zeljko Samardzic, a forest ranger from the Sarajevo area, survived both
the NATO bombing and operations for three tumors. A carcinoma from his
lower intestine was removed in December 1999. In April 2000 a malignant
tumor the size of a tangerine was also removed from his superior kidney
gland. In May 2000 the fingers of his left hand became deformed. The
skin from them began to peel and the fingernails fell off. The
physicians diagnosed gangrene and performed an amputation of the fingers
of his left hand. Samardzic, who attended the conference on victims of
"Balkan syndrome" in Brussels together with physicians of Kasindol
Hospital, claims that NATO soldiers suffering from cancer and family
members of deceased soldiers have told him that they enjoy full benefits
and revenues only while they remain silent. "If a family member files a
claim for damages or a complaint about what happened to a NATO soldier,
the family loses all rights," said Samardzic.
Italy lost 17 soldiers
On Wednesday, July 3 Antonio Milano (23), a soldier who had returned
four months earlier from a NATO mission in the Balkans, died in Italy
from a malignant tumor. Milano is the 17th member of the Italian NATO
contingent on Balkan missions to die of cancer or, as the officials of
that country say, "due to unexplained circumstances". The Italian
government, namely, continues to rely on surveys by a scientific
commission demonstrating that malignant illnesses among soldiers
returning from missions in the Balkans are not connected with the use of
DU ammunition. Non-government organizations in that country, however,
believe that it is urgently necessary to conduct another survey on the
pathological illnesses of soldiers who served in the Balkans.
Translated by S. Lazovic (October 9, 2002)
=== 4 ===
+++URANIUM IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
BANJA LUKA. Sieben Jahre nachdem die NATO die Serben in Republika
Srpska mit abgereicherten Uranium bombardiert hat, hat eine UN-
Mission damit begonnen die Folgen für die Menschen und die Natur zu
untersuchen. 17 Wissenschaftler sollen bis März 2003 eine grobe
Einschätzung der entstandenen Schäden feststellen.
Um die spezifische Masse der Projektile zu erhöhen benutzt die US-
amerikanische Armee Munition mit einem Kern aus abgereichertem
Uranium. Durch die erhöhte spezifische Masse erhöhen sich die
kinetische Energie und damit die Durchschlagskraft. Probleme
entstehen erst nach dem Einschlag, wenn sich die Projektile zum Teil
zersplittern. Dabei entsteht ein feiner radioaktiver Staub der sich
in der Natur ablagert. Über die Luft, Nahrung und Trinkwasser
gelingt der feine radioaktive Staub in die Menschen und lagert sich
im Körper ab. Schwermetalle wie Uranium kann der Körper nicht
ausscheiden. So werden die Menschen und ihre Nachkommen für mehrere
Generation den Folgen der NATO-Bomben ausgesetzt. STIMME KOSOVOS /
TANJUG+++
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 15/10/2002
+++ DEKONTAMINIERUNG BEI BUJANOVAC
BUJANOVAC. Die jugoslawische Armee und Fachkräfte des Instituts
"Vinca" führten heute die Dekontaminierung des Dorfes Bratoselce
bei Bujanovac fort.
Laut Meldung des Pressezentrums in Bujanovac wurden bisher 69 mit
Uran angereicherte Projektile, welche aus der NATO-Aggression auf die
BR Jugoslawien stammen, gefunden und aus der Erde gehoben.
TANJUG +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 11.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== 5 ===
Subject: [S&P] (Fwd) Uranium weapons 2001-2003 update
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 00:10:01 +0100
From: "francesco iannuzzelli"
Organization: peacelink
To: scienzaepace@...
Carissim*
vi segnalo l'ultimo lavoro di Dai WIlliams, ricercatore indipendente
inglese, che ha trovato la conferma della possibile presenza di
uranio impoverito nelle bombe "intelligenti" e nei Tomahawk, cercando
nel posto piu' semplice dove si potesse trovare (come non averci
pensato prima), ovvero nell'ufficio brevetti statunitense.
Per i dettagli vi rimando al suo sito
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm#USpatreport
ciao
francesco
------- Forwarded message follows -------
New web pages and PDF files are now available regarding Hazards of
Uranium weapons for the proposed war in Iraq, discovery of US patents
for Uranium warheads in guided weapons and (EFP) cluster bombs and
their implications for Uranium hazards in Afghanistan.
Summary (with links to the other new pages and files):
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Summary) 24
September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm
Full Report (HTML)
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Full Report)
24 September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u231.htm
Full Report (PDF)
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Full Report)
24 September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/pdfs/Uhaziraq1.pdf
==
The latest update (13 October) is a new Appendix 2 to the Iraq
Summary:
US Patents confirm Uranium warheads (13 October 2002)
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm#USpatreport
and PDF report:
United States Patent Office references to conventional guided weapons
with suspected
Uranium components at:
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/pdfs/USpats.pdf
==
The US Patent information includes Patent 6,389,977 (application
1997) for a Shrouded Aerial Bomb - the specification for upgrading
the 2000 lb BLU-109/B warhead to contain the AUP-116 dense metal
penetrator.
This invention describes the design of the BLU-116 warhead used with
various guidance systems in the following guided bombs: GBU-15, 24,
27 and 31 plus the rocket boosted AGM-130. The patent plainly
defines 2 versions - one with Tungsten and the other with Depleted
Uranium explosive penetrators.
This Patent is consistent with the USAF Mission plan 1997 for
upgraded hard target guided weapons (see pages 15-20 of Depleted
Uranium weapons 2001-2002 available in PDF version at
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/du2012.htm )
The US Patents identified indicate definate Uranium warhead options
for 6 of the weapon systems suspected in my recent analyses. They
also specifically include depleted uranium as an optional material in
several other weapons systems. The large Bunker Buster weapons (GBU-
28, 37 and Big BLU) also use the same advanced penetrator warhead
technology, though without the "shroud" (outer casing) in the BLU-109
upgrade patent. By implication these are equally likely to have
Uranium warhead options. A denial from UK Government in November
2001 (Du weapons report above, pages 52-53) that Depleted Uranium is
unsuitable for hard target guided weapons is clearly obsolete.
The upgraded GBU-24 and related guided bombs were tested extensively
in the Balkans War. Hundreds have been used in Afghanistan. Another
patent defines the new Tomahawk penetrator warhead. These patents
radically alter the assumptions made by UNEP that the only Uranium
contamination in the Balkans came from A10 shells. They also
invalidate assumptions in medical reports about hazards of depleted
uranium that only assumed contamination risks from small penetrators
as used in the 1991 Gulf War (30 mm - 100mm and 0.275 - 5.0 kg.). I
have updated the web page about the hazards of Uranium weapons in
Afghanistan accordingly at: http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/du2012.htm
I would be grateful if you could bring these issues to the attention
of military and political decision makers
currently involved in the proposed war on Iraq.
They also indicate the need for increased vigiliance for Uranium
contamination and health consequences
for medical practioners and researchers responsible for the health of
troops and civilians who have been deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo,
Serbia, Montenegro and Afghanistan.
Dai Williams, independent researcher, UK
eosuk@...
------- End of forwarded message -------
2. UN (UNEP) testing for depleted uranium in Bosnia (AFP, ENS)
3. Uranium and plutonium are killing the residents of Serbian Sarajevo
4. Auf Deutsch: URANIUM IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA; DEKONTAMINIERUNG BEI
BUJANOVAC
5. Uranium weapons 2001-2003 update (Dai WIlliams)
One interesting link:
US Department of State: Fact sheet on depleted uranium
> http://wwww.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/54F86853DF28C26DC1256C4C0043C65F
=== 1 ===
Subject: [Scienzaepace] relazione mandelli III
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 16:19:09 +0200
From: luca nencini
To: scienzaepace@...
car* tutt*,
vi allego una copia della terza relazione mandelli sull'UI in
jugoslavia.
La relazione e' dello scorso giugno. La novita' piu' rilevante e' che
hanno (finalmnete) usato, come campione di controllo, anche un gruppo
di carabinieri, delle stesse classi di eta' dei militari mandati in
jugoslavia. In questo modo si vede chiaramente che l'incidenza di
linfomi di hodgkin per i militari mandati in missione e' di piu' del
quadruplo di quella attesa!
Inoltre e' stata correttamente usata una statistica poissoniana (come
del resto anche nella seconda versione) ed e' stato studiato l'effetto
di eliminare dalla statistica i militari che hanno svolto missioni di
durata inferiore a 30 giorni.
Rimangono comunque valide alcune delle critiche fatte alla prima
versione del documento mandelli: l'aver incluso nella statistica
militari che hanno svolto la missione in localita' che non sono mai
state bombardate dalla nato (come mostar) e il non aver tenuto conto
del fatto che il numero di tumori di cui la commissione e' venuta a
conoscenza e', con ogni probabilita', molto inferiore a quello reale.
Resta aperta, a mio parere, una questione di fondo, riguardo
l'epidemiologia in generale: una scienza per la quale sono necessari
due anni di studi per dimostrare faticosamente cio' che era evidente
fin dal primo giorno, e cioe' che i militari di ritorno dalla
jugoslavia si ammalavano piu' del dovuto.
ciao
luca nencini
LA RELAZIONE SI PUO' SCARICARE ALLA URL:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/files/Relazione_Mandelli_III.doc
=== 2 ===
(from Rick Rozoff)
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/du/Qbosnia-un-uranium.RsDJ_COE.html
UN testing for depleted uranium contamination in Bosnia
-Six of the sites have been identified by NATO as
having been struck by depleted uranium weapons during
air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and 1995.
-At the request of the local authorities, the UNEP
will also examine cancer rates in Sarajevo, Banja Luka
and the eastern town of Bratunac, where many refugees
from areas hit during bombing raids now live.
Bosnia was hit by three tons of depleted uranium NATO
shells in 1994-1995, Haavisto said.
Bosnian officials said at the time that the number of
cancer cases increased after the war....
SARAJEVO, Oct 14 (AFP) - Experts from the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) on Monday began tests for
contamination in several locations in Bosnia where
NATO forces used depleted uranium shells during the
country's 1992-1995 war.
"The UNEP's aim is to determine whether the use of
depleted uranium during the conflict in Bosnia may
pose health and environmental risks either now or in
the future," team leader Pekka Haavisto told
reporters.
Last year the UNEP concluded that depleted uranium
shells used by NATO forces in Yugoslavia had not
caused widespread contamination.
But in early 2001 many NATO and non-NATO countries
raised concern over possible link between the use of
depleted uranium ammunition in the Balkans and
increased cancer rates among soldiers who had
participated in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and
the Serb province of Kosovo.
Over the next 10 days, the 17-member UNEP team plans
to take soil, water and vegetation samples from 12
sites across the country.
Six of the sites have been identified by NATO as
having been struck by depleted uranium weapons during
air strikes against Bosnian Serbs in 1994 and 1995.
The samples will be tested in nuclear laboratories in
Italy, Britain and Switzerland, Haavisto said, adding
that the final conclusions were expected be published
in March next year.
At the request of the local authorities, the UNEP will
also examine cancer rates in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and
the eastern town of Bratunac, where many refugees from
areas hit during bombing raids now live.
Bosnia was hit by three tons of depleted uranium NATO
shells in 1994-1995, Haavisto said.
Bosnian officials said at the time that the number of
cancer cases increased after the war, but gave no
evidence to link it with depleted uranium.
A NATO committee has said that scientific and medical
research has so far not shown any link between
depleted uranium and reported health problems.
http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2002/2002-10-15-02.asp
Environmental News Service
October 16, 2002
UN Assesses Depleted Uranium in Bosnia-Herzegovina
-"Previous studies of DU in Kosovo and Serbia
recommended that governments and civilians take
precautionary action to avoid contact with DU."
-At the request of the local authorities, the medical
sub-team, led by an expert from the World Health
Organization (WHO), will examine data on cancer rates
in the main urban centres of Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
They will also visit a local hospital in Bratunac to
meet with the local medics and with patients who may
have been exposed to DU during the conflict.
-DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity that
affects the kidneys and the lungs.
-"We learned," UNEP reports, "that still, more than
two years after the end of the conflict, particles of
DU dust can be detected from soil samples and from
sensitive bio-indicators like lichen."
-Young children playing in or near DU impact sites
could ingest the radioactive substance lingering in
contaminated soil when putting their fingers in their
mouths, WHO warns.
-"One of the most significant findings," of the
Balkans research, UNEP says, is that "future risks to
groundwater maybe posed by the gradual corrosion of DU
penetrators."
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, October 15, 2002 (ENS) -
At the request of the government of
Bosnia-Herzegovina, a team of experts from the United
Nations Environment Programme is investigating 12
sites in the country that may have been targeted by
ordnance containing depleted uranium (DU) during the
Bosnian conflict in 1994 and 1995.
The 17 member team UNEP Depleted Uranium Assessment
Team began its research October 12 and will be in the
field until October 24. Their conclusions will be
presented in a report to be published in March 2003.
The assessment mission is headed by Pekka Haavisto,
the former Finnish environment minister who has led
war damage assessment teams in the Balkans, and most
recently in the Palestinian Territories.
"UNEP's aim is to determine whether the use of
depleted uranium during the conflict in Bosnia and
Herzegovina may pose health or environmental risks -
either now or in the future," said Haavisto.
"Previous studies of DU in Kosovo and Serbia
recommended that governments and civilians take
precautionary action to avoid contact with DU," he
said.
The team will take soil, water, air and vegetation
samples at six sites that have been identified by the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as having
been struck by DU weapons. They will examine six other
sites that local residents believe may have also been
targeted.
At the request of the local authorities, the medical
sub-team, led by an expert from the World Health
Organization (WHO), will examine data on cancer rates
in the main urban centres of Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
They will also visit a local hospital in Bratunac to
meet with the local medics and with patients who may
have been exposed to DU during the conflict.
The mission is being funded by the governments of
Italy and Switzerland.
The assessment team includes experts from UNEP, the
Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Spiez
Laboratory of Switzerland, Italy's National
Environmental Protection Agency, the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the Greek Atomic Energy
Commission, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion
and Preventative Medicine, the Nuclear Safety
Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the
University of Bristol, UK.
The samples being collected will be analyzed in detail
for radioactivity and toxicity in the Spiez
Laboratory, in Italy's National Environmental
Protection Agency lab, and at Bristol University.
The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched
fraction contains about 99.8 percent 238U, 0.25
percent of 235U and 0.001 percent 234U by mass. This
material is referred to as depleted uranium or DU.
Due to its high density, about twice that of lead, and
other properties, DU is used in munitions designed to
penetrate armor plate and for protection of military
vehicles such as tanks.
DU is described by the World Health Organization (WHO)
in an April 2001 Fact Sheet as "weakly radioactive." A
radiation dose from it would be about 60 percent of
that from purified natural uranium with the same mass.
DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity that
affects the kidneys and the lungs.
UNEP's Balkans Task Force report giving field
measurements taken around selected impact sites in
Kosovo indicates that contamination by DU in the
environment was localized to a few tens of meters
around impact sites.
"We learned," UNEP reports, "that still, more than two
years after the end of the conflict, particles of DU
dust can be detected from soil samples and from
sensitive bio-indicators like lichen."
The "extremely low" levels were only detectable
through lab analysis, but UNEP confirmed that
"contamination at the targeted sites is widespread,
though no significant level of radioactivity can be
measured."
But the task force found that levels of DU may be
significantly raised over background levels in close
proximity to DU contaminating events.
Over the days and years following such an event, WHO
warns, the contamination will become dispersed into
the wider natural environment. "People living or
working in affected areas can inhale dusts and can
consume contaminated food and drinking water."
"Levels of contamination in food and drinking water
could rise in affected areas after some years and
should be monitored where it is considered that there
is a reasonable possibility of significant quantities
of DU entering the ground water or food chain," the
agency says.
Young children playing in or near DU impact sites
could ingest the radioactive substance lingering in
contaminated soil when putting their fingers in their
mouths, WHO warns.
There is a possibility of lung tissue damage leading
to a risk of lung cancer if a high enough radiation
dose results from insoluble DU compounds remaining in
the lungs for many years, says WHO. "No reproductive
or developmental effects have been reported in humans,
but studies are limited."
The UNEP Balkans assessment team used modern air
sampling techniques and detected airborne DU particles
at two sites, indicating for the first time, that the
radioactive substance could remain in the air for
months, and possibly for years.
"One of the most significant findings," of the Balkans
research, UNEP says, is that "future risks to
groundwater maybe posed by the gradual corrosion of DU
penetrators." The magnitude of this risk is unknown,
and UNEP recommended continued monitoring.
In April 2001, WHO published a monograph entitled
"Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposures and Health
Effects" which reviews the best available scientific
literature on uranium and depleted uranium.
UNEP's post-conflict depleted uranium reports are
online at:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications.htm#du
=== 3 ===
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decani/message/70522
Patriot, Banja Luka, Republika Srpska
July 22, 2002
Uranium and plutonium are killing the residents of Serbian Sarajevo
According to information uncovered by Patriot 1,226 patients with
malignant tumors were registered in this hospital from 1995 to 2001; 370
of them have died. "Also released during the explosion of the alloy used
to manufacture such ammunition, like from Pandora's box, were various
other toxic substances, including free plutonium particles. We know that
plutonium is used to manufacture the atomic bomb. It is a catastrophic
agent, a exceptionally carcinogenic radiation source which causes
immediate malignant growth if introduced into the organism in any form,"
said Dr. Guzina
By Zoran Zuza
A few years ago when British scientist Roger Coghill, who headed
comprehensive research on the effects of using depleted uranium
ammunition, made the frightening prognosis that about 10,000 persons in
the Balkans would die from malignant tumors, few people took him
seriously. Also dismissed as part of a "conspiracy theory" against NATO
was research conducted by Italian scientists after several dozen
soldiers from countries serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo died of
leukemia or other malignant illnesses. "Just inhaling once at the moment
of explosion is enough for DU to enter the body. Danger also exists in a
contaminated environment from contaminated food and water but this
process is slower. The first symptoms manifest themselves in one to five
years," warned Massimo Giani (sp?), a hematologist from the National
Cancer Institute in Milano. Sick military minds which continue to
produce DU ammunition today and give orders for its use long ago
declared these humanitarian scientists to be lunatics standing in the
way of earning millions of dollars and subjugating small peoples.
Frightening proof
Where is the proof for the claims of these two scientists? It can be
found in Bratunac, where the Serb population originally from the
Sarajevo suburb of Hadzici, a proving ground for the excesses of NATO
bombers in 1995, continues to die from malignant illnesses; and in the
medical center in Kasindol, where a tremendous increase has been noted
in the annual number of cases of malignant illness, as well as the
number of deaths. Almost all of the patients are from parts of Serbian
Sarajevo which were bombed with DU ammunition seven or eight years ago.
Patriot uncovered information at Kasindol Hospital amounting to
irrefutable proof of the existence of what became known as "Balkan
syndrome" two years ago. According to this information 1,226 patients
with malignant tumors were registered in this hospital from 1995 to
2001; 370 of them have died. Entire families from Serbian Sarajevo with
no previous family history of cancer are receiving treatment today as a
result of the effects of DU. After reviewing the percentages by which
malignant illnesses have increased each year, including this one, the
situation becomes even more alarming. In comparison with 1995 the number
of instances of malignant tumors of lymphatic and blood producing
tissues increased by 27.7 percent; tumors of the skin, connecting and
soft tissues increased by 50 percent; tumors of the urogenital organs
increased by 58.5 percent; tumors of the respiratory organs increased by
64.9 percent, and tumors of the digestive organs increased by a
remarkable 109.6 percent.
Professor Dr. Trifko Guzina, surgeon and pre-war director of the
urological clinic in Sarajevo, a man who has operated on over 25,000
people from this region before the war, could offer no other explanation
for the increase in malignant illnesses except the effects of DU and
other toxic materials released after the explosion of DU ammunition. "I
have been a surgeon my whole life. Before the war I followed morbidity
and mortality rates rfrom all kinds of illnesses in this region.
However, I have never seen or recorded such strange pathology. After the
appearanceof multiple malignant tumors in the same patient in two or
three independent organs which were not the result of metastasis of one
malignant tumor, it became clear to me that the causal agent must be an
external factor. The patients who were suffering from multiple,
independent malignant tumors lived in immediate proximity to the bombing
sites or were in these areas at the time the bombings occurred," said
Dr. Guzina in a statement for Patriot.
He said that experts at Kasindol Hospital who compared statistics on the
number of patients concluded that 1995 was the first year in which a
drastic growth in the number of malignant illnesses in this region
became apparent. "The first to become ill and die were those who were
most directly exposed to the effects of DU, that is, those who were
bombed and those who inhaled air concentrated with toxic particles after
an explosion. A large number of the deceased, especially young people,
were not registered in this hospital. Some of them died in Bratunac,
where former residents of Hadzici have been decimated; others in areas
where Sarajevo Serbs fled after the signing of the Dayton Agreement;
still others in hospitals in Serbia," said Dr. Guzina.
DU in food chain and water
Explaining why, in his opinion, there is such an increase in the
percentage of malignant tumors of the digestive organs, Dr. Guzina
warned of the frightening fact that DU has entered the food chain and
the water chain. "Two years ago at a press conference in this hospital I
warned that we can expect an increase in the number of illnesses of the
digestive and urogenital tracts. It is well known that DU is a heavy
metal which falls to earth; rainfall permits it to enter the soil and
contaminate underground waters. This has also been confirmed by the
Atomic Commission in Vienna which determined after analyzing the
underground waters in this region that there is a increased
concentration of DU. Now the time has come when the effects of this
poison in the water and food chain have set in and that is why we see
the high indices of malignant tumors of digestive organs," said Dr.
Guzina.
He is convinced that, in addition to DU, enormous danger to the lives
and health of the population of this entire region, including the
residents of Sarajevo, is posed by plutonium, which was also released
during the explosion of DU ammunition.
"Toxic effects on the human organism first appear as a result of the
dust from the explosion in the air. These particles, depending on the
wind, spread like an umbrella to a zone of some 40 to 50 kilometers.
Moreover, DU is never pure. Also released during the explosion of the
alloy used to manufacture such ammunition, like from Pandora's box, were
various other toxic substances, including free plutonium particles. We
know that plutonium is used to manufacture the atomic bomb. It is a
catastrophic agent, a exceptionally carcinogenic radiation source which
causes immediate malignant growth if introduced into the organism in any
form," said Dr. Guzina.
Criminal logic
He says that it is extremely difficult to take preventative action
against the spread of malignant illnesses in cases such as this one,
where they are caused by an external factor whose effects are
practically unlimited in duration. "I would recommend that all water
lines in this region be immediately equipped with filters which block
heavy metals. In addition to this, we also need a mass spectometar for
diagnosis and confirmation of illness in the initial phases. Most of the
population of this region should undergo testing, especially those who
lived close to the bombing sites. Unfortunately, BH does not have a
medical institution with a mass spectometer nor is there a specialized
clinic which would carry out this type of work. The device itself is
very expensive. It costs as much as 300,000 German marks," said Dr.
Guzina.
In response to the reporter's comment that this instrument should be
donated by those who sowed DU throughout this region, Dr. Guzina said
that in his experience military logic was incompatible with common
sense. "I gave several lectures on the results of the effects of DU in
this region in Brussels, which is also the home of NATO headquarters. We
even took a patient with us on whom we had operated for multiple
malignant tumors. They acted as if they knew nothing about it but
typically their own soldiers do not drink the local water. The
impression I got, however, was that they did not care about their own
soldiers, let alone about the local population. They view this type of
ammunition only as an ideal means of destruction, which is a catastrophe
for humanity. If people have any grain of conscience, this type of
ammunition must not be used ever again," concluded Dr. Guzina in a
statement for our paper.
Independently of the criminal logic of NATO officers and their political
bosses and sporadic but failing attempts to prove the harmfulness of the
use of DU ammunition and ban its use, the people of Serbian Sarajevo are
dying.
Leukemia
From 1996 to 2000 18 deaths were recorded in Kasindol Hospital as a
result of acute leukemia. Among the deceased were a four year-old boy, a
15 year-old girl, a 16 year-old boy and a 23 year-old young man. As of
the end of last year a total of 85 patients in Serbian Sarajevo were
suffering from malignant tumors of the lymphatic and blood producing
tissues.
Weeping like willows
"After the lectures in Brussels, they asked me why the Albanians in
Kosovo were not suffering from the same illnesses. I said to wait two to
three years and we would see. And now the Albanians in Kosovo are
weeping like willows because of the high instance of cancer deaths in
Kosovo. Foreign soldiers are also becoming ill and there are some
Yankees among them, despite the fact that they put their military base
in the eastern part of Kosovo, where they conducted the fewest campaigns
using DU ammunition. They hide these cases because the soldiers'
families could potentially sue the state and recover enormous damages,"
said Dr. Guzina. He asked the rhetorical question to whom the residents
of Serbian Sarajevo and this entire region should complain and who they
can sue. "Long ago I said that Sarajevo itself would not be spared
because it gets its water supply from this region. I told my colleagues
this but they did not believe what those of us in Kasindol were telling
them. Now they believe us."
Hiding the effects
Zeljko Samardzic, a forest ranger from the Sarajevo area, survived both
the NATO bombing and operations for three tumors. A carcinoma from his
lower intestine was removed in December 1999. In April 2000 a malignant
tumor the size of a tangerine was also removed from his superior kidney
gland. In May 2000 the fingers of his left hand became deformed. The
skin from them began to peel and the fingernails fell off. The
physicians diagnosed gangrene and performed an amputation of the fingers
of his left hand. Samardzic, who attended the conference on victims of
"Balkan syndrome" in Brussels together with physicians of Kasindol
Hospital, claims that NATO soldiers suffering from cancer and family
members of deceased soldiers have told him that they enjoy full benefits
and revenues only while they remain silent. "If a family member files a
claim for damages or a complaint about what happened to a NATO soldier,
the family loses all rights," said Samardzic.
Italy lost 17 soldiers
On Wednesday, July 3 Antonio Milano (23), a soldier who had returned
four months earlier from a NATO mission in the Balkans, died in Italy
from a malignant tumor. Milano is the 17th member of the Italian NATO
contingent on Balkan missions to die of cancer or, as the officials of
that country say, "due to unexplained circumstances". The Italian
government, namely, continues to rely on surveys by a scientific
commission demonstrating that malignant illnesses among soldiers
returning from missions in the Balkans are not connected with the use of
DU ammunition. Non-government organizations in that country, however,
believe that it is urgently necessary to conduct another survey on the
pathological illnesses of soldiers who served in the Balkans.
Translated by S. Lazovic (October 9, 2002)
=== 4 ===
+++URANIUM IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA
BANJA LUKA. Sieben Jahre nachdem die NATO die Serben in Republika
Srpska mit abgereicherten Uranium bombardiert hat, hat eine UN-
Mission damit begonnen die Folgen für die Menschen und die Natur zu
untersuchen. 17 Wissenschaftler sollen bis März 2003 eine grobe
Einschätzung der entstandenen Schäden feststellen.
Um die spezifische Masse der Projektile zu erhöhen benutzt die US-
amerikanische Armee Munition mit einem Kern aus abgereichertem
Uranium. Durch die erhöhte spezifische Masse erhöhen sich die
kinetische Energie und damit die Durchschlagskraft. Probleme
entstehen erst nach dem Einschlag, wenn sich die Projektile zum Teil
zersplittern. Dabei entsteht ein feiner radioaktiver Staub der sich
in der Natur ablagert. Über die Luft, Nahrung und Trinkwasser
gelingt der feine radioaktive Staub in die Menschen und lagert sich
im Körper ab. Schwermetalle wie Uranium kann der Körper nicht
ausscheiden. So werden die Menschen und ihre Nachkommen für mehrere
Generation den Folgen der NATO-Bomben ausgesetzt. STIMME KOSOVOS /
TANJUG+++
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 15/10/2002
+++ DEKONTAMINIERUNG BEI BUJANOVAC
BUJANOVAC. Die jugoslawische Armee und Fachkräfte des Instituts
"Vinca" führten heute die Dekontaminierung des Dorfes Bratoselce
bei Bujanovac fort.
Laut Meldung des Pressezentrums in Bujanovac wurden bisher 69 mit
Uran angereicherte Projektile, welche aus der NATO-Aggression auf die
BR Jugoslawien stammen, gefunden und aus der Erde gehoben.
TANJUG +++
Balkan-Telegramm, 11.Oktober 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com
=== 5 ===
Subject: [S&P] (Fwd) Uranium weapons 2001-2003 update
Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 00:10:01 +0100
From: "francesco iannuzzelli"
Organization: peacelink
To: scienzaepace@...
Carissim*
vi segnalo l'ultimo lavoro di Dai WIlliams, ricercatore indipendente
inglese, che ha trovato la conferma della possibile presenza di
uranio impoverito nelle bombe "intelligenti" e nei Tomahawk, cercando
nel posto piu' semplice dove si potesse trovare (come non averci
pensato prima), ovvero nell'ufficio brevetti statunitense.
Per i dettagli vi rimando al suo sito
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm#USpatreport
ciao
francesco
------- Forwarded message follows -------
New web pages and PDF files are now available regarding Hazards of
Uranium weapons for the proposed war in Iraq, discovery of US patents
for Uranium warheads in guided weapons and (EFP) cluster bombs and
their implications for Uranium hazards in Afghanistan.
Summary (with links to the other new pages and files):
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Summary) 24
September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm
Full Report (HTML)
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Full Report)
24 September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u231.htm
Full Report (PDF)
Hazards of Uranium weapons in the proposed war on Iraq (Full Report)
24 September 2002
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/pdfs/Uhaziraq1.pdf
==
The latest update (13 October) is a new Appendix 2 to the Iraq
Summary:
US Patents confirm Uranium warheads (13 October 2002)
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/u23.htm#USpatreport
and PDF report:
United States Patent Office references to conventional guided weapons
with suspected
Uranium components at:
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/pdfs/USpats.pdf
==
The US Patent information includes Patent 6,389,977 (application
1997) for a Shrouded Aerial Bomb - the specification for upgrading
the 2000 lb BLU-109/B warhead to contain the AUP-116 dense metal
penetrator.
This invention describes the design of the BLU-116 warhead used with
various guidance systems in the following guided bombs: GBU-15, 24,
27 and 31 plus the rocket boosted AGM-130. The patent plainly
defines 2 versions - one with Tungsten and the other with Depleted
Uranium explosive penetrators.
This Patent is consistent with the USAF Mission plan 1997 for
upgraded hard target guided weapons (see pages 15-20 of Depleted
Uranium weapons 2001-2002 available in PDF version at
http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/du2012.htm )
The US Patents identified indicate definate Uranium warhead options
for 6 of the weapon systems suspected in my recent analyses. They
also specifically include depleted uranium as an optional material in
several other weapons systems. The large Bunker Buster weapons (GBU-
28, 37 and Big BLU) also use the same advanced penetrator warhead
technology, though without the "shroud" (outer casing) in the BLU-109
upgrade patent. By implication these are equally likely to have
Uranium warhead options. A denial from UK Government in November
2001 (Du weapons report above, pages 52-53) that Depleted Uranium is
unsuitable for hard target guided weapons is clearly obsolete.
The upgraded GBU-24 and related guided bombs were tested extensively
in the Balkans War. Hundreds have been used in Afghanistan. Another
patent defines the new Tomahawk penetrator warhead. These patents
radically alter the assumptions made by UNEP that the only Uranium
contamination in the Balkans came from A10 shells. They also
invalidate assumptions in medical reports about hazards of depleted
uranium that only assumed contamination risks from small penetrators
as used in the 1991 Gulf War (30 mm - 100mm and 0.275 - 5.0 kg.). I
have updated the web page about the hazards of Uranium weapons in
Afghanistan accordingly at: http://www.eoslifework.co.uk/du2012.htm
I would be grateful if you could bring these issues to the attention
of military and political decision makers
currently involved in the proposed war on Iraq.
They also indicate the need for increased vigiliance for Uranium
contamination and health consequences
for medical practioners and researchers responsible for the health of
troops and civilians who have been deployed in Bosnia, Kosovo,
Serbia, Montenegro and Afghanistan.
Dai Williams, independent researcher, UK
eosuk@...
------- End of forwarded message -------