Re: [DU-WATCH] What the US KNOWS about DU

Thanks to Lauren for compiling this extremely useful list. Also thanks to
Peter Schnelboegl for converting it to txt format.

I believe we should stick only to confirmed official documents, or else we
could be undermined that we cite gossip. Jay Shaft's interview with an
officer might be a Pentagon disinformation. TBRNews.com info lacks a
confirmation of authenticity.

Let's add to Lauren's selection, folks. The FAA instruction for aircraft
crash rescuers is one obvious addition. I would not shy away from US
industry documents such as Boeing Corporation safety manual. They produce
for the military, too.

Here are a few additions, referenced in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/files/Beograd6.rtf

1983 Batelle Pacific Nothwest Laboratory for the US Department of the Army
The literature study discerns the two types of DU hazards: "The chemical
toxicity is the critical limit for soluble uranium compounds, and the
critical organ is the kidney. Insoluble compounds present a [radiological]
hazard primarily to the lungs [] The exposure limits for toxicity are more
conservative than most of the radiological limits and thus protect from
either type of insult." [Mishima et al., 1983]

1984 - US Federal Aviation Agency
Instructions for investigators of aircraft crashes against the hazard from
DU in counterweights of civilian airplanes: particles inhaled or ingested
are toxic and can cause long-term irradiation of the internal tissue.

March 1991 memo from the US Defence Nuclear Agency
The memo stated that alpha particles emitted from DU dust created from
exploded DU ammunition pose a health risk, but beta particles from DU
shrapnel and from intact DU bullets are a serious hazard to health.

1999 - Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
The following note was sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 27,
1999: "A technician was found using a hammer and chisel to remove installed
depleted uranium counterweights from the aileron. This process produced dust
and debris that was scattered by a nearby fan. The technician using a hammer
and chisel on the depleted uranium was in violation of several rules [...]
The area has been secured and decontamination procedures initiated."

Industrial Uses of Depleted Uranium, American Society for Metals, 1992, by
Paul Loewenstein (vice president of Nuclear Metals Inc., now Starmet
Corporation, the prime US supplier of DU metal)
The main hazard to health occurs in those fabrication steps where finely
divided particles (dust or oxides) can become airborne. In operations such
as melting and casting, machining, grinding, pickling and heating without
using a protective atmosphere or vacuum, it is essential to provide
extensive ventilation and to monitor workers breathing zones. Vents and
fume hoods that protect workers are exhausted through carefully monitored
filter systems. Workers must change footwear and clothing when leaving areas
where finely divided uranium is present."

Boeing Corporation , Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs (SHEA) Guide
RJ-028G: Depleted Uranium Counterweights, September 18, 2001
Section 4.1.2: Most heavy metals, such as uranium, are toxic to humans
depending on the amount introduced into the body.  For short-term (acute)
exposures, the toxicological effects are the primary concern, and acute
exposures to significant amounts of uranium may result in kidney damage.
Section 4.1.3: The principal radiological hazard associated with uranium is
due to high linear energy transfer of the alpha particles its radionuclides
and daughters emit. A chronic exposure to these radionuclides result in an
increased risk of cancer, typically in the bones, kidney, and lungs, since
these are the organs where uranium is deposited.
Section 6.2.5: Failure to control airborne contamination could result in
inhalation of the contamination and spread of contamination to other areas.
Section 12.2.3: Wear a respirator [] whenever entering areas with airborne
DU dust particles."

Piotr Bein

-----Original Message-----
From: Leuren Moret [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: November 28, 2003 11:33 AM

Attached is the final version of this question which
will be part of my testimony at the International
Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan.  This is the kind
of information that is very helpful to elected
officials or others working on the DU issue.  Of
particular importance is the legal standing needed to
effectively support the illegality of DU weapons.

The U.S. Air Force manual which I have listed, with
the careful compilation of pertinent legal points by
Karen Parker and P. Bien, is precisely what is needed
for the legal argument against DU.  It shows that the
USAF, one of the biggest users of DU (along with the
Army), is violating its own laws.  In my opinion this
is why Karen Parker is under heavy attack.  I am also
under heavy attack (by a lightweight, Dan Fahey) for
the same reason.  We need the legal standing and the
scientific facts to stop the use etc. of DU.

It is very important that we support our elected
officials - at all levels and in all countries - who
have taken up the fight on this issue.  They are even
more vulnerable to attack and highly visible so we
need to support them as much as we can.  Giving them
good information is terribly important.

I want to thank all of you who have worked so hard to
push this issue into the light.  NOTHING has been as
politicized as the radiation issue in the past 30
years.  The films, the testimonies, the conferences,
the articles, the constant pressure has all had an
effect.  The more we are attacked, the more the
negative complement makes it clear that we are being
effective.

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE - ITS WORKING...

Leuren

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