<nettime> US web censorship? DU-alert

[Hans-Peter Schnelboegl <future@nor.com.au> (by way of s|a|m <sam@media.com.au>)]

Web censorship by US military?

Two US- based email lists on depleted uranium have stopped operating.  The
lists du-list@egroups.com and du.watch@listbot.com stopped completely.

In the last few weeks there was a lot of interest in the use of Depleted
Uranium ammunition in Bosnia (1995) and Kosovo (1999).  Many European peace
keepers have contracted leukemia, and at least 15 have already died from
the disease.  This shouldn't be a surprise for those who kept informed
about the many leukemia cases after the Gulf War, both under exposed
soldiers and civilians (including many Iraqui children).  The US military,
which used the DU ammunition, always denied any significant hazards.  In
the last few days documents have been circulated on various email lists
showing the American government's knowledge of the DU-hazards.

Following the shut-down of the email lists, it becomes important to spread
the information via other internet channels.  I am going to forward some of
the recent emails to our lists (active and ausinuke).  The longer emails
will be available only on ausinuke due to size limits on active.

To start it up, here is some background information on DU:

DU(1) - Depleted Uranium, Background information

SUMMARY:
DU is a waste product of nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapons production.
  It consisits to some 99.8% of uranium-238, which has a half-life of 4.5
billion (4500 million) years.  Uranium-238 is highly dangerous both
becauseof its radiological and chemical toxicity.  It's radiation is not
any different from that of the uranium-238 in uranium ore - just some 100
to 2000 times more concentrated.  However, DU is millions of times more
dangerous than it was in the original uranium ore because of its modified
consistency (gas or combustible metal or dispersible fine powder).  All
these forms have the ability to enter the human body via inhalation or food
chain, which is a precondition for the uranium's most dangerous alpha
radiation to become effective as well as for the chemical toxicity.  In
contrast, the uranium in the uranium ore has very little chance to get
inside the human body.

The nuclear industry-government has by now accumulated vast quantities
(close to a million tonnes) of DU, for which safe storage is impossible.
To limit the ever-increasing and costly DU stockpile, considerable efforts
have been made to find applications for DU.  Military and civilian use of
DU have further increased the hazards.  The most dangerous application of
DU is its use for ammunition cores:  On impact, the DU combusts and
disperses, largely as a very fine aerosol, causing cancer and a great
variety of other diseases.  The Gulf War Syndrome and Balkans War Syndrome
are suspected to be caused by DU ammunition.  In both wars, the US used DU
ammunition extensively.  The harmful effect of DU ammunition will continue
for billions of years after the war as the dispersed fine powder has little
tendency to transform back into something as stable as uranium ore.  DU war
is war against all future, and in that respect worse than Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.

In the last few weeks the use of DU ammunition by the US has received great
publicity as more and more of the former European peacekeepers in the
Balkans come down with leukemia.  A number of European countries have
launched their own investigation into DU ammunition hazards, among others
Portugal, Italy, Sweden, France,Germany, Finland, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Some of these investigations may be rather a means to appease the public
outrage than an attempt to investigate the issue, others may be genuine.
The Portugese government refused to hand over the body of a soldier, which
had died from leukemia, to his parents for radiation testing.   Obviously,
this is suspicious and any subsequent investigation, especially during an
election camoaign, is under doubt.  

The US, supported by Great Britain, have vigorously denied any significant
hazards from DU.   The US Defense Department quotet in a report last month
"No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to
natural or depleted uranium."  Such absurd statements fired back.  In the
last few days the situation further escalated when US documents were
uncovered (and released on various anti-nuclear email lists) which prooved
that the US government was aware of the very significant risks from DU
ammunnition.  Also, it has become clear that the peace keeping in Kosovo
was arranged in such a way that US troops were kept out of contaminated
areas while European troops were sent in - without adequate information.  

The Australian government has been using DU ammunition for a while but
laudibly phased it out some 15 years ago because of the associated dangers.
  This would have hardly happened under John Howard who does not mind the
massive futurecide involved with uranium mining (uranium tailings pose
hazards very similar to DU)....


SOME DETAILS ON DU

1)  DU, a waste product of nuclear power and nuclear weapons production
The yellowcake or uranium oxide - as produced in Australia - consists of a
mix of three different uranium isotopes which are in fixed proportions to
each other.  These proportions are the same for all uranium deposits on
this planet and are unsuitable both for the production of the uranium-based
nuclear bomb and as fuel for nuclear reactors (which are required to
produce the plutonium for the plutonium-based bomb).  To make the
yellowcake suitable for these purposes, the proportion of uranium-235 needs
to be increased while the proportion of uranium-238 and to a lesser extent
that of uranium-234 have to be decreased.  This is achieved during the
'enrichment' of uranium.

With the yellowcake consisting to some 99.3% of uranium-238, this means
that most of the yellowcake becomes waste, the so-called Depleted Uranium
(DU).  

Some figures on DU:
By mass, the uranium content of typical DU (as used for ammunition)
consists to 
some 99.8% of Uranium-238 (HL [halflife] = 4500 million years) 
some 0.2% of U-235 (HL = 700 million years) 
some 0.0009% of U-234 (HL = 245 000 years)

However, the activity of DU comes to 
some 85% from U-238
some 14% from U-234 
some 1% from U-235.  

2) DU can't be stored safely
As is clear from the above figures, the mass composition and the activity
composition of DU are dominated by the isotope uranium-238.  Uranium-238
has a half life of 4500 million years and is very dangerous, both
radiologically and chemically. 
It is obvious that nothing can be stored safely for 4500 million years.

DU appears in three principle forms: 
- as the gaseous uranium hexafluoride which is leaking from countless tanks
around enrichment facilities
- as combustable DU metal after conversion from the gas
- as uranium oxide powder, ready to be dispersed into water, air and food
chain.
It is obvious that all three forms are unstable and therefore can't be
stored safely.

So far, close to a million tonnes of DU have been accumulated worldwide.
It can become subject to severest accidents, military attacks, bushfires,
earthquake ...
It is obvious that such a quantity of a highly toxic and radioactive
substance can't be stored safely.  

Considering the extremely long half-life, the unstable consistency, the
very large quantities and the very high radiological and chemical toxicity,
the accumulation of DU can only be seen as futurecide - the mass murder on
countless people from future generations.

3) DU usage
To limit the ever-increasing and costly DU stockpile, considerable efforts
have been made to find applications for DU, the main ones being:
- Counterweights in aeroplanes
- Ballast in yachts
- Ammunition cores
All of these usages have vastly increased the DU hazards.  Planes and ships
can crash, as did a passenger plane with DU in an Amsterdam suburb.
Ammunition is deliberately designed and used to kill and maim (see next
paragraph).   The eventual disposal of the DU wastes after civilian /
military usage becomes even more hazardous where not impossible. 

----- to be continued as DU(2) later this week -----

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