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DU
in Afghanistan
UK MEDIA BRIEFING: 17 November
2001 12.00 hrs
Mystery metal bombs may cause Afghan war syndrome
Dai Williams, Occupational Psychologist and DU researcher
The rapid retreat of the
Taliban may be partly due to a mystery metal used in new "hard target"
weapons in the Afghan
bombing campaign. It has
been kept secret by the US and UK governments since 1997 but latest analysis
of Afghan war
reports and military information
websites indicate that it is probably Depleted Uranium (DU).
If DU has been used then
UK troops, aid-workers and media teams in former Taliban locations may
be entering toxic
disaster areas. Without
immediate environmental monitoring they risk the same health hazards suffered
by Gulf War
veterans and Iraqi civilians
- an Afghan War syndrome. So what is the mystery metal? The UK Government
was asked
this question three weeks
ago but has not answered it.
Hard target weapons
The new generation of "hard
target" smart bombs and cruise missiles can penetrate 10 feet of reinforced
concrete before
exploding. They were used
to attack Taliban bunkers, caves, command centres, fuel and ammunition
stores. They use
"dense metal" warheads to
double their penetrating power on hard targets.
The 2 ton GBU-37 Bunker Busters
and 2000 lb GBU-24 Paveway smart bombs, plus the Boeing AGM-86D, Maverick
AGM-65G and AGM-145C hard
target capability cruise missiles all use "advanced unitary penetrators"
(AUP-113,
AUP-116, P31) or BROACH
warheads with the mystery high density metal in alloy casings.
Uranium or Tungsten?
The mystery metal must be
hard and at least 2x as heavy as steel. Tungsten and Depleted Uranium (DU)
are the main
options. Both are used by
US and UK forces for armour piercing shells. DU is preferred because it
is burns inside the
target to become an incendiary
bomb and is far cheaper and easier to manufacture.
Uranium hazards and Dirty DU
DU (U238) is reprocessed
nuclear waste. It burns in military targets and plane crashes to produce
Uranium oxides as a
fine, toxic, alpha-radioactive
dust. The "Dirty DU" found in Balkans War target sites was contaminated
with variable
traces of U235 plus U236
and Plutonium from reactors. It presents a perpetual health hazard similar
to asbestos -
especially in the lungs.
The UNEP report of DU used in the Balkans War played down its risks. They
did not inspect
bomb or missile targets.
Uranium oxide dust is a suspected
cause of Gulf War syndrome and the epidemic of cancers and birth defects
in Iraq
since the Gulf War where
300 tons of DU were used. UK EOD (bomb disposal) teams in the Balkans were
instructed to
use full radiation protection
(NBC) equipment when inspecting DU targets (Hansard).
50-100 times greater hazard than in the Balkans
Reports from the Center for
Defence Information in Washington indicate that several hundred tons of
smart bombs and
cruise missiles have been
used in the Afghan bombing including many of the hard-target weapons above.
The mystery metal is 50-75%
of the weight of the bombs - up to 1.5 tons in the GBU- 37 Bunker Buster
bombs. If this is
DU then target zones will
be 50-100x more contaminated than by the pencil-sized 30 mm (0.27 kg) anti-tank
shells used
in the Balkans War, and
more like the DU ammunition fire in the Gulf War. DU oxide is known to
travel up to 25 miles by
wind so large areas may
be affected by each bomb.
Government in denial about DU?
The UK Government is aware
of the problem. They were asked to identify the mystery metal in hard target
guided
weapons by DU researcher
Dai Williams via his MP on 17th October and direct to the Prime Minister
on 1st November.
No answers have been received.
On 24 October Defence Minister
Geoff Hoon told Parliament that "we do not rule out the use of depleted
uranium
ammunition in Afghanistan,
should its penetrative capability be judged necessary in the future" (Hansard).
He denied that
DU has been used, at least
by UK forces, on 1st and 5th November. Can he speak for US forces?
Hard target bombs and missiles
have been used extensively in Afghanistan since 7th October. Until the
mystery metal
involved is identified and
independently verified Mr Hoon's denials are not convincing. He is responsible
for military, not
humanitarian policies. After
the bombing political responsibility for the truth is shared by the Cabinet.
Political responsibility: minimising a potential health disaster
This question is an immediate
occupational and public health issue for the 4000 UK troops plus aid and
media teams
about to enter Afghanistan,
for those already there and for the civilian population. The first warning
was a dying child who
led a Taliban doctor to
suspect that US forces were using radioactive or chemical weapons (Reuters,
28 October). Many
Taliban troops near bombing
targets will already be affected if DU has been used. This may be one reason
for their rapid
retreat.
The US and UK Governments
have an immediate political responsibility to disclose the mystery metal
used in the Afghan
bombing. If DU has been
used this will become obvious soon from medical reports. Precautionary
action is essential now
to minimise a potential
health disaster. There is no cure for inhaling DU dust.
In 1999 the UK media questioned
the use of DU in the Balkans so troops and aid teams were alert to its
potential
hazards. They have had copies
of this analysis for two weeks but have stayed silent about the mystery
metal question in
Afghanistan.
In the USA a Bill submitted
to the US Congress on 18 October has called for a total ban on DU and facts
about its use in
Afghanistan. Veteran and
environmental groups are waiting for the US Department of Defence's reply.
NGO alert
The Red Cross and Oxfam have
been alerted to these potential risks. International aid organisations
and allied forces
would be wise to assume
that the mystery metal is depleted Uranium until there is firm evidence
otherwise. DU
precautions apply as after
the Balkans war (e.g. bottled water) plus avoiding bombed Taliban locations.
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Full analysis and sources
available from Dai Williams on 01483-222017 or 07808-502785
or by Email to eosuk@btinternet.com
.
Internet links include:
Jane's report on Air and Missile strikes in the Afghan war
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jdw/jdw011007_1_n.shtml
FAS (Federation of American Scientists) smart bomb and cruise missile specifications:
http://www.fas.org/man/index.html
CDI (Center for Defense Information, Washington) Terrorism Project Action
Update:
http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/actionupdate.cfm
Hansard questions and Defence committee reports (search on depleted uranium,
missiles etc)
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/cgi-bin/empower?DB=ukparl
REFERENCES:
Extracts from Jane's Defence
website
Depleted Uranium - FAQs
(Feb 2001)
DU is a heavy metal that,
when alloyed with titanium (up to 0.75% by weight), becomes a material
with a density (18,600kg/m3) and
ductility suited to making
penetrators for kinetic energy anti-tank munitions, or liners for shaped-charge
warheads.
During the Balkans operations
from 1992 to 1996, only the US Air Force acknowledges its use in some of
its 30mm cannon shells
fired from the GAU-8A cannon.
It is true that some guided
weapons used depleted uranium to increase the penetration effect and that
the 20mm Phalanx
close-in weapon system,
used to protect warships at sea from sea-skimming missiles, also has a
percentage of DU rounds.
Current description at http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw010108_1_n.shtml
(Jane's Depleted Uranium
- FAQs, 7 Nov 01 )
What is Depleted Uranium?
Depleted Uranium (DU) is
only used as a penetrator. It is not a warhead, bomb or explosive.
Who used it in the Balkans?
During the Balkans operations
from 1992 to 1996, only the US Air Force acknowledges its use in some of
its 30mm cannon shells
fired from the GAU-8A cannon.
It is true that some guided weapons used depleted uranium to increase the
penetration effect and that
the 20mm Phalanx close-in
weapon system, used to protect warships at sea from sea-skimming missiles,
also has a percentage of
DU rounds.
Other online sources:
Properties of elements:
http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/periodic-table/phys.html
see Uranium (238)
Youngs modulus 208 similar to Cobalt, Nickel and Iron. Tungsten much
higher.
Density very similat to
Tungsten. Hardness (Brinell) similar to Tungsten, 3-4x higher than
Co, Ni, Fe.
Properties of alloys: http://www.matweb.com/composition.htm
Enter Uranium 50%+ and submit
for data. See tensile strength for cast, annealed and wrought versions.
Enter Cobalt 5%+, Nickel
5%+ and Iron 5%+ and see properties for some kinds of copper/nickel/steel
alloys as used in the GBU 24
outer casing.
Links used in this report
4. Janes report on Air and Missile strikes in the Afghan war
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jdw/jdw011007_1_n.shtml
5. FAS links to guided missile and bomb specifications:
http://www.fas.org/man/index.html
6. CDI Terrorism Project Action Update:
http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/actionupdate.cfm
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