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Depleted uranium and Gulf War illness - What we don't know

A link between DU and GWI has been suggested repeatedly over the years, but the report makes explicit the lack of information available to asses whether such a link exists. For example, the committee did not have access to any information on specific sites where DU was fired by US forces in the 1991 conflict. Although a Clinton-era committee looking into similar issues was provided with a map of sites, it was not given to the RAC, who are left with estimated figures by independent researcher Dan Fahey that hundreds of thousands of veterans may be affected by DU exposure. The committee were critical of studies which rely on the self-reporting of veterans, due to the problem of faulty memories, exacerbated by the fact that DU was not well known at the time of the conflict. This criticism has implications for studies of UK veterans, which have largely relied on self-reporting. Depleted

Gulf War Illness and Depleted Uranium

In November 2008 an exhaustive study on the health problems experienced by veterans of the 1991 Gulf War was produced by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veteran.s Illnesses (RAC), a body set up by the US congress. The report powerfully illustrates the state of research on DU and human health, as well as showing the resistance within the US department of Veterans. Affairs (VA) to proper investigation into Gulf War illness and the flaws in research that they have commissioned.

Depleted uranium and the wider health of veterans

As well as these impediments to identifying veterans exposed to DU and possible correlations with those suffering from Gulf War illness, there are further problems to assessing whether DU exposure has had other health effects. Information about the rates of cancer in veterans is sparse, and the few studies which have been done on the incidence of birth defects in their families have not looked at DU. The report also implies that the VA has access to information about the latter which it is withholding from public view. It is very critical of a previous series of reports entitled 'Gulf War and Health' which were mandated by congress, but implemented by the VA. As well as stating that these reports failed to address fundamental questions, it considered the problems with the commissioning process so severe that it recommended the department involved be stripped of responsibility for future research.

Major Findings

The headline conclusion of the report was that Gulf War illness existed as a distinct medical condition. There are two major symptom groups . those indicative of neurological/cognitive problems and persistent, widespread joint and muscle pain, including chronic fatigue symptoms. In practice, the symptoms experienced will vary from person to person, and can cover a disparate range of maladies. As an indication of the diversity of symptoms, they include chronic headaches, vision abnormalities, muscle pain, sleep abnormalities, chronic diarrhoea and unexplained rashes. The second major finding was that there is a causal link between Gulf War illness and two factors - Pyridostigmine Bromide (PB) pills, which were given to troops to protect them from the effects of chemical weapons, and to pesticides which were liberally used in coalition camps. Other factors were either categorised as being impossible to rule out, or being unlikely to play a role.

Back To Medical Facts

Let us quote Worthington again, reiterating what we listed above, as a springboard into the final discussion. "U.S and British troops deployed to the area are the walking dead. Humans and animals, friends and foes in the fallout zone are destined to a long downhill spiral of chronic illness and disability. Kidney dysfunction, lung damage, bloody stools, extreme fatigue, joint pain, unsteady gait, memory loss and rashes and, ultimately, cancer and premature death await those exposed to DU." [Worthington, op. cit; Emphasis added.] Now, listen to this medical doctor serving in the military of a foreign country, in a follow-up testimony. This email speaks to how our soldiers will, in all likelihood come down with severe sickness. "Understand that the US government has now admitted that the soldiers in Iraq are fighting a guerrilla warfare. This takes a lot of activity, in excessive heat, and dehydration can occur rapidly. Men can't just stop every hour for a water break, to allow the body time to acclimate and adjust to less water intake in extreme climate conditions. The first noticeable effects will be less mental acuity, with a slowing of reflexes and general malaise. This puts our men in extreme immediate danger if in combat readiness. If the men don't die of guerrilla assault, then they will surely die when more severe effects of dehydration occur, and ESPECIALLY quickly under toxic conditions. I don't know if you saw the news report last week, but the government is saying Iraq will be a year-long tour for some of them. If those men make it past guerrilla assault, and dehydration, then they get to carry home their illness!" These revelations shed possible new light on the reason Saddam used the tactics he did. His forces fought well for the first two weeks, in southern Iraq, giving the Coalition Forces a decent fight. During this time, we were pounding Baghdad with huge amounts of munitions, much of it Depleted Uranium. Then, after approximately 20 days of battle, Saddam gave up Baghdad, strategically retreating in a move that shocked everyone. Huge amounts and types of modern fighting equipment were never committed to battle. Saddam just ordered his troops to vanish, allowing the Americans to flood into the city. Since April 9, Coalition Forces have been working, and fighting, daily in grueling heat, wearing very hot combat suits that are bulletproof. Since April 9 -- approximately 3 1/2 months -- our forces have been daily breathing in the radioactive dust swirling around the countryside and in the cities. Whenever a strong wind comes up, and especially when one of those monster dust storms strike, that radioactive dust goes airborne -- even though it is heavier than normal dust -- and can be carried for hundreds of miles. One need not necessarily be adjacent to a battlefield to be exposed to radioactive dust. Now, some of our men are getting sick, showing symptoms consistent with depleted uranium poisoning. We cannot know how many men are affected, nor how this sickness has affected fighting morale. If this sickness becomes widespread and if many more men start dropping dead, our fighting efficiency could erode in a hurry, and just might tempt Saddam to come back fighting with all those men and all that sophisticated equipment he refused to commit to battle originally. In this scenario, time is Saddam's friend and our deadly enemy.

Are The Iraqi People Suffering Depleted Uranium Poisoning?

The obvious question is whether the Iraqi people are currently suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning. In the above section, we demonstrated that the Iraqi people were suffering greatly from the effects of the Depleted Uranium from Gulf War I, especially the children and mothers giving birth to deformed babies. In this Gulf War II, the effects will likely be much more devastating, but remember that for a people used to living in this heat, and pacing themselves through the day, the poisoning may take months, if not years, to affect large numbers of people. However, some Iraqi citizens are already showing effects. NEWS BRIEF: "The Current Health Situation in Iraq", IslamOnline.com, August 24, 2003. "The use of weapons coated with depleted uranium (nuclear waste) during the Gulf war and the subsequent prevention of the necessary equipment needed by the Iraqi government to clean up its battlefields, has lead to a six-fold increase in cancer cases. The DU dust can enter the body by inhalation or by the ingestion of contaminated food or drink. According to former US Attorney General, 900 tons of radioactive waste was spread over Iraq during the Gulf War. In a press release of 4 August 1998, the US Department of Defense stated: .The Gulf War was the arena for the first battlefield use of armor-piercing munitions and reinforced tank armor incorporating depleted uranium.. "According to the World Health Organization, the health risks of depleted uranium include: damage to kidney functions (chemical toxicity), possible higher risk of lung cancer and bone cancer (radiological toxicity), and the need for more information regarding the incidence of leukemia. As far as chemotherapy is concerned, there are insufficient drugs available (even if people could afford them) or the hospital receives only partial components of a chemotherapy protocol, which renders it useless (Europa). Although the incidence of cancer has risen sharply following the war the most effective painkiller, morphine, used to ease the pain of cancer patients has been banned by the Security Council." Remember our first article about Josh from Missouri, who collapsed in Baghdad and was flown to Germany? After doctors began treating him for pnuemonia, "... his liver, kidneys and muscles started to break down ..." This death and the symptoms reportedly affecting our sick soldiers, are consistent with depleted uranium poisoning. The Iraqi people are suffering from Depleted Uranium poisoning, beginning with the nuclear war we waged against them in 1991 and continuing to the present time. More than any other factor, I believe it likely that this poisoning of the Iraqis in 1991 is the most important reason the Iraqis have not welcomed us as "liberators" with open arms. This poisoning is likely the motivating factor behind the determination to fight a guerilla war in the heat of the summer against a foe that, while he is superior on the battlefield, is dying slowing in the heat, being taken down by poisoning and dehydration as he fights a guerilla enemy.

Last Updated: May 3rd, 2012