COMMENT//Are American soldiers in Iraq dying due to depleted uranium?

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Of course they, but the Public and the soldiers will never know the Truth, ---- Toom Much Money Involved ... (

 

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Misty

Health and Healing ; Armageddon or New Age

Saturday, August 09, 2003 5:07 AM

Are American soldiers in Iraq dying due to depleted uranium?

Are American soldiers in Iraq dying due to depleted uranium?By James Conachy4 August 2003http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/aug2003/du-a04.shtmlThe office of the US Army Surgeon General informed the media July 31 thatteams of medical specialists have been dispatched to both Iraq and theLandstuhl military hospital in Germany to investigate why a pneumonia-likecondition is striking down American military personnel who took part in theinvasion of Iraq. At least 100 soldiers have been hospitalized with severerespiratory problems since March 1. Fifteen have been so ill they haverequired ventilator support to stay alive. Two have died, while threereportedly remain under close supervision at Landstuhl.Three of the critical cases occurred in March, three in April, two in May,three in June and four in July. Fourteen were Army personnel and one wasfrom the Marines. A localized epidemic has been ruled out. The troops whohave fallen ill belong to diverse units and were operating in differentareas of Iraq and in at least one case in Kuwait. An Army official toldreporters: “It is pneumonia. The question is, what is the cause?” Accordingto the Army, there is no evidence that any of the cases have been caused byexposure to chemical or biological weapons, severe acute respiratorysyndrome (SARS) or environmental toxins.It is not the number of cases that is concerning the military hierarchy.According to the spokesperson of the US Army Surgeon General, there arenormally nine cases of pneumonia per 10,000 US soldiers per year that areserious enough to require hospitalization. Based on that statistic, 100cases of pneumonia in five months among the several hundred thousand armyand marine personnel who were involved in the war on Iraq are only slightlyhigher than average.The dispatch of the experts therefore raises disturbing questions. There isclearly something about either the nature, or the severity, of the cases theArmy Surgeon General feels warrants investigation.On July 16, the News-Leader site operating out of Springfield, Missouripublished a detailed report describing the symptoms of one of the soldierswho has died from the alleged pneumonia. Josh Neusche, a 20-year-old, fitand healthy Missouri National Guardsman, collapsed in Baghdad on July 2. Hewas evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany. His family was informed he wassuffering from pneumonia caused by fluid in his lungs. According to hismother, his liver, kidneys and muscles then began to break down. He wasplaced on dialysis, but fell into a coma and died on July 12.For anyone familiar with the research into the medical effects of exposureto depleted uranium, the details of Josh Neusche’s death would have to ringalarm bells. The 2001 World Health Organization report into the issue notes:“Brief accidental exposure to high concentrations of uranium hexafluoridehas caused acute respiratory illness, which may be fatal.” [Full reportavailable at http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/pub_meet/ir_pub/en/]Scenarios that could cause a “brief, accidental exposure to highconcentrations of uranium hexafluoride” definitely would include being inthe vicinity of a vehicle or building struck by depleted uranium munitions;traveling in or being in the vicinity of a vehicle that is armored withdepleted uranium and sustains damage; or being involved in the cleanup ofsuch a vehicle. The organs most affected by exposure are the lungs andkidneys.In a July 30 article on US casualties in Iraq, the World Socialist Web Sitereported the unconfirmed allegation in the July 17 Saudi newspaper Al-Watanthat three US servicemen had been evacuated from Iraq suffering symptoms ofdepleted uranium exposure.The WSWS noted that if this proved true, it would not be surprising.Thousands of US troops in Iraq are likely to have been exposed to DU to somedegree, absorbing it either by inhaling contaminated dust or ingesting itfrom contaminated water, food and soil. Initial estimates are that between100 and 200 tons of DU munitions were used in Iraq and that at least 17incidents took place during the combat phase that would most likely haveresulted in US and British personnel being exposed to high concentrations ofDU particles. [see http://www.antenna.nl/~wise/uranium/pdf/duiq03.pdf]On July 28, as part of the research for the July 30 article, “America’smaimed come home from Iraq,” this WSWS correspondent submitted a list ofquestions to the US Department of Defense, addressed tomedia. One of the specific questions we asked of theDepartment of Defense was: “Have any US military personnel been medicallyevacuated from Iraq due to the possible side-affects of exposure to depleteduranium?” To date, the WSWS has received no reply.See Also:America’s maimed come home from Iraq[30 July 2003]Another US war crime: the use of depleted uranium munitions in Iraq[29 May 2003]Ongoing consequences of the Gulf War: Casualties increase from use ofdepleted uranium[8 September 1999]Depleted uranium weapons used in Balkan War expected to cause thousands offatal cancers[5 August 1999]«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»NATIONWIDE DENTAL BENEFITS PACKAGE PLUSSAVE UP TO 80% on DENTAL, PRESCRIPTIONS DRUGS,GLASSES, CONTACTS, VISION CARE, & CHIROPRACTIC.$11.95 For Single or$19.95 For an entire household per month!Immediate Coverage * No Waiting Period Pre-existing Covered * No Limit on Benefits http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/MMerrill/ Email: MEM121«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§ - PULSE ON WORLD HEALTH CONSPIRACIES! §Subscribe:......... - To :.... - Any information here in is for educational purpose only, it may be news related, purely speculation or someone's opinion. Always consult with a qualified health practitioner before deciding on any course of treatment, especially for serious or life-threatening illnesses.**COPYRIGHT NOTICE**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml