[ RadSafe ] FW: [abolition-caucus] Depleted uranium could damage DNA

Sun Apr 16 09:15:35 CDT 2006

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Subject: [abolition-caucus] Depleted uranium could damage DNA

http://stripes.com/article.asp?article=36500
<http://stripes.com/article.asp?article=36500&section=104> &section=104

Study: Depleted uranium could damage DNA

DOD officials say exposure not a health risk to troops

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Saturday, April 15, 2006

WASHINGTON - Depleted uranium, used to harden vehicles and 

armor-piercing munitions, might cause damage to DNA in ways previously 

not understood by health officials, according to a recently released 

study from Northern Arizona University.

The research could again raise questions about the military's use of 

depleted uranium, a practice Defense Department officials insist does 

not present health risks to troops. The dense metal is a by-product of 

the nuclear fuel enrichment process.

Theories connecting Gulf War Syndrome to radiation exposure from 

uranium-laced battlefields have
 persisted for years. Defense Department 

studies show no lingering exposure danger, officials said.

A 2004 study by the Defense Department concluded that the health risks 

from inhaling airborne particles of depleted uranium are "very low" in 

combat situations.

But the new study, conducted by biochemist Diane Stearns shows that, 

separate from any radiation risks, cells exposed to uranium can bond 

with the heavy metal particles. That biochemical reaction can cause 

genetic mutations, which in turn can curtail cell growth and 

potentially cause cancer.

Stearns said the research is too preliminary to prove that 

uranium-treated ammunition can cause harmful side effects.

"But it does raise the question of whether we're testing for the right 

things when we look at the health effects," she said. "If we're not 

seeing radioactivity in people being tested, maybe that's not what we 

should be looking for."

If
 bullets coated with DU are used on a battlefield, their impact on a 

target could potentially send miniature metal fragments into the air. 

Stearns said her work shows the long-term effects on what those 

particles could do to the human cellular system have not been fully 

researched.

A statement from the Defense Department on Friday said the department 

has investigated the toxic properties of uranium as a heavy metal, and 

that no evidence exists to show that that Gulf War veterans have 

suffered any chromosomal or genetic damage from DU exposure.

"(Stearns') studies add another piece to the puzzle, but there is 

already a lot of information in this area," the statement said.

Past studies reviewed by the Pentagon have shown that uranium at high 

levels can cause kidney damage in animal experiments, but have not 

shown a link between the lower levels of exposure from DU munitions and 

veterans' health.

A
 Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center research team has been 

tracking 80 soldiers from the first Gulf War whose vehicles were 

peppered with DU rounds during combat, all of whom had some inhalation 

exposure to the heavy metal.

Officials said that, to date, none of them has developed kidney 

problems or uranium-related cancers. In addition, the group has 

fathered 68 children, none of whom has birth defects.

Still, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., has been petitioning for more 

extensive testing on DU for more than a year, and recently called on 

Congress to renew discussions on the issue at a rally featuring 

Physicians for Social Responsibility and the punk-rock group Anti-Flag.

"All I'm really asking for is an independent study," he said in an 

interview earlier this month. "It's clear this issue about the health 

effects is out there and floating around. But it's also clear the 

Pentagon does not want to study
 it."

Last summer, McDermott introduced legislation which would mandate a 

series of research projects on the material's effects on troops, 

civilians and the environment. The bill hasn't moved since then.

A Defense Department spokeswoman said a number of independent groups - 

including the United Nations, researchers from the New England Journal 

of Medicine, and the Rand Corporation - have all published studies in 

recent years supporting the Pentagon's conclusion that depleted uranium 

munitions are not a health risk for U.S. troops.

Misinformation about the supposed dangers continues to be a problem, 

the spokesman said, despite the department's own extensive testing of 

troops.

Since May 2003, 2,122 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who 

may have been exposed to DU have undergone radiation screenings. Only 

eight showed elevated levels, all of whom were still within prescribed 

health standards,
 and all of them had munitions fragments in their body 

at the time.

Defense officials said they have no plans to phasing out the use of DU 

munitions or a ban on its use.

==============

***NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this 

material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a 

prior interest in receiving the included information for research and 

educational purposes.***

==============
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