[SPAM][ RadSafe ] MILINET: Depleted Uranium Could Damage DNA

[Eric D]

There are actually two "Stars and Stripes" newspapers.  One is the overseas
version and one is based in DC and has a distinct activist bent on a lot of
issues.  This is probably the DC based organization.

Eric Daxon

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Roger Helbig
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 5:56 PM
To: radsafelist
Subject: [SPAM][ RadSafe ] MILINET: Depleted Uranium Could Damage DNA

See how bad science spreads; now it has made Stars and Stripes, which has
generally steered clear of the anti-DU crusaders nonsense.   The science in
question does not show that depleted uranium can damage DNA, but now that it
is approaching a mainstream source to the troops, plenty will follow.

Roger Helbig

----- Original Message ----- 
From: MAJUSMCRET at aol.com 
To: undisclosed-recipients: 
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 4:43 AM
Subject: MILINET: Depleted Uranium Could Damage DNA

Mideast Stars and Stripes
April 15, 2006

Study: Depleted Uranium Could Damage DNA

DOD officials say exposure not a health risk to troops

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes

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.


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