[ RadSafe ] Fw: [DU Information List] Further evidence of enriched uranium in the air in lebanon following the recent conflict

[Roger Helbig]

Nothing like an enormous amount of disinformation.  UN, oh they are just another group of un-believers.  That's this group's attitude.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "davey garland" <thunderelf at yahoo.co.uk>
To: <cndyorks at yahoogroups.com>; <earthfirstalert at yahoogroups.com>; <pandora-project at yahoogroups.com>; <abolition-caucus at yahoogroups.com>; <asceptic at tiscali.co.uk>; <du-watch at yahoogroups.com>; <du-list at yahoogroups.com>; <nucnews at yahoogroups.com>; <newsmatters at yahoogroups.com>; <vivlerner at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 11:43 PM
Subject: [DU Information List] Further evidence of enriched uranium in the air in lebanon following the recent conflict


FURTHER EVIDENCE OF ENRICHED URANIUM IN THE AIR  IN LEBANON FOLLOWING THE RECENT  CONFLICT
    
  See http://www.llrc.org for outline, full  report and pictures.
 Part of the message of this report is that  citizen groups can use simple, affordable and reliable techniques to monitor for  the presence of hot radioactive particles in the environment.
    
  Green Audit recently reported the results of  measurements carried out on samples from a bomb crater in Khiam Southern  Lebanon. Measurements made by the Harwell laboratory in  Oxford confirmed the existence of Enriched  Uranium of activity 180Bq/kg and U238/U235 ratio of 108 in the sample.  The discovery, which was reported in  'The Independent' of 28th October, has caused some concern. The  United Nations Environment Programme UNEP responded that its analyses have  failed to detect Uranium. The Israel Defence Force has denied using Depleted  Uranium weapons.  Further evidence  of the widespread existence of enriched uranium in  Lebanon is now reported in a new paper by  Chris Busby and Dai Williams which has been accepted by the European Journal of  Biology and Bioelectromagnetics and is available on the LLRC website  www.llrc.org.
  Since the first analysis of the  Khiam sample (which used Mass Spectrometry) was reported, Green Audit  commissioned a second analysis using different techniques. Alpha spectrometry  carried out at the School of Ocean Sciences University of Wales has confirmed  the presence of Enriched Uranium but also shown the absence of significant  amounts of plutonium. In addition, gamma spectroscopy has shown that there is no  Caesium-137 or other gamma emitting isotopes that would be expected if the  sample originated in spent nuclear fuel.
  There are significant and justified  health concerns about exposure to the long lived and widely dispersed oxide  particles formed when uranium weapons are used. 
   In order to examine whether the Khiam  bomb was a local contamination affair or whether there is more widespread  distribution of uranium, Green Audit has commissioned an analysis for Uranium  isotopes of a vehicle air filter taken by Dai Williams from an ambulance in the  suburb of Haret Hreyk in South Beirut. The ambulance was hit on day 16 of the  war but was active until then. The filter was examined using CR39 alpha tracking  plastic and also sent to the Harwell laboratory for an analysis of uranium  isotopes and also a routine 45 element analysis. The filter was dissolved in  acid and examined using ICP Mass Spectrometry by the Harwell laboratory. Results  confirmed the presence of enriched uranium. In three separate measurements the  isotopic ratios U238/U235 found were 113, 123, 133 and total concentration in  the filter element as supplied was 0.1mg/kg. The lower limit of detection of the  Harwell measurement system was 0.0002mg/kg U238 and 0.0001mg/kg U235.
 This  concentration is significant given that the dust in the filter would have had  only two weeks to accumulate and add to earlier dust from a year's usage in the  engine. In addition, CR39 tracking techniques suggested the presence of at least  two hot particles in the filter, the size and activity characteristics of which  are consistent with Uranium. Although care should be taken in over-interpreting  data based on only one filter, these results do suggest that there was  widespread dispersion of enriched uranium over Southern  Lebanon. We  suggest that further vehicle filter measurements are made as a matter of urgency  and that since there are political aspects, the issue is examined by or overseen  by independent experts. We repeat here our earlier warning that the detection of  weapons uranium in the environment is not straightforward and that conventional  Geiger counters cannot be used. CR39 or sensitive beta scintillation counters  followed by sampling and
 ICPMS is necessary before statements can be made about  the presence or absence of uranium particles. 
    
  'Further evidence of enriched uranium in guided  weapons employed by the Israeli military in Lebanon in July 2006; Ambulance  filter analysis' Dai Williams and Chris Busby. European Journal of Biology and  Bioelectromagnetics 2006 Vol 2 Issue 1. Published on the website www.llrc.org with permission of the  Journal.
    
    
  Notes:
    
  The earlier Green Audit report on bomb  crater samples is at  http://www.llrc.org/du/subtopic/lebanrept.pdf
  Independent  report at  http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1935945.ece
  ICP-MS  is "Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy". 
  European Journal of Biology and  Bioelectromagnetics: see http://www.ebab.eu.com
  Critics of Green Audit and LLRC have referred  to the Human Rights Council report "Commission of Inquiry on Lebanon" (http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/CoI-Lebanon.pdf), claiming that it indicates  depleted Uranium was not used in Lebanon. The relevant paragraph appears to be:  
  ii. Depleted uranium
  257. The IDF has within its arsenal of  weapons munitions that can be equipped with depleted uranium warheads. It is  therefore possible that depleted uranium (DU) munitions were used by the IDF  during the conflict. However, the preliminary findings of the Lebanese  National Council for Scientific Research, which carried out a detailed field  survey of several bomb sites, concluded that there was no indication of depleted  uranium having been used in the conflict, with the caveat that some additional  field work was still necessary to draw a final conclusion.
  We note that we have already  suggested enriched Uranium was deployed in order to disguise the depleted  Uranium signature; that since no monitoring methods have been specified either  by UNEP or OHCHR no-one can be confident that the forms of Uranium produced by  Uranium bombs or armour piercing rounds would be detected; and that the findings  are provisional.
 We have sent you this email circular because  you are on our database of people who are concerned about low level radiation  and health. If you do not want to receive information from us please reply,  putting "remove from LLRC" in the subject line.
      

  Low Level Radiation Campaign
bramhall at llrc.org
 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com