Letter to the Editor of the NY Daily News

["bobcherry" <bobcherry@cox.net>]

Dear Editor:



 



"The place was filthy; most of the windows were broken; dirt, grease and

bird droppings were everywhere." This quote appears in the series of

articles in the NY Daily News that Juan Gonzalez wrote for a "special

investigation." Another quote said, "Oil, dirt and bird droppings

everywhere, insects crawling all around us." The quotes were in reference to

a train depot in Iraq where the 442d Military Police Company quartered. Oh,

and some depleted uranium (DU) may have been in the area.



 



The articles go on to describe a variety of ailments that 442 members are

alleging. None of these ailments can possibly be caused by DU as is well

known to radiobiologists and health physicists. Competent nuclear medicine

physicians know this, too.



 



What DU or any form of uranium in sufficient quantities can do is cause

kidney damage in the short term (heavy metal poisoning) and cancer in the

long term (after more that ten years' latency, but the kidney damage comes

first). According to what I read about their activities in Iraq, it is

highly unlikely that the 442 soldiers ingested such quantities. If they had,

the amount of uranium, depleted or natural, is easily detectable and would

not require the sophisticated instruments mentioned in the articles.



 



Don't you think that the oil, grease, bird droppings, insects "crawling all

around" and who-knows-what-else in that part of the world are more likely

candidates than DU for causing these alleged illnesses? While Mr. Gonzalez

does not directly name DU as the cause, he does not imply any other cause in

his biased report.



 





Apparently, he has succeeded in getting "Army officials at Fort Dix and

Walter Reed Army Medical Center [in a rush] to test all returning members of

the 442d Military Police Company . for depleted uranium contamination" at

$1000 laboratory cost per urine sample. The time and energy the medical care

providers will provide is expensive, also. My opinion is that, while all

soldiers are entitled to receive the finest medical care the Army can

provide and usually do in my experience, in the case of the 442d MP Company,

scarce medical resources are better spent on attempting to find the real

cause of the MPs' ailments. Mr. Gonzalez appears to believe otherwise. 



 



When the tests show no significant levels of uranium in the urine samples,

as I expect, will Mr. Gonzalez file an addendum to his "special

investigation"? Will you print it? I hope so, but I won't hold my breath

waiting.



 



Bob Cherry, Ph.D.



Certified Health Physicist



Colonel, U.S. Army (retired)