RE: Depleted Uranium Ordnance

[Laurie Taylor <laurie-taylor@uiowa.edu>]

The beginning of this current thread incidated that "Sixteen British Gulf War veterans say they have proof they are suffering from radiation poisoning, caused by materials in the weapons used by the Allies.  The men believe this could be a factor in Gulf War Syndrome, the condition which thousands of soldiers say they developed after  serving in the region.  In Iraq, doctors also say children have been deformed by the same  radiation.  "

I'm not an IH, but MSDS info and info in the Merck Index concerning uranium (including uranium oxide and dioxide) indicates that exposure can cause dermatitis, eye irritation, renal damage, necrotic arterial lesions.  So I'm wondering if any of the exposed soldiers or others experience any of these effects? How long they were in the area after deployment? etc.   Depleted uranium scrapnel is one thing, but I guessing the main route of exposure was due to inhalation and ingestion and the result would be exposure to the lungs and kidneys and the effect would be more chemical than radiological.  The references I looked up indicated that if uranium enters the bloodstream it is excreted via the urine?  A radiation hazard would exist (again dose dependent) from inhalation of very fine dust particles on the order of 1 micrometer.  I haven't come across any IH information that indicates that uranium is a teratogen or mutagen as far as reproduction is concerned (as some Iraqi articles indicate); or that is causes neurological problems?  Can anyone further comment on this?  So I'm wondering as Gus indicated, if the syndrome is more related to some chemical  or maybe even biological weapons that the Iraqi's employed during the war?


Laurie Taylor
laurie@uiowa.edu



At 05:17 PM 2/4/99 -0600, you wrote:
>The chemical toxicity limit historically has been based on renal failure.
>The ICRP-2 limit was based on this.  I don't know about nervous system
>problems.  However, I'd check into the Iraqi use of chemical weapons as my
>first suspect.
>
>C. A. Gus Potter
>Sandia National Laboratories
>Albuquerque, New Mexico
>(505) 844-2750
>capotte@sandia.gov
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: James G. Barnes [mailto:mail15077@pop.net]
>Sent: Thursday, February 04, 1999 3:22 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list
>Subject: Depleted Uranium Ordnance
>
>
>Good Afternoon,
>
>I was talking to a USMC officer who had served in the Gulf War, and when I 
>told him that I was a health physicist, he brought up the issue of DU 
>munitions.
>
>One point that he mentioned that I hadn't really considered is that these 
>munitions are quite pyrotechnic (if that's the right word), and they 
>basically incinerate just about anything they hit.  So the DU has gone 
>through a catastrophic impact, followed immediately by a high temperature 
>burn, has basically vaporized, then has plated, deposited over an area near 
>the target.
>
>It leads me to suspect that they definitely create a significant 
>contamination event, and I suspect the chemical form of the DU might be 
>much different than that found in a uranium mine.  So I'm not sure that 
>comparison of Gulf War Vets to Uranium Miners is really an apples to apples 
>situation.
>
>Also, am I correct in believing that the chemotoxicity of Uranium is 
>similar to other heavy metals, i.e. there is a potential effect on the n

>ervous system similar to that encountered in lead ingestion?
>
>
>Jim Barnes, CHP
>Radiation Safety Officer
>Rocketdyne / Boeing
>
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