Re: more on DU

[Philip Hypes <phypes@lanl.gov>]

At 04:33 PM 8/30/99 -0500, you wrote: 

> ------_=_NextPart_001_01BEF32E.B601B850 
> Content-Type: text/plain 
>
>
> posted at
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_431000/431817.stm
>
> Friday, August 27, 1999 Published at 17:59 GMT 18:59 UK 
> BBC Sci/Tech 
> <<...>> 
> Depleted uranium study 'shows clear damage' 
> By Environment Correspondent Alex Kirby 
>
> The controversy over the reported dangers of depleted uranium (DU) has 
> intensified, with a Canadian study said to show "unequivocal" evidence of 
> damage to health. 

(snip)

Here we go again (still?)...

This is the text of the email I sent to the author of the article, with whom I have
communicated before.  I welcome any comments, and if anyone else would like
to email him, let me know...


I have to say, your recent article on DU did give voice to both bodies of thought 
on the significance of the subject research. But the title does a disservice to the 
entire article. The research shows that Uranium can be detected in the urine of 
some Gulf War Veterans. But that certainly does not equate to "clear damage!" 
Naturally occuring Uranium can be found in the urine of essentially every human 
being on earth. That has been true throughout human experience on earth. 
Claiming that finding Uranium using mass spectrometry proves that damage has 
ocurred is unscientific. By that logic, virtually every element on the periodic table 
could be "proven" as a deadly poison in any concentration. Given the fact that 
Uranium is present in all our bodies, I would be interested to know how he 
ensured that he was measuring Depleted Uranium ingested in the Persian Gulf 
area and not natural Uranium.

People have been working with significantly more hazardous forms of Uranium 
in a variety of environments for decades. The occupational health studies that 
have been preformed in these populations are in total disagreement with what 
the activists are claiming DU does to the body. It is the activists and conspiracy 
theorists alone that needlessly keep this issue alive.

These are purely my own, private, personal, opinions. I am not portraying myself 
as representing any official body in this communication.

___________________________________________________________

Philip Hypes

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Safeguards Science and Technology Group (NIS 5)

(505) 667-1556  phypes@lanl.gov

Opinions expressed are purely my own unless otherwise noted