Subject: Expert Opinions Urgently Needed Date: Thu Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=====================_5697607==_.ALT" Reply-To: prop1@prop1.org Sender: owner-nukenet@envirolink.org X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.2.07 -- ListProc(tm) by CREN Your expertise is NEEDED! 

We just received the following letter about depleted uranium from the Department of Defense in response to an email to President Clinton sent August 13 1999.  We hope you will write to the DoD but be sure to send a copy of what you write to NucNews <prop1@prop1.org>.  >From the various responses we will compile a sign-on letter to the President as well as the DoD.  Please take this seriously!?  Thanks!  (I'm astounded to receive the letter and hopeful it's a sign they might listen to reason.  It's worth a try...)

Ellen

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Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense
Acquisition And Technology
3000 Defense Pentagon
Washington Dc 20301-3000

7 DEC 1999

Ms. Ellen Thomas
Executive Director Proposition One Committee
P.O. Box 27217
Washington D.C. 20038

Dear Ms. Thomas:

Thank you for your recent e-mail to President Clinton concerning depleted uranium (DU) munitions and armor. You stated your belief that the United States should discontinue the use of DU for military purposes and dispose of the DU material. I have enclosed a fact sheet that provides the following information: (1) what DU is; (2) the DU health concerns; (3) the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) medical evaluation program; (4) the significant military advantages of DU; and (5) our DoD position on DU use. I believe that this information will provide a better understanding of DU and its civilian and military applications. While the use of DU is required to meet our national defense needs DoD continues to emphasize safety relative to all aspects of DU use and disposition.

Sincerely
George R. Schneiter Director Strategic and Tactical Systems

Attachment; DU Fact Sheet

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U.S. Department of Defense

DU Fact Sheet

* What is DU?

DU is uranium that has been depleted of the most radioactive isotopes of uranium. DU has both DoD military applications and private civilian industry applications such as stabilizers for airplanes and boats.

* DU's hazard potential and health concerns:

Chemically and toxicologically DU is the same as natural uranium. Radiologically it is 40% less radioactive than the natural uranium found in the air soil water and in food products everywhere on the Earth People ingest inhale and excrete natural uranium in trace amounts on a daily basis. Chemically DU is a heavy metal and like other heavy metals (iron lead nickel tungsten etc.) it is toxic when internalized in large quantities. The major health concerns associated with DU relate to its chemical properties as a heavy metal rather than to its radioactivity which is very low. As with all heavy metals the hazard depends mainly on the amount taken into the body. Very high exposure and absorption of uranium can cause kidney (renal) harm. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission License or permit is required for the manufacture machining storage and use of DU and workplace exposures are governed by applicable Code of Federal Regulations guidelines.

DU emits alpha and beta particles. and gamma rays. Alpha particles the primary radiation type (more than 99%) produced by DU travel about two inches and are easily blocked by the outer layer of skin. Beta particles the secondary emission are slightly more penetrating but are blocked by footwear and clothing such as by the boots and battle dress utility uniform typically worn by deployed military personnel. Gloves are mandated for troops actually handling DU rounds. While gamma rays are pure energy and are highly penetrating the amount of gamma radiation emitted by DU is low. DoD training programs emphasize the principal of limiting exposures to as low as reasonably achievable. Thus for these reasons DU does not pose a credible hazard as long as it remains outside the body especially if basic field safety and hygiene measures are observed.

Existing short-term and prolonged human exposure data indicate that DU exposure through inhalation ingestion or from embedded fragments poses no significant health risk to military personnel or other persons. While DU can pose a health hazard under specific circumstances its heavy metal toxicity and mild radioactivity do not pose an unacceptable risk to human health. The slight risk that does exist moreover can be prevented or minimized through proper risk management procedures such as hazard awareness programs and personal protective measures. The simple human hygiene measure of cleaning one's hands and face and the food greatly reduces the likelihood of intakes practically eliminating any attendant risks. The environmental impact of DU studied comprehensively by a wide range of governmental and independent non-governmental bodies indicates that the environmental consequences and health risks associated with the battlefield use of DU are minimal. The DoD recently conducted an extensive review of the scientific literature covering more than 160 independent and government studies over the past 40 years and found absolutely no credible scientific evidence to link the military use of DU to health problems.

If DU is taken into the body (internalized) in suffcient quantity its low-level radiation and heavy metal toxicity can produce adverse health effects primarily to the kidneys. The intake level (dose received) determines what if any health effects might occur. As with lead or other toxicants "the poison is in the dose." When DU penetrator rods strike a hard target or "slow cook" in sustained fires the mass of the solid DU rod is reduced as particles oxides and residues are formed. This "DU dust" can become internalized through inhalation ingestion or wound contamination. In addition troops riding in or on armored vehicles at the time they are struck by DU munitions can receive embedded DU fragments in their bodies. The latter event is virtually the only exposure scenario that can result in DU intakes exceeding regulatory safety levels. In all of these cases DU's heavy metal toxicity not its low-level radioactivity is the primary health concern with the kidneys being the organ where any damage is most likely to occur.

Research continues into DU's health effects. Useful insights and data have also been gained from "real world" Gulf War exposure events and subsequent monitoring. It should be noted that "exposure" does not automatically equate to "intakes." The vast majority of Gulf War exposures are extremely unlikely to have resulted in exposures exceeding or even approaching regulatory limits The most significant exposures were incurred by an estimated 113 U.S. soldiers who were in or on U.S. armored vehicles at the time these vehicles were struck by DU "sabot" penetrator rounds mistakenly fired from U.S. Abrams tanks. Some survivors of these incidents still retain DU fragments in their bodies since the risks of removal outweigh the consequences of leaving them in place. Since 1993 a special Department of Veterans Affairs program has been monitoring 33 of these veterans. While some are still experiencing complications from their original traumatic injuries no adverse health effects attributable to DU's heavy metal toxicity or radioactivity have been observed to date in any of these soldiers. In addition none of the 17 offspring fathered by the 33 veterans have presented any detectable birth defects. While this cohort is too small to be statistically significant data gained from the program tends to refute many of the allegations made regarding Gulf War DU exposures and their effects on human health.

* DoD and VA medical evaluation program:

Through programs such as the DU medical follow-up program at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center the DoD continues to monitor the health of those individuals most exposed to DU during the Gulf War. In 1998 the DoD and the VA expanded this medical surveillance program. The DoD identified and contacted hundreds of Gulf War veterans who may have been exposed to DU and encouraged them to enroll in the medical program. In addition any Gulf War veteran who has concerns about their potential DU exposures may request an evaluation at the nearest DoD or VA medical facility.

The Office of the Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Illnesses published an initial report on the health effects of DU during the Gulf War which is available on the internet (http://www.gulflink.osd.mil). The Office plans to publish an updated DU environmental exposure report in the next year which will incorporate the latest data information and knowledge regarding DU.

* Significant military advantages of DU:

The U.S. military uses DU because of its extraordinary effectiveness in anti-armor munitions as well as its survivability (protective armor) effectiveness. The Gulf War also known as Operation Desert Storm was the first conflict to see the widespread use of DU. The new munitions and armor gave U.S. forces a tremendous advantage. Because of the unprecedented range and lethality advantages provided by DU sabot rounds they played a central role in destroying more than 4 000 Iraqi combat vehicles in some of the most lopsided exchanges in modern military history. Despite being engaged multiple times often at close ranges by Iraqi tanks and anti-armor weapons not a single U.S. tank was penetrated by hostile fire. Many U.S. military men and women are alive today because we used DU in their weapons and their equipment.

* DoD position on DU use:

A cardinal principle of munitions programs is to have maximum safety consistent with satisfying the operational (military) requirement. The risk associated with DU material is factored into all decisions about the use of this material for military applications. Until we find suitable alternatives to the DU material to satisfy all our military requirements DU material will still remain for certain requirements the only viable solution for our National Defense needs in protecting our national security interests Our National Defense needs and minimizing U.S. casualties while accomplishing our military missions have always been of paramount importance. To date DU's unmatched operational effectiveness and survivability benefits far outweigh the manageable hazards posed by its heavy metal and radiological properties. Committing American troops to battle without these advantages is indefensible on military grounds and unwarranted on medical or scientific grounds particularly when future adversaries are likely to employ DU munitions themselves.

Our policy for use of DU material from manufacture to disposal is in complete compliance with our U.S. federal regulations and applicable international treaties. This includes training at land ranges and at sea Use in friendly foreign countries is in accordance with both our regulations and those of the foreign country. We continue to emphasize safety for the protection of our U.S. workers and military personnel. We have implemented force-wide DU training and hazard awareness programs that will dramatically improve our Military Service members' readiness and ability to respond safely and appropriately to DU on the battlefield.

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Here's the email I sent on August 13:

What do you propose doing about depleted uranium arms? You know of course about the depleted uranium artillery used in Yugoslavia Bosnia and Iraq and tested in Panama Japan and Puerto Rico.  If not please read our website http://prop1.org/2000/du/dulv.htm "Depleted Uranium Keeps On Killing."

Suggestion: production should be stopped and all those "armor-piercing" artillery shells and bullets tank and ship armor should be disposed of as low-level radioactive waste.

They should NOT be pumped into the ocean at 3 000 "bullets" per minute as Navy vessels do in practice; they should NOT be made into golf clubs or ashtrays. Bury the stuff safely please. And get the media to write about what you're doing?   If you'll write me a letter I promise to inform others.

Thanks

Ellen Thomas Exec. Director

PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 27217 Washington DC 20038 USA
202-462-0757 (phone) | 202-265-5389 (fax)
http://prop1.org | prop1@prop1.org