Jim Backwell
Nuclear warfare in the Gulf
The slaughter that was the Gulf War continues to shock us as the truth of that conflict is revealed. What is now coming to light is that a form of nuclear warfare was carried out by the United States and its allies. Depleted uranium (DU) encased shells were regularly used by the coalition forces, especially as armour-piercing shells. The debris of these weapons has left the Iraqi countryside poisoned for thousands of years.
This contamination is now thought to be behind a sudden increase in cancer in Iraqi children and adults.
Three hundred US soldiers exposed to these weapons (through "friendly fire") are taking legal action against the US army after reporting symptoms similar to those of radiation victims.
DU ordnances were developed in the 1970s as anti-tank armour-piercing projectiles. DU is a radioactive by-product from the uranium enrichment process in the creation of nuclear fuel rods and nuclear weapons. DU's benefit over steel and other materials is its density, one-and-a-half times greater than lead. This greatly increases the projectiles' impact.
At least 40 tons of DU were dispersed in the war, mostly as 6-8 pound shells. Launched by M1A1 Abrams tanks and A-10 Thunderbolt fighter bombers, the shells release radioactive oxidised uranium on impact. They also cause the vapours inside a tank or armoured car to ignite, incinerating the occupants.
Although the exact number of Iraqi tanks destroyed has not been revealed, thousands are thought to have been left littered throughout the Kuwaiti and Iraqi countryside.
International companies and armed forces contracted by the Kuwaiti government to remove the debris of war are not prepared to touch these radioactive burnt-out vehicles. One British officer commented, "We have no instructions and no equipment. So far we have left these tanks well alone, but the civilians are taking bits and pieces unaware of the dangers."
UN personnel and aid workers have seen children playing with empty shells and destroyed tanks. In Basra, a foreign doctor saw a child using DU shells as hand puppets.
While the radiation is undoubtedly lower than "radiological weapons" such as atomic bombs, even mild radiation is dangerous. The uranium particles released into the air when DU weapons explode can enter the body and internal organs. The fatal epidemic of swollen abdomens among Iraqi children is caused by kidney failure resulting from this poisoning.
While the thousands of Iraqis suffering from radiation est tragedy from the use of these weapons, the increasing number of US soldiers reporting radiation symptoms is also of concern. "The army knows that our troops need to be protected from this kind of exposure", admitted a Democrat member of Congress from Oregon. But it is doubtful if this concern will be extended to the "enemy".
Action to clean up this environment must be taken now. CICD agrees with Greenpeace organiser Paul Horsman, who has been involved in an environmental survey in Kuwait: "The US and Britain created this problem by using these weapons. They should take responsibility for cleaning it up."
The issue must not stop here. These weapons must be banned and destroyed by international conventions. Australians must ensure that our own military never purchase such weapons. Depleted uranium shells are another reason that the peace and disarmament movements are not redundant in a post-Cold War world.
[Jim Backwell is secretary of the Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD).]