ANYONE familiar with the anarchist punk band Anti-Flag would be confused to see the group standing next to a member of Congress, promoting a common goal. On March 24th, that was exactly the scene as Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wa., announced the start of an online petition aimed at convincing Congress to pass his bill insisting that the government investigate the harmful effects of depleted uranium munitions used by American troops. His bill is a much-needed start towards ending a policy that may be seriously affecting the health of civilians and American soldiers.
Depleted uranium is used in bullets and shells because it is a very heavy metal and can penetrate most armaments. These munitions have been used in both Iraq wars, the Kosovo conflict and in training in Puerto Rico. It is created as a byproduct of nuclear reactions and was, according to McDermott, "simply being thrown away" until the military found a great place to dispose of it -- other countries! In truth there are only three sites in the United States capable of handling depleted uranium. As Chemistry Prof. Carl Trindle noted, "it wouldn't be something you'd want in a landfill."
Once a depleted uranium-coated bullet hits its target, the uranium becomes a mist which may be inhaled. What is not inhaled settles onto the ground and enters the groundwater. According to Trindle, it then has long-term effects that include heavy metal poisoning and minor radiation risks. On Friday, Northern Arizona released a study showing that depleted uranium may damage DNA. In Iraq, depleted uranium deposits have already had effects on the population, including a 600 percent increase in both leukemia rates in children and birth defect rates, according to McDermott.
While depleted uranium is not a violation of international treaties, because its radioactive and toxic properties are not its intended means of inflicting damage, Major Doug Rokke, a Ph.D. in health physics and an eyewitness of the harm done by depleted uranium in the Gulf War, still declared "it's a crime against humanity to use uranium munitions in a war." Rokke was asked by the military to ensure that depleted uranium was not harmful. He is now an outspoken critic of the policy, and has insisted that "uranium munitions must be banned from the planet, for eternity."
Depleted uranium, like land mines, continues to kill long after the war is over. In the case of Iraq, depleted uranium is harming the very people who the United States claims to be helping. According to Iraqi doctors with whom McDermott spoke, Iraqi mothers no longer ask if a newborn is a boy or a girl; they ask if it is normal. If the military truly aims to spread democracy and prosperity to the nations in which it carries out operations, it should stop dumping poisonous, radioactive material into those nations' environments.
In addition to damaging civilian populations, depleted uranium may have harmful effects on American soldiers themselves. American soldiers are exposed to depleted uranium by inhaling uranium dust immediately after a strike or through friendly fire incidents. One would think that the military would encourage further research into possible unintended effects of its munitions on its own soldiers, but it has, in fact, thwarted such efforts, insisting in the face overwhelming evidence to the contrary that depleted uranium is harmless.
Moreover, the fact that the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel has taken so long to approve this bill is worrisome. Specifically, the bill seems to have had trouble gaining support from the Republican Party. Of the 39 co-sponsors of the bill, only one is a Republican. This fact shows the hypocrisy present within the Republican Party. Why is the party which opposes abortion not opposing a policy which has harmful effects on fetuses? Moreover, why does the party which claims to support the military refuse to question a policy which may be slowly killing American soldiers? It is clear that the Republicans will not allow concerns about the health of civilians and military personnel to interfere with a more effective way of killing.
In order to prevent the bill's death in the subcommittee, McDermott has joined with Anti-Flag to launch an online petition and letter-writing campaign, aimed at convincing members of Congress to co-sponsor the bill. Three Virginian legislators -- Thelma Drake, Jo Ann Davis and Randy Forbes -- are members of the House Committee on Armed Forces and can therefore have a more direct effect upon the bill. Every American who cares about the safety of our troops and innocent civilians should let the legislature know that releasing poisonous, radioactive material into another nation's environment without researching its effects is unacceptable.
Congress should take the next step as soon as possible and ban the use of depleted uranium. Saddam may not have had any, but there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- and they're being fired from American guns.
Daniel Colbert's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at dcolbert@cavalierdaily.com.
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