Reply #4: I think you're referring to me... [View All]

[caraher]

... and I repeat, I never suggested it was not harmful! I just pointed out that it's incredibly unlikely that DU exposure would result in acute effects of radiation sickness. That is not at all the same as saying it is "safe." After all, it's equally true that breathing in chlorine gas is not going to cause radiation exposure, but that's not to say doing so is safe! I'm just pointing out that the repeated emphasis on radioactivity gives short shrift to the likelier health effects.

Your insistence on misconstruing what I did say reinforces my worry that overemphasis on the less plausible mechanisms for biological damage hurts the credibility of people urging an end to the use of DU. If you misinterpret my remark this badly, and persist in asserting my comments imply DU is "safe," I have little faith in the rest of what you may have to say - and I am sympathetic to your cause. I can only imagine how much less receptive to your position people more inclined to trust the military would be!