Iraq littered with high levels of nuclear and dioxin contamination, study finds

[demoleft]

Source: the guardian

More than 40 sites across Iraq are contaminated with high levels or radiation and dioxins, with three decades of war and neglect having left environmental ruin in large parts of the country, an official Iraqi study has found.

Areas in and near Iraq's largest towns and cities, including Najaf, Basra and ­Falluja, account for around 25% of the contaminated sites, which appear to coincide with communities that have seen increased rates of cancer and birth defects over the past five years. The joint study by the environment, health and science ministries found that scrap metal yards in and around Baghdad and Basra contain high levels of ionising radiation, which is thought to be a legacy of depleted uranium used in munitions during the first Gulf war and since the 2003 invasion.

The environment minister, Narmin Othman, said high levels of dioxins on agricultural lands in southern Iraq, in particular, were increasingly thought to be a key factor in a general decline in the health of people living in the poorest parts of the country.
...
The Guardian reported in November claims by local doctors of a massive rise in birth defects in the city , particularly neural tube defects, which afflict the spinal cords and brains of newborns. "We are aware of the reports, but we must be cautious in reaching conclusions about causes," Othman said. "The general health of the city is not good. There is no sewerage system there and there is a lot of stagnant household waste, creating sickness that is directly affecting genetics. We do know, however, that a lot of depleted uranium was used there.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/22/iraq-nuclear-contaminated-sites

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the mess that was left.

[Blue Owl]

1. It's just GWB's depleted Freedom Dust

a.k.a. depleted uranium

[BulletproofLandshark]

2. My first thought as well. n/t

[Dr.Phool]

3. I did a show on a cable talk program on D.U.

We've irradiated Iraq with the equivalent of about 5,000 Hiroshima's.

It's not even safe to be in that country, anymore.

[Downwinder]

7. If it was about oil, you can't recover it safely.

[EFerrari]

11. I was just watching Global Report on FSTV.

Children born without eyes, ears, internal organs outside. It's as bad as it can be.

We knew after the massacre at Falluja.

[boppers]

13. How much Uranium (etc.) is in your area?

I once saw a radiation map of the US, it was a real eye-opener.

[fascisthunter]

4. and don't tell me Folks in DC didn't know this would happen

so was it a plan to wipe out some of the population there? I find it very hard to believe this country did not know this would happen.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. An Iraqi Dr. was prevented from entering the US to speak about this problem.

Stopped at the border, was refused admittance.
Britain reported on his talk there, about the massive number of birth defects
from all the D.U. used in Iraq.
D.U. that OUR military was also exposed to.
And the contractors.

Hmm...wonder if we are getting contaminated oil? There's a thought.

[AlphaCentauri]

8. our soldiers are getting contaminated too n/t

[EFerrari]

12. So many military families are ill. Sometimes the only healthy one

in the family is the kid born before the deployment because the spouse and the kids following the deployment are all sick.

[Downwinder]

6. Does Iraq now have enough radioactive materials for WMD? n/t

[defendandprotect]

9. We've been refusing since Gulf War I to clean up Depleted Uranium!!!

Basically, this is genocide against the Iraqi people and it's been going on for

more than 20 years -- during which we were also bombing them!!!

[yava]

14. Where is the D.U. and how it gets to you

I think I can guess:
They are penetrator tips for piercing armor.
I think when they impact, they end up burning in the explosion and produce nanoparticles of uranium oxide that you can breath (especially soldiers), or they are washed down to rivers by rain then to the sea and the fish that we (they) eat or to grass that cows eat and get to man when meat is consumed because the isotope life-time (or half-life) is very long. The absorbed nanoparticles are so small the can travel (diffuse) in your body and irradiate cells on their path.

When they don't impact (miss), they are still attached to the casing of the weapon and are typically collected by kids to be sold as scrap metal, so the kids and the downsteam chain of scap meta manipulators get irradiated.

[defendandprotect]

15. We've spread Depleted Uranium everywhere ... at one point they were

talking about getting rid of it by putting it in our pots and pans!!

Pentagon actually returned flatware because it had DU in it!!

But in Iraq, it's everywhere -- and we're adding yet more and more of it

with this new war!

PLUS soldiers bring this stuff home on their clothing and in their bodies ---

harmful to their families -- newborns suffering from birth defects, etal --

Soldiers themselves suffering from it!!

[truedelphi]

10. Ah the smell of victory. And now, on to Afghansitan! n/t