The DU oxide dust produced when DU munitions burn is readily inhaled into and retained by the lungs. From the lungs uranium compounds are deposited in the lymph nodes, bones, brain and testes. The dust can travel many kilometres when re-suspended, as is likely in arid climates. When penetrators miss their targets (typical of aircraft strikes) they can remain partially intact. In the Balkans more than 31,000 30mm penetrators were fired. UNEP reported that these corroding penetrators were likely to contaminate groundwater and drinking water supplies and should be removed.5 Health effects: radioactivity The chief radiological hazard from DU is alpha radiation. However, as DU particles decay, both beta and gamma radiation are released, increasing the radiation burden further. Chromosome damage from internalized alpha particles is about 100 times greater than that caused by an equivalent amount of other radiation. In one day, one microgram (one millionth of a gram) of DU can release 107,000 alpha particles. Each particle is charged with more than four million electron volts of energy; this goes directly into whichever organ or tissue it is lodged in. It only requires 6 to 10 electron volts to break a DNA strand in a cell.6 Internal alpha radiation also has other effects.7 The Bystander Effect – cells adjacent to those struck by alpha particles also exhibit signs of radiation damage. Genomic Instability – the descendants of radiation-damaged cells show increased rates of mutations, the precursor to cancer growth. Ionizing radiation is a carcinogen at every dose-level; there is no threshold dose and any alpha particle can cause irreparable genetic damage. Health effects: chemical toxicity DU is a toxic heavy metal. Cellular and animal studies have shown that uranium is a kidney toxin, neurotoxin, immunotoxin, mutagen (agent which changes the genetic information of an organism), carcinogen and teratogen (agent causing malformations of the embryo or foetus). In hamsters, uranium has been shown to bind to DNA strands, where it causes damage through the generation of free radicals.8 In rats, it has been shown to damage white blood cells irreparably and alter gene expression.9 Two other studies found that uranium can interfere with DNA-binding proteins10 and that particles of uranium have a cancer-causing effect on human lung cells.11 Also DU’s toxicity and radioactivity may combine to create a synergistic effect,12 amplifying each other, thereby increasing the damage caused to cells – resulting in tumours or a range of whole-body symptoms. DU in the environment Tests by the US Army suggest that between 18% and 70% of a penetrator dart burns into small particles following a hard impact – this equates to between 900 and 3,400 grams of dust for a 120mm penetrator. Between 50% and 90% of these particles were found to be of respirable size and stayed airborne for many hours after they were produced.13 Research published earlier this year by Leicester University found that, in the 1960s and 1970s, uranium particles from a foundry in Colonie, near New York, had travelled more than six kilometres from source and survived for 25 years. This indicates that people returning to areas contaminated by DU following conflicts will continue to be at risk of inhalation exposure for many years.14 - See more at: newint.org/features/2007/11/01/the-facts/#sthash.1m5RpioO.dpuf
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 03:30:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015