Depleted Uranium to Blame for Iraq’s Cancer Problem?
Is it just a coincidence that an unusually large number of American troops and Iraqi civilians are suffering from what appears to be a cancer epidemic? Iraq's environment minister and a growing number of victims, scientists and even politicians say the widespread use of depleted uranium in U.S. munitions is to blame.
Is it just a coincidence that an unusually large number of American troops and Iraqi civilians are suffering from what appears to be a cancer epidemic? Iraq’s environment minister and a growing number of victims, scientists and even politicians say the widespread use of depleted uranium in U.S. munitions is to blame.
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The prime suspect in all this, in the minds of many victims — and some scientists — is what’s known as depleted uranium — the radioactive chemical prized by the military for its ability to penetrate armored vehicles. When munitions explode, the substance hits the air as fine dust, easily inhaled.
Last month, the Iraqi environment minister blamed the tons of the chemical dropped during the war’s “shock and awe” campaign for a surge of cancer cases across the country.
However, the Pentagon and U.S. State Department strongly deny this, citing four studies, including one by the World Health Organization, that found levels in war zones not harmful to civilians or soldiers. A U.N. Environmental Program study concurs, but only if spent munitions are cleared away.
Returning solders have said that isn’t happening.
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Military
While the U.S. military used the herbicide to defoliate the jungles of Southeast Asia, it sprayed the same chemicals to kill poison oak and other weeds in northern California.
Vietnam vets and widows are pushing to extend benefits to those stricken with glioblastoma after exposure.
Chris Hedges: Vietnam War, Like the Later Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, Was ‘One Long Atrocity’ (Video)
What if casualties don’t end on the battlefield but extend to future generations? Our reporting this year suggests the government may not want to know the answer.
Phil Cacioppo challenged the government’s findings on the chemical used extensively during the Vietnam War after the Veterans Administration rejected his claim for benefits. Six years later, the former Air Force radio repairman emerged the rare victor.
Neither the Navy nor the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a comprehensive list of which ships went where during the Vietnam War. As a result, veterans themselves often have to prove their ships served in areas where Agent Orange was sprayed.
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