So, when I get bored, I usually research something completely trivial and time-consuming. Today was different, however. I came upon an article that was about depleted uranium shells that are increasingly being used by NATO countries as a means of reducing the cost of ammunition, while increasing the effectiveness of it. The cost of using DU is that it is spreading the radioactive waste around of NATO countries into foreign war zones. This nuclear waste also has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. After looking at the various birth-defects that have occurred as a direct result from using DU ammunition, I nearly lost my dinner and am still wide-eyed in shock. Using depleted is unethical and has radioactive effects that will last beyond the existence of life on the earth. I am thoroughly sickened by the lack of foresight and human concern that NATO has exhibited by using these weapons. I pray to God that the use of this plague-ridden ammunition will cease, although it seems impossible given that it is still used daily in warfare.
+ rep man. MORE AND MORE of the population needs to realize this. We use depleted weapons for ammunition, tanks, and alot of other shit in Iraq. We are dumping it their basically instead of leaving it all in the hills of Nevada. The cancer rates are going to plumet just like they did after the Gulf War in the early 1990's. It's predicted we will kill millions of future Iraqi's after we leave Iraq. Also the biggest part of this is that using depleted uranium for weapons is ILLEGAL according to the United Nations. Interesting no charges have been fired. Crazy huh?>
Actually we are using less and less (if any) DU because of environmental concerns, and btw depleted uranium has nothing to do with "nuclear warfare" Not to mention it hasn't actually been linked to cancer or any mal-effects on humans.
Could you find a more overtly biased source if you tried? Seriously, I really don't think you can. Good topic otherwise.
Unless you have some source to back it up, the use of depleted uranium hasn't decreased in the slightest;Why would it? It is the most effective heavy-caliber round availible today. It allows armor to engage targets beyond their maximum range, given they are not also using DU. I titled this thread "nuclear warfare" because DU dust emulates the residual effects of nuclear warfare, radiation poisoning, The fact that DU has not been linked to cancer or mal-effects on humans is because the (US) government has not adopted the new standard of the test in order to detect radiation poisoning from DU shells. Similairly, other NATO nations that use these sheels have neglected to fund research towards this end.
You're right in saying that this source is OVER THE TOP biased. I thought that it was appropriate to show the mutative effects of DU in birth in order to fully illustrate the horror of DU shells.
Just FYI this is a decade old topic and DU really isnt used anymore. and no, my claim anout tests not showing DU to be a cause of cancer are 100% correct
Yes, the topic of DU is a decade old, however it is still being used despite the contreversy surrounding it. Also, DU was used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It is still being used today and its widespread impact becomes more obvious with every generation. I think that warrants at least some attention to the topic.
It's called "depleted" uranium for a reason. It's used because it is very dense and penetrates armor. I'm guessing your opposition to it would lessen if you were one of the guys out there getting their ass shot off. I wish they made it in .308, I'd keep it stockpiled. You need to take a chemistry class bro. I wouldn't eat it, but it's not going to hurt you just being around it. It won't even move the needle on a civil defense radiation meter.
If by "depleted" you mean non-radioactive, you're wrong. DU in its solid state is nothing to be scared of. It emits alpha particles which are so weak that they can be blocked by a piece of paper. Your skin blocks alpha particles as well. I'd have no problems juggling some .30-06 DU shells around. It's when the DU shells are fired that they disperse into DU dust, which is absorbed into the lungs and the alpha particles run rampant throughout the body with nothing to block them. There are other options that can be used to penetrate enemy armor, but they are more costly than DU. What I'm saying is that in the trade-off between DU shells being cheaper but hazardous and alternative armor piercing shells that are more expensive (such as a HEAT shells), I think it's a better choice to go for the HEAT shells. btw I'm actually taking a chem class right now . The article that I used in the beginning of this thread does not accurately portray my views on DU, but I thought the inclusion of the pictures was relevant.
When it comes down to it, nationalistic interests are more important than the health of regional inhabitants. I mean, look at the kind of shit that went on in Vietnam. First world combatants have no interested in making concessions for the sake of social justice. I don't agree with that outlook, but that's the way it functions. Just keep it in mind when our nations are bickering about parochial objectives. Our collective nationalistic dogma is what fuels and inadvertently validates this kind of shit.
Yep, we used agent orange which had all sorts of nasty side effects and the Supreme Court recently expressed how the Federal Gov. feels about it. Nationalistic interests always rule over the health of others for some reason http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gUJjbXcwYbr2_Ix55MizbTsp2FsQD96LVIU81
Vietnam is not a good analogy because the effects were not known beforehand. DU isn't radioactive when fired, the dust from explosions is slightly radioactive, but like I said, hasn't been linked to cancer at all
Nuclear weapons are the evolution of all out warfare, when older societies sacked cities they might as well used a nuke. Nuclear weapons are the non-labor extensive version of total war.
do you think that the us is dropping its nuclear waste in iraq? and please tell me how those millions will die
What makes you so sure that the effects of DU have been sufficiently and accurately known? A claim by the government?? I will say that there is no CONCRETE proof of DU being linked to cancer in humans, but more advanced tests are being developed in order to discern whether or not DU causes malignant tumors/genetic mutations. DU is radioactive in every state. Did you miss my mention of alpha particles??
I think he's referring to declining birth rates of the area in general and stillborn/mutated babies, though I'm not exactly sure.