Effects of Depleted Uranium Use

By Doug Rokke, Ph.D.

The United States deliberately used depleted uranium (DU) munitions which may cause a health and environmental disaster. Thousands of individuals were exposed to DU contamination during the Persion Gulf War. Recently, individuals were exposed in Kosovo and Vieques in Puerto Rico. DU is a health hazard if it is inhaled, ingested, or gets in wounds. Respiratory and skin protection must be worn by everyone within 80 feet of any DU contaminated equipment. DU contamination will make food and water unusable. Today accumulating evidence suggests that health and environmental effects will occur unless all contamination is removed to prevent inhalation, ingestion, or wound contamination!

DU, uranium-238, is made from uranium hexaflouride which is the non-fissionable by-product of the uranium enrichment process completed at facilities in Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky during which fissionable U-234 and U-235 are removed to make bombs and reactor fuel. DU is used in munitions, counterweights, shielding, and industrial concrete (Ducrete).

Munitions include: 7.62 mm, 50 cal., 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 105 mm, and 120 mm penetrators and ADAM and PDM cluster bombs. DU munitions are neither tipped nor coated with DU but are solid uraium 238. For example, each 30 mm round contains 280 grams and each 120 mm round contains 4500 grams (10 lbs) of U-238. Upon impact radioactive uranium-238 fragments and oxides are created which will contaminate water, food, soil, and air for 4.5 billion years.

Even though medical care, environmental cleanp-up, and education are required by law and DoD directives:

1. Department of Defense (DoD) officials are refusing to provide medical screening and treatment to all DU casualties, and
2. are refusing to complete environmental remediation.

Today, verifying health effects is difficult because DoD officials continue to deny medical treatment. Dr. Bernard Rotsker stated on March 1, 1999 that I and the physicians on duty during ODS decided in 1991 that medical screening was not required. He has also stated nobody is sick or dead. He is wrong! We recommended immediate medical care for all exposed individuals.

Reported health effects in soldiers, civilians, U.S. Department of Energy employees, and children include:

• Reactive airway disease
• Neurological abnormalities
• Kidney stones
• Kidney pain
• Rashes
• Vision degradation
• Night vision losses
• Gum tissue problems
• Cancer
• Neuro-psychological disorders
• Uranium in semen
• Sexual dysfunction
• Birth defects
• and Death

Health effects caused by DU exposures will occur while U.S. Department of Defense officials continue to ignore emerging evidence. DoD officials are still refusing to provide medical care and environmental remediation for political and economic purposes even though I and others who were ordered to clean up the mess keep asking them to comply. The response to this creime against humanity is simple:

1. All individuals who may have inhaled, ingested, or had wound contamination must receive medical care.
2. All DU penetrator fragments, contaminated equipment, and oxide contamination must be removed.
3. The use of depleted uranium munitions must be banned.

[Dr. Rokke is the former ODS DU Team health physicist, the former U.S. Army DU Project Director, and currently is a professor of environmental science at Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama. Dr. Rokke is an Army Reserve Medical Service Corps officer who has served our nation in uniform since 1967. He has risen through the ranks from an USAF airman to an Army field grade officer. Ed]

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