Depleted Uranium Ammunition

Discussion in 'Nuclear, Chemical & Bio Weapons' started by ChelseaAko, May 22, 2011.

  1. ChelseaAko

    ChelseaAko Banned

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    In war, the advantages of Depleted Uranium munitions help the United States stomp other countries into the ground.

    The United States and its NATO allies maintain that Depleted Uranium dust (a by-product) doesn't cause cancer and birth defects, however, 136 countries are siting other research saying that it does.

    Which side do you think is right?


    Here is the wikipedia entry:
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium
     
  2. fiddlerdave

    fiddlerdave Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    It does seem a bit hypocritical of a country where the public doesn't even want to walk through an airport scanner to go ahead and subject civilians and its own troops to the toxic and radioactive metal of DU.
     
  3. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    The US is currently spending a few $billion cleaning up firing ranges from depleted uranium munitions shooting that has polluted the ground and water with radioactivity that is migrating into nearby acquifers. There is large areas of Iraq that are now off limits because the radioactive contamination from depeted uranium munitions has caused deleterious health conditions among the indigenous populations.
     
  4. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    First off, there is already a thread about this very topic.

    And how about being more honest. It is not just the "US and NATO" that use DU weapons. Other countries that use them are Russia, France, the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, China, and South Korea.

    And if DU is so deadly, why is it used in everything from ink jet ink to dentures?

    I think you are in far more danger of being killed by DU by being hit by the round then you are anything else.

    And unrealist, we are spending the same amount of money to clean up firing ranges and other areas from lead. DU is not radioactive. However, it can be a soil and water contaminant, just like lead is.
     
  5. Lokiate

    Lokiate New Member

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    Of course it does, it's a radioactive material. The threat it poses is minimal compared to it's more active relatives, but that doesn't mean prolonged exposure to the stuff won't kill you.
     
  6. Panzerkampfwagen

    Panzerkampfwagen New Member

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    Everything is radioactive.

    Countries like Iraq already had a high level of birth defects because Saddam used WMD on his own people.
     
  7. Lokiate

    Lokiate New Member

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    Yeah, but uranium starts out fatally radioactive. The process of depleting it doesn't entirely eliminate its radioactive properties due to it's long half-life, and on top of that, it's a toxic metal. As a weapon, it's awesome, it's density makes it perfect as an armor piercing munition, but it's not good to let it sit there 5 years later while little kids go play in fields that are littered with the stuff. I don't even want to imagine the cost of care for the guys that handle depleted uranium on a daily basis.
     
  8. EMTdaniel86

    EMTdaniel86 Banned

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    To be honest you can’t say if Iraq is from DU rounds or from Iraq itself. The two rivers-Tigris and Euphrates, were so contemned from crap that if you took a bath in that water you would die
     
  9. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    Actually, you can. Iraq had very little radioactivity anywhere before the war, and a lot after it. The industrial pollution of the Tigris and Euphrates has nothing to do with it, nothing.
     
  10. Soupnazi

    Soupnazi Well-Known Member

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    Studies abound but no empirical evidence shows a link between DU munitions and increased birth defects / cancer etc.

    Even the World Health Organization did an extensive study on this issue and they concur.

    The so called studies tend to go something like this.

    The US engages someone in a war. Sometime later birth defects and cancer are reported. Never mind the fact that we do this in third world countries with dismal health care to begin with. Such countries are environmental disasters with massive toxic pollution, poor education for the average peasant and a laundry list of other problems any of which can be linked to the health problems. Iraq is the perfect example.

    This is not showing cause and effect however and it is one of the rules which Real scientists follow that association does not = cause and effect.

    No one is saying DU is harmless. It is slightly radioactive ( like the average wristwatch or sun light ). It is a toxic heavy metal which you do not want to ingest. If DU munitions are used , say for example a SABOT round from an Abrams tank fired at a T72, you do not want to be nearby while DU residue is released and burning. On the other hand burning tanks tend to go boom and generate tremendous heat so no one with intelligence would stand near one which is burning anyways.

    DU munitions are extremely effective weapons. They can defeat any known armor on any military vehicle. This is an important asset for our troops who deserve the best weapons we can give them. They are also extremely accurate. I recall more than one buddy of mine who were tank gunners remarking that in training they used steel SABOT rounds as a substitute because they are cheaper. The lighter steel projectiles tend to drift when fired because of wind and other conditions. The real DU rounds however which are heavier zip right through the center of the pip in the middle of the tanks sights seemingly as straight as a laser beam. This makes it easier to destroy the target of course.

    It's of course possible that there can be health risks related to the massive use of these weapons but so far as I stated no real empirical or scientific method based evidence exists and until it does we need to supply our troops with the best weapon we can. I really don't care what other countries think they are irrelevant.
     
  11. Soupnazi

    Soupnazi Well-Known Member

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    There is no increase in radioactivity from before the war.
     
  12. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    There is no depleted uranium littering American soil. So there's no problem.
     
  13. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    Just keep smoking that stuff you're smoking.
     
  14. Soupnazi

    Soupnazi Well-Known Member

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    Care to point out where?

    For that matter where are these off limits areas where troops are not permitted to enter BECAUSE of DU poisoning?

    Two tours in Iraq and I never heard of such a thing nor has any buddy many with more than two tours mentioned it.

    Calling bull&^%
     
  15. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    personal attack, fighting, trolling, off topic
     
  16. EMTdaniel86

    EMTdaniel86 Banned

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    You missed the point. Iraq is fill of crap all over the country. Iraq had a nuclear powerplant. There is no connection there. Sorry.
     
  17. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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  18. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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  19. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    Of course you do. Any research that is factually based from actual scientific research which does not reach conclusions that toe the party line must be liberally biased and so, rejected.

    This does not make it any less factual, or truthful.
     
  20. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    The way to convince your opponents of the truth of the matters you assert is to provide them with evidence from sources they accept as unbiased. This is basic tactics.
     
  21. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    The lazy way to attack your opponent is to claim that the source they come up with is biased rather than going through the effort of finding factual evidence that refutes it.
     
  22. Albert Di Salvo

    Albert Di Salvo New Member

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    Maybe so, maybe no. But in the courtroom and the realm of public opinioin discrediting one's opponents is the same as refuting them.

    Edit: These are also the tactics of the leftist tactician Saul Alinsky. :)
     
  23. unrealist42

    unrealist42 New Member

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    So, no evidence,

    typical....
     
  24. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    How about showing us some proof of increased radioactivity. And then give us a link between that and DU.

    Because the US did not go around covering the country with DU. It was used sparingly in a few isloated locations.

    If you are going to make such claims, and then tell people they are wrong, you had better have some kind of independent and verifyable proof. Not just your say-so.
     
  25. Mushroom

    Mushroom Well-Known Member

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    This is something that people just do not understand.

    DU is not really that radioactive. I read a report once (I wish I could find it) which showed that a lot of swamps and places where plant and animal decomposition is more radioactive then DU.

    However, DU is dangerous because it is a heavy metal. Just like lead is. And the US military treats it in exactly the same way. If you go to the clean-up of any firing range, you will see people in chemical suits and resperators doing the clean-up. Not because of DU, but because of the lead in the bullets. And when I worked at a range complex, we had this wonderful multi-million dollar indoor shooting range that was made unuseable and less then 5 years after it was built it was torn down. Because of lead.

    And guess what lead and DU have in common? Yea, birth defects. Health issues. Almost every illness that is attributable to DU can also be caused by excessive exposure to lead.
     

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