BATTLEFIELD

CONTAMINATION
Carlos, Denise M.
Formeloza, Emmanuel Joshua A.

EnvSci1 WFR
Known battlefields

 Kharanji Oil Pumping Station, Iraq

 Iraq’s Rumeila Oil Field, Iraq
 Field Marine Depot, Guam, USA
Issues

 Remains of chemicals used during wars

 Diseases and health problems that the
servicemen had after the wars
 Linkage of these health problems to
Depleted Uranium
 Other effects to people and the
environment
Health Problems Linked to
Battlefield Contamination
 Gulf War Illness (Gulf War Syndrome)

- is characterized by fatigue, night sweats,

intermittent fevers, arthralgia, myalgia, short-term
memory, headaches, skin rashes, diarrhea,
abdominal pain, photophobia, transient visual
scotomata, irritability and depression.
- has not been associated with any precise
diagnose until now.
 Mucocutaneous Intestinal Rheumatic
Desert Syndrome

- can be categorized into Mucocutaneous lesions

with pustular dermatitis, intestinal disorders with
irritable bowels and rheumatic complaints of
large-joint polyarthralgias with night sweats.
 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and
Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)

- is due to excessive exposure to chemical

mixtures, radiological, biological agents and host
responses from infectious agents.

 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Testimonials of U.S. Servicemen

 Gerard Matthew

- suffered from migraine, erectile dysfunction and

swollen face after he came back from Iraq.
- his daughter, who was conceived a month after
he came back from Iraq, was born with seven
fingers only.
 Sgt. Daryll Clark

- he and his men were coughing and choking on

smoke from the burning tanks with DU-tipped 30-
mm cannon rounds.
- his son was born with emangioma and without a
thyroid.
- after three years, his urine was tested positive for
Uranium.
Testimonials of Physicians

 Jawad Al – Ali
- “We used to crowd around cancer patients
because there were only a few of them. But now,
we gather around them because of the many cases
that we receive everyday. ”

 Nafi Al – Ani
- “Iraqi war veterans have a 60% greater incidence
of cancer than civilians”
 Mona Elhassani
- “Although there has been a very significant
increase in Leukemia, it’s too early now to make
a direct link with DU ”
Uranium

 a silver – gray metallic chemical element

in the actinide series of the periodic table
 has the highest atomic weight and is
approximately 70% denser than Lead
Depleted Uranium
(Uranium - 238)

 is used in kinetic energy accelerators and

armor plating
 was discovered by Martin Heinrich
Klaproth, a German chemist
 In a research led by Enrico Fermi in
1934, it was used as a fuel in the nuclear
power industry
 it is the major application of Uranium in
the military sector as a high – density
penetrator
 its characteristics enable a great
destruction of heavily armored targets
 it was used in Little Boy, the first nuclear
weapon used in war
 The Uranium – based Little Boy was first
used when it was detonated over
Hiroshima in August 1945 and destroyed
almost 50,000 buildings and killed
approximately 75,000 individuals
 Uranium primarily composed of isotope
uranium U-238
 DU contains less than one third as much
as U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium
making it less radioactive due to the
longer 4.5 billion year half-life of U-238
 DU is commonly used for fission bombs
and other nuclear weapons
 it burns extremely on a high temperature
and is widely spread into microparticles
World DU Inventory
 it is also used as the thermal power
source used in nuclear power plants
 the fuel in power plants and U.S. Navy
reactors is enriched to almost 3%
Uranium 235
Cold War Legacy

 huge stock piles of Uranium were

combined and thousands of nuclear
weapons were created using Uranium
and Plutonium
 approx. 600 tonnes of enriched weapons
in inadequately guarded facilities in the
Russian Federation
 the Material Protection, Control and
Accounting Program spent $550 milliion
to help safeguard the stockpiles in
Russia
Uranium and the Environment

 Uraninite
- The most common ore mined to extract Uranium.

 Uranium is only naturally formed in

supernova explosions, like elements with
atomic weight greater than that of the
iron.
 Its decays, thorium and Potassium-40
are believed to be the main source of
heat in the Earth’s mantle that keeps the
outer core liquid.
 Phospate rock deposits and minerals
such as lignite and monazite sands are
significant concentrations of Uranium.
Animals

 Citrobacter species absorb uranyl ions

when given glycerol phosphate.
 One gram of bacteria encrusts itself with
nine grams of uranyl phosphate crystals.
 This could result to decontamination of
water that has been polluted by Uranium.
Plants

 Plants absorb Uranium from the soil.

 Concentrations of Uranium in them range
from 5 to 60 parts per billion
 Ashes from burnt wood can have
concentrations of up to 4 parts per million
Production

 Production of Uranium in 2003 reached

41,429 tonnes, of which greater part of it
was mined in Canada.
 Ways how Uranium ore can be mined:
- Open pit
- Underground
- Leaching
- Borehole mining
 Canada contains up to 70% Uranium
oxides.
 After the processes of dilution, crushing
and leaching, the result will be a mixture
called the Yellowcake which contains
75% Uranium oxides.
Resources
 5,500,000 tonnes of uranium ore
reserves are economically feasible
 35,000,000 tonnes are classified as
mineral resources
 4,600,000,000 tonnes of Uranium is in
seawater
 40% of the world’s Uranium ore reserves
is in Australia
Precautions: Exposure

 An individual can be exposed to Uranium

by inhaling dust in air or by ingesting
contaminated water and food.
 Ingested Uranium is almost excreted, but
5% of it is absorbed by the body.
 Uranium tends to accumulate and stay
for years in tissues due to its affinity to
Phosphate.
Precautions: Effects

 Exposure to Uranium results to kidney

damages since it is a toxic metal and a
reproductive toxicant as well.
 Birth defects and immune system
damage in laboratory animals
 However exposures to Uranium,
especially Radon, gives a noteworthy
health threat.
 Exposure to fission products may result
to health problems.
 Until now, scientists have not proven that
the servicemen got their health problems
from Uranium.
Response

 US servicemen from Iraq are offered a

radiation testing to check for DU
contamination inside their bodies,
pioneered by Pat Dillon.
 Pentagon and U.S. in general, disregard
this response.
 Michio Kaku
- “Gulf War Syndrome will be traced to a variety of
factors.”
 Main risk of exposure to DU is chemical
poisoning by Uranium oxide rather than
radioactivity since it is a weak alpha
emitter.
Another Option: Sperm Banks

 Some U.S. servicemen freeze their

sperm cells before going to Iraq due to
the fear of chemical exposures and
incidents such as Gerard Matthew’s
daughter.
 California Cyrobank in L.A., U.S.A
Protective Measures
 Land Systems and its predecessor company,
Chrysler Defense has already produced more
than 50,000 tanks and other combat vehicles
since World War II.
 Mounted Warrior Soldier System integrates the
command, control, communications and
computer equipment to the protective clothing
of a serviceman.
 The suit costs £295.00 inclusive of tax.
 Detection and identification of chemical
hazards.
 Reconnaissance missions include NBC
detection capability to provide early
warnings of contamination, to determine
its extent and to find clear routes around
the contamination.
 Inspections of equipments and uniforms
 Mission Oriented Protective Posture
System
Conclusion

 Though DU hasn’t been proven yet as

the culprit for the diseases and health
dangers of servicemen, much care and
caution should still be given for our
welfare.
 DU can accumulate in our tissues,
hereditarily passed through the offspring
and can be inhaled by people.
 Stockpiles of nuclear bomb with enriched
Uranium and depleted ones should be
kept safeguarded among illegal
negotiators.
 Government officials around the world
and ordinary citizens should give a wide
attention to this matter.