Depleted Uranium and the Gulf War(s)

Talk Outline
What is Depleted Uranium?
Uses of Depleted Uranium
Environmental and Health Effects
Proliferation

Uranium
Uranium: 238U is >99% in nature
235U is ~0.7% in nature – major ingredient in fission weapons
238U and 235U are isotopes - differing numbers of neutrons in the nucleus
In order to make nuclear weapons, Uranium must be “enriched” to > 90% 235U (“weapons grade”)
There are several different ways to enrich Uranium to make weapons grade fuel – each leaves behind “depleted” Uranium

Depleted Uranium
Depleted Uranium can be put into fuel cells in a nuclear reactor and used to produce weapons grade 239Pu
This is why Israel bombed the French-built OSIRAK nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981
Targets made of depleted U which will be bombarded by neutrons to make Pu

Depleted Uranium
After processing, the remaining 238U is still naturally radioactive (with a half-life of billions of years)
Uranium is a very dense metal (1.7 x Lead), making it ideal for use in tank armor and shell casings
Uranium is pyrophoric – friction causes it to burn
The USA used depleted Uranium weapons in the Persian Gulf War (1991), in Bosnia (1995) and Kosovo (1999) and second Gulf War (2003)
Aerosolized depleted Uranium is both a toxic and radiological hazard

238U and the first Gulf War
More than 640,000 pounds of contaminated equipment was left on the battlefields
US-coalition forces used 238U in
Large caliber shells fired from tanks
Small caliber shells fired from aircraft
Sniper bullets
Tank armor in 1/3 (2000+) of tanks

Problems from 238U dust
After burning, 238U creates fine radioactive and toxic vapor and dust
More than 50% of these particles are just the right size to be inhaled, where they lodge in the lungs and remain for years
It is easily carried by the wind, and stays in the air for hours after impact
It also easily dissolves in water
Ground contamination allows resuspension into the air and eventual water contamination
No ground cleanup has occurred in Iraq or Kuwait since the first Gulf War ($$$!)

Problems from 238U fragments
Unburned, 238U remains radioactive – is classified as a “low-level” waste, subject to proper disposal and controls
Fragments corrode with time, creating more dust and contaminated soil
High levels of radioactivity have been measured from fragments found after the first Gulf War in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

Health problems
Many US service people were exposed to depleted Uranium during the first Gulf War
Local populations in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were also exposed
Particles can be found in the brain, kidney, bone, reproductive organs, muscle and spleen
Causing kidney damage, cancers of the lung and bone, non-malignant respiratory disease, skin disorders, neurocognitive disorders, chromosomal damage, and birth defects

Proliferation
At least these countries now have weapons made of depleted Uranium:
United States
the United Kingdom
France
Russia
Greece
Turkey
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Bahrain
Egypt
Thailand
Taiwan
Pakistan