Today Henk van ? From www.bandepleteduranium.org
gave a presentation to anti-war Ireland about Depleted Uranium with
particular emphasis on an accident involving a planeload of DU going
through a civilian airport in Schiphol, Amsterdam. The Boeing 747
crashed into an appartment block in Bijlmer, Amsterdam on Oct 4, 1992
shortly after take off, killing 43 people. The authorities initially
claimed it was a plane full of flowers & perfume, although men in
white radiation suits were visible on the crash site, as in the
presentation linked to above, collecting any unburnt DU. The rescue &
recovery staff were never made aware of the DU in the crash site.
Many people in the area complained to their doctors of ill-effects
after the crash, but any large scale surveys of patients have been
prevented, with excuses such as missing testtubes, testtubes exposed
to UV light etc. being given.
Henks group ICBUW (International
Coalition to ban Uranium Weapons) want to implement a legal ban on
DU, similar to the Ottawa convention banning the use of landmines, to
which Ireland is a signatory.
DU is a by-product on nuclear
powerstations which is very expensive to keep stored in bunkers in
shielded containers, waiting for its radioactivity to go away. It
denser than lead, so it's used on all kinds of bullets for gattling
guns, anti-tank shells and missile tips. Its self sharpening on
impact, and is pyroforic i.e. it burns on impact. Its weight and
hardness make it ideal for anti-tank shells as fired by tanks and
A-10 Warthog planes etc. . Some say the bright glow of the Bijlmer
crash site is proof of DU burning after the crash, and explanation as
to why much of it was not found. 2,000 US soldiers have died as a
result of “Gulf war syndrome” after Bush seniors '91 war
in Kuwait & Iraq. There have been increased cancers appearing in
Iraqi hospitals throughout the 90's as DU dust in the desert blows
into the towns and cities. Clean-up of the bomb sites is nearly
impossible. Like landmines it goes on maiming & killing long
after the war is declared over by Bush etc. A disaster waiting to
happen at Shannon / Baldonnel ?