There have been some comments that have shown up here that seem to indicate that the person making the comment has either not read the post they are refering to, perhaps just seeing the headline, or that they may have skimmed a few words off of it but really took iniative to actually read the content.   This can be annoying, but it’s especially annoying when someone demands answers to something that is addressed right there infront of them, practically staring them in the face.

I happened to get an email recently, which shows that someone found this site and managed to navigate to the contact page, but also seems to have read almost nothing else.

Here’s the relevant portion of it, coming from someone who said they found my site and thought I might be able to answer an important question:

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From a website claiming to be an authority on depleted uranium.   If this is true, then anyone who lives within several miles of a coal-fired power plant, a farm where phosphate fertilizer is used, a chunk of granite or a bag of kitty litter must be in some very severe trouble.

“DU-Diagnosis List of Medical Illnesses Inhalation and Swallowing Of DU Particles”:

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As anyone here knows, I take a real lot of offense to the use of images which show deformed, injured, sick or dead young children and babies with the claim that they are depleted uranium related.   They’re not and its very disrespectful and exploitative of these real examples of pain and suffering to use them for political gains or to try to silence critics by invoking gut wrenching images.

I had previously mentioned that after a great deal of searching I had identified at least a couple of the images, one coming from a medical museum and another dating to the 1960’s.

I recently was able to use the internet archive to demonstrate that a large number of images which are related to the topic can be sourced back to at least the year 2000. They were used at the time in an anti depleted-uranium page in the context of the 1991 Gulf War.  This was before the majority of the insanity on the topic hit, but a few pages were starting the crusade of stupid.

Obviously simply showing that many of the common images were in circulation before the invasion of Iraq or Afgahnistan does not prove that they were not taken in countries where the munitions were used, but it does show that the majority of newer websites have misrepresented them, as they are often cited as relating to the more recent military activities.

It may not be possible to track down all of the images being used, as almost any photo of a deformed baby or stillbirth seems to be fair game for the liars and wack jobs out there, but a few, such as those on the above mentioned page have become the most commonly disseminated images which are used to enforce these false claims.

Anyone who sees images which are claimed to be from depleted uranium and recognizes the image as coming from a relief project, a medical textbook, a stock photo source, documentary etc or has any information, help is always appreciated.

While it is unpleasant to deal with these images, if they can be placed to their original source it may help in reducing their value in misinforming and obscuring the truth about life and health in war torn and impoverished  regions of the world.  Above all else, reducing the ability of these images to be used to reinforce lies and propaganda can help to restore dignity the injured and deceased shown and the families who’s suffering has been exploited.

Warning.  The following post contains some graphic images.   I have long been offended and disturbed by the graphic images which have been associated with depleted uranium which are clearly not caused by the use of depleted uranium.   Recently I’ve tried to source some of the more common images that have been put out with these claims.   This is some of what I have found thus far.   Any help identifying more would be appreciated:

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In the UK, as in much of the world, the US included, high fuel prices are really starting to hit the lower classes hard. The price of fuel is becoming a major issue as winter approaches and with electricity and motor fuel costs rising an increasing number of working class people are feeling the pinch in a major way.

Here’s an article in the Daily Mail, (which admittedly is not the most objective information source around):

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Recently a group of Chinese men apparently found and purchased a large chunk of depleted uranium, weighing about 600 lbs (274kg) for $2,000.   They bought it from a scrap metal dealer, hoping to make a profit off of the unusual metal, which they apparently did not know the identity of.   Authorities in China arrested the men after finding out about the incident, but according to news reports the men won’t face any charges.   (Damn!  How often does someone get arrested in China and then released without any charges?)

The men apparently “Did not know the dangers of what they had,” which is about as dangerous as lead, if not less so, since it’s generally less mobile in the enviornment and has a lower biological uptake. 

The material, which was shown in a couple of press photos, appears to have developed some “uranium green” material.   This is most likely a combination of uranium(VI) oxide, one of the more common and stable oxide states of uranium.   Uranium metal will oxidize when exposed to air and can produces several oxide states, depending on conditions and the time period.   Numerous uranium compounds are fluorescent in nature and uranyl compounds commonly have such a green color.

Not surprisingly, the press is having a field day with this and most of what they have to say about it is just plain false.

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For those who might not know, Leuren Moret and Doug Rokke are a couple of extremely dishonest and generally dishonorable and self-serving individuals who have been perpetuating some ridiculously inflated fears of radiation and especially depleted uranium.   They’ve managed to just about make careers over going around and showing pictures of dead babies and claiming that George Bush and the United States are the greatest genocidal, baby-slaughtering, imperial, tyrannical force of evil… EVER

They’ll tell you that the genetic future of Iraq.. the middle east… the world… the universe is forever destroyed by depleted uranium and then they’ll ask you to buy their books.  Despite their claims of experience neither one of them is actually a toxicologist or a health physicist or anything like that – although Rokke is commonly reported to be one.   Moret has a bachelors in geology and Doug Rokke does apparently have a doctorate, although it’s in philosophy.

I was starting to think I might have the only website which was willing to out these assclowns, but while looking for information I actually stumbled onto this page, which is worth checking out.   It gives some good information on the qualifications (or lack there of) of these individuals as well as their wacked-out claims, debunking such things as the claim that uranium was once considered as a radiological weapon.   The page is hosted by a legitimate radiation safety training website and was written by one of the instructors, who actually knows what he is talking about in this area and is a trained and experienced professional.

Well, I’ll answer that for you!

(It turns out my answer was a bit longer and more involved than I initially set out for, but maybe someone will find it interesting.)

You may have seen demonstrations where depleted uranium or natural uranium really lights up a Geiger counter like few other things would, which would seem to indicate that the material is crazy radioactive. Actually, there’s another reason for this, and to understand it you need to understand just how a Geiger counter works.

There are actually many ways of detecting nuclear radiation, including ionization chambers, gas proportional detectors, scintillation detectors and most commonly Geiger-Müller detectors. A true “geiger counter” uses a Geiger-Müller tube detector connected to a rate meter, which displays the radiation detected. Some of these detectors are all-in-one units, where the Geiger tube is mounted inside the unit, but most professional and industrial units have a separate detector probe – allowing for different types of detectors to be connected to the same ratemeter for different applications. If a Geiger-Müller tube is connected then the instrument can be called a Geiger counter, but if another type of detector is hooked up, it would be referred to as a “gas proportional counter” or a “scintillation counter” or whatever the case may be.

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“Doctor” Rosalie Bartel is a nun of a fringe splinter group from the catholic church with some very strange views. She has managed to use her doctorate “Biometrics” from a religious institution to put herself out as being some kind of expert in radiation, chemistry, toxicology, government conspiracies, non-existent entities and so on. She’s even been quoted as being a “radiation expert” or “expert in the human effects of uranium.”

Of course, she’s really just a crazy old hag who really likes attention and to paint herself as being some kind of crusader for peace against the big conspiracy of underground money makers. She’s claimed a lot of things, not only relating to depleted uranium but also to nuclear energy, HAARP and a general claim that the military industrial complex of the world is part of a massive conspiracy to kill everyone and turn the earth into a weapon using magical directed energy weapons, chemicals and fiendish things of that nature. She’s spun a lot of tales about how everything from 9/11 conspiracies to government experiments during the Second World War are tied together.

Here the pathetic old loony describes “chemtrails,” one of the most ridiculous of the aluminum foil hat conspiracy claims out there.

Remember: Many anti-depleted uranium crusade pages quote her as a credible source or use her as their “expert” on the subject. If you can watch this video and not realize the old bitch has long lost her marbles – if she had any to begin with – then there’s probably no reason to try to convince you any more. That would be a lost cause.

The US military and other countries fire a lot of ammunition each year. The vast majority of it is made from lead, a material which is both heavy and relatively inexpensive. It also has some desirable ballistic characteristics, and although it is soft, it works well for small arms and general purpose use. In some cases it is jacketed in steel to make the rounds better at penetrating light armor.

In most cases, the lead bullets in the environment are a minimal problem, although they are toxic, they don’t generally pose that great a hazard. There are some exceptions to this, however, especially on shooting ranges. In these areas huge concentrations of ammunition are discharged over the years. This is especially a problem in wet areas and areas with acidic soil. Additionally, indoor ranges may pose a problem because rapid fire weapons could result in lead dust and ventilation systems may not be adequate to keep the air clear. For this reason, lead shot is prohibited for use in hunting in some wetland areas.

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