Tanks in Kansas raise concerns over depleted uranium

Children have been reportedly playing on Abrams tanks, built with depleted uranium (DU) that have been left sitting on rail cars outside Topeka, KS. The radioactive metal is used to enhance the tanks' protective armor. The destroyed tanks have raised concerns about health risks related to DU. Activists and residents are concerned the damaged equipment has not been properly sealed to prevent the wide range of potential health problems associated with DU. The US State Department, however, cites a World Health Organization report that states "no increase of leukemia or other cancers has been established following exposure to uranium or depleted uranium." Nevertheless, evidence suggests DU is a potential health threat. Dr. Glen Lawrence, Chemistry and Biochemistry professor at Long Island University, has authored studies on the health effects of uranium exposure. His research indicates DU may indeed have adverse effects on health. Damaged equipment built with DU is of particular concern because dust particles, the most likely means of uranium exposure, can become unsettled and may be inhaled or cling to skin and clothing, according to Lawrence. "The inhalation of DU dust," he says, "is the most likely route for uranium to enter the body and do serious damage, with the smallest, invisible DU dust particles doing the greatest damage." "Studies at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute showed that human cells grown in culture dishes could be transformed into cancerous cells when exposed to uranium," the professor says. In addition to cancer, health risks of DU include skin rashes, headaches, blurred vision and urinary symptoms, such as kidney stones, increased urine volume and blood in the urine. Other experts concur, "Because of the chemical and radiological toxicity of DU," says Dr. Asaf Durakovic, an expert of internal contamination of radio-isotopes, "the small number of particles trapped in the lungs, kidneys and bones greatly increase the risk of cancer and all other illnesses over time." The Abrams tanks in Kansas are worrying activists who fear potential environmental and health hazards from uncovered uranium. The US Army determines how DU manufactured equipment is handled. According to Dr. Doug Rokke, the Pentagon's former director of the US Army Depleted Uranium project, how these tanks are kept does not meet government guidelines. "The radioactive damaged Abrams tanks that were left unsecured on a Kansas railroad track," says Rokke, "are a perfect example of how not to ship damaged radioactive equipment." Left unencapsulated the chances of exposure to DU greatly increase. Rokke believes US officials are ignoring DU threats to avoid liability. He said, "US Department of Defense officials continue to deny that there are any adverse health and environmental effects as a consequence of the manufacture, testing and/or use of uranium munitions to avoid liability for the dispersal of a radioactive toxic material–depleted uranium... They also refuse to clean up dispersed radioactive contamination of equipment as required by Army regulations." The apparent improper storage of tanks in Kansas has piqued the interest of activist and watchdog groups. The DU equipment represents a problem that is not isolated to Kansas. Soldiers who return from deployment with Gulf War Syndrome, thought to be caused in part by DU, and the proliferation of military equipment built with the radioactive metal means the US will be forced to deal with the health and environmental consequences of the decision to implement DU, and subsequently, how to dispose of the dangerous material in a safe way. Unfortunately, those at the most risk in Kansas have little idea of the dangers around them. The lack of official consensus regarding the hazards of DU has only exacerbated the matter.