Doctors treat dozens every day for suspected radiation symptoms (Iraq WMD found)

KCAU-TV News ^ | June 21, 2003 | AP

[FairOpinion]

Al-Mada'in, Iraq-AP -- Doctors say dozens of Iraqis with symptoms of radiation poisoning are turning up every day at a hospital near a defunct nuclear plant.

The Tuwaitha nuclear facility is 12 miles south of Baghdad. It was left unguarded after Iraqi troops fled the area just before the war.

It's believed the facility contained tons of natural uranium and nearly two tons of low-enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons. Looters stripped it of much of its contents, including uranium storage barrels they later used to hold drinking water.

The International Atomic Energy Agency sent a team to Iraq earlier this month to see if any of the uranium was missing, and experts found most of it on or near the site.

But doctors say many patients suffering from things like rashes and bloody noses are probably suffering from exposure to nuclear radiation.

[FairOpinion]

Here we have tons of uranium and 2 TONS of enriched uranium, which could be used as a nuclear bomb, and at the very least as "dirty bomb", which would clearly cause major problems, they are talking about dozens of people with radiation poisoning coming in daily -- and this is not evidence of WMD?! Since when is nuclear material in those large quantities considered "NOT WMD". Only by Clintonian standards, where oral sex is not sex, and two TONS of enriched uranium is not WMD.

[facedown]

bump

[jimtorr]

While I agree with you, this uranium has been known to be there for years, and isn't on the list of proscribed material. The low-enriched uranium cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon.

[MizSterious]

Ping!

[FairOpinion]

But it seems to be enough to give a lot of people radiation poisoning.

The fact that it WAS left there by the UN inspectors doesn't make nuclear material non-dangerous, it just shows the negligence of deliberate support of Saddam of the UN inspectors.

The real question should be WHY did the UN inspector leave TONS of natural uranium and enriched uranium in Iraq?

Do you know how many dirty bombs could be made with tons of enriched uranium? I don't, but I expect quite a few.

Here we have some people who are coming down with radiation sickness after having been near the material, so what do you think would happen if the 2 tons of enriched uranium were dumped all over some US cities by a dirty bomb?

Those Iraqis with the radiation poisoning could be us.

[FairOpinion]

For your Iraq WMD collection.

Since when are tons of uranium, including enriched uranium are not considered WMD?

The headlines should be "WMD found in Iraq: 2 tons of enriched uranium found at Al Tuwaitha".

We knew about this and there they are. Maybe we should dump them at the DNC headquarters, if they are not WMD and are not dangerous.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

But the media (including FoxNews) claims that no evidence of WMDs have been found yet.

My question is: just what in the hell do they need in order for it to be evidence? We read about Iraqi nuclear facilities being looted. We read about those very same facilities being so radioactive that American troops' Geiger counters were pegged high within 100 feet of the buildings. Iraq had special people in their government appointed to oversee biological and chemical weapons programs. They nerve gassed 60,000 Kurds. How did "Chemical Ali" get his nickname in Iraq?

The cat's been out of the bag, what else does the media need?

[JustPiper]

Bump! Send this to Joe Fair! Or Savage ;)

[Arkie2]

I believe this may be some of the stuff the AEA and the weapons monitors knew about and had sealed. They returned frequently to verify it was still sealed. Anyway, that's what I believe to be the case. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

bumps

[FairOpinion]

"The low-enriched uranium cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon. "

---
http://www.nci.org/pr/pr121799.htm


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, December 17, 1999

CONTACT: Paul Leventhal,
Steven Dolley 202-822-8444

NEW INSPECTION PLAN FOR IRAQ LEAVES LOOPHOLES

BIG ENOUGH TO DRIVE AN ATOM BOMB THROUGH

Washington---The new plan for resuming weapons inspections in Iraq, adopted today by the U.N. Security Council, fails to reform weak nuclear inspections and "leaves loopholes big enough to drive an atom bomb through,” the Nuclear Control Institute (NCI) warned today.

“Under the new regime, nuclear inspections will still be run by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which since 1991 has shown itself far too willing to trust and accommodate what it calls its Iraqi ‘counterparts’," said NCI President Paul Leventhal. "IAEA inspections should be under the authority and direction of the new UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), the successor agency to the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM). UNSCOM’s inspection reports on chemical, biological and missile weaponry were unflinching and specified unresolved issues in clear terms. The IAEA reports on nuclear inspections tended to give the benefit of the doubt to vague and incomplete Iraqi declarations. This bad system is now being perpetuated.”

An immediate concern is that Iraq was permitted by the IAEA to retain enough low-enriched uranium for at least two nuclear bombs if Iraq were able to run the uranium through a small, clandestine enrichment plant to bring the uranium up to weapons grade. The re-enrichment could be accomplished within one year in a plant hundreds of times smaller than a commercial enrichment plant and needing only enough electricity to run a small office building. This uranium has not been examined by inspectors in over a year. The existence of a small Iraqi enrichment plant cannot be ruled out and is a matter of continuing concern.

NCI has learned that in late 1991 or early 1992, IAEA officials decided to allow Iraq to retain 1.7 metric tons of uranium enriched to 2.6% U-235 (low-enriched uranium, or “LEU”), as well as some 13 tons of natural uranium stocks. The Gulf War cease-fire resolution required that Iraq surrender all of its “nuclear-weapons-usable material” and not “acquire or develop” such material in the future. Iraq’s bomb-grade, highly enriched uranium (HEU), which it had diverted from a research reactor for conversion into a nuclear bomb at the start of Operation Desert Storm, was removed by airlift by February 1994, along with other uranium with enrichments as low as 10%.

“According to officials involved in these decisions at the time, the IAEA decided to permit Iraq to keep its LEU and natural uranium stocks for possible future use in a ‘peaceful’ nuclear program,” said Steven Dolley, NCI Research Director. “Agency officials also concluded that the cost of removing these materials from Iraq would be prohibitive, even though Iraq was required under U.N. mandate to pay all such expenses.”

The deadline for annual, routine inspection of this material, required under Iraq’s pre-Gulf War safeguards agreement with the IAEA, expired this week. Iraq has refused to issue visas to the IAEA inspectors, thereby blocking the inspection---a violation of its safeguards obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Shortly after the Gulf War, IAEA and Bush Administration officials downplayed the risk of Iraq's LEU and natural uranium stocks, assuming that Iraq would not be technically capable of enriching the uranium to weapons-grade. However, Iraq’s development of high-speed centrifuges had advanced to the point that the deployment of a small, well-concealed centrifuge enrichment facility cannot be ruled out.

Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, calculated that Iraq’s low-enriched uranium stocks would be sufficient to produce over 45 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU, enough for two nuclear weapons. Only about 260 small centrifuges would be required to enrich this material to bomb-grade in one year. Iraq’s known stocks of natural uranium could be converted into an additional 70 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU over a somewhat greater length of time. Some 25 kilograms of HEU is officially considered the amount needed for a bomb, although nuclear weapons can be built with less.

“If Iraq continues to bar inspectors following today's Security Council action, there may be no way of knowing whether all the enriched and natural uranium, which was left under seal, is still there,” said Leventhal. “If Iraq doesn’t let the IAEA in, it would be prudent to assume the Iraqis have a reason for keeping the inspectors out---such as the material has been diverted to weapons use. In any event, there is no excuse for the IAEA not to insist on an inspection, or for the Security Council not to take up the matter urgently if the Agency is rebuffed.”

More information on Iraq’s nuclear-weapons program is available on NCI’s website at http://www.nci.org/sadb.htm

[FairOpinion]

BTW, for those interested, there is a lot of info on Saddam's nuclear program over the years at:

http://www.nci.org/sadb.htm


NCI = Nuclear Control Institute

[FairOpinion]

They didn't return to verify, Saddam didn't let them in, see my post #12. Also the 1991 cease fire stipulated that Saddam couldn't keep ANY nuclear material, but the UN inspectors allowed him to get away with it.

[FairOpinion]

Ping -- you may be interested in this.

[Arkie2]

I'm aware of the problems with this material but I should have made my point better. None of this will qualify to get GW off the hook re: WMD because we knew about this stuff before hand and it was being monitored ( however ineptly ) by the NEA and the inspectors. It's not the smoking gun.

[FairOpinion]

"My question is: just what in the hell do they need in order for it to be evidence? "
---

Exactly.

We knew Saddam had tons of natural and low enriched Uranium, the UN allowed him to keep it, in violation of the 1991 cease fire agreement. Back in 1999 experts warned that Saddam could build two nuclear weapons, could enrich the Uranium in a year with just a couple hundred centrifuges. Iraq refused to let the inspectors in since 1999. Then last year Iraq ordered those centrifuges, this was presented by Powell to the UN. Put two and two together, and Saddam could have been within a year of having two nuclear bombs. Now when we went in we found he still had the enriched Uranium, he didn't mysteriously get rid of it. So we DID find WMD, and found that he could have had nuclear bombs in a year. What more do the Democrats and media wannt?! I really think the Bush administration should hammer this point home.

"Dr. Edwin Lyman, NCI Scientific Director, calculated that Iraq’s low-enriched uranium stocks would be sufficient to produce over 45 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU, enough for two nuclear weapons. Only about 260 small centrifuges would be required to enrich this material to bomb-grade in one year. Iraq’s known stocks of natural uranium could be converted into an additional 70 kilograms of bomb-grade HEU over a somewhat greater length of time. Some 25 kilograms of HEU is officially considered the amount needed for a bomb, although nuclear weapons can be built with less."


http://www.nci.org/pr/pr121799.htm

[Husker24]

including uranium storage barrels they later used to hold drinking water

Ill be that feels like pissing fire.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

It was widely reported that American troops found weapons-grade plutonium, too. I'm not sure if that was ever proven or not. It was reported, then it just disappeared within a few days.

[backhoe]

Thanks, I'll use that link tonite.