[yankeedame]

The veterans, using their positive results as evidence, have sued the U.S. Army, claiming...

And that about says it all, folks.

[Riley]

He's got an awfully full head of hair for someone who claims to have been exposed to a lot of radiation.

[defenderSD]

Chemical and biological weapons used by Iraq may have contributed to this man's illness, but depleted uranium is not a signifcant risk to health. We use depleted uranium for armor in the latest M1 tanks and Bradleys. The AP strikes out here as usual. The writer needs to start over again and do research into low levels of chemical and biological weapons used by Saddam on our troops.

[FReepaholic]

...The veterans, using their positive results as evidence, have sued the U.S. Army, claiming...
And that about says it all, folks.

I'm not following you here. Are you dismissing out of hand their claims of illness simply because they've brought suit against the Army?

[Tinian]

When Bush 41 used DU in the Gulf War it was deemed evil.

When Clinton used it in Kosovo it was deemed harmless. NPR had an interview with scientist who used a lump of it for a door stop. It was a long interview that concluded that DU was totally benign. ABC, NBC, CBS and many major papers ran stories debunking the myth that DU posed any dangers.

But that was when Bill Clinton was using it.

Now that Bush 43 is using it, its suddenly poison again. Isn't that convenient?

[tet68]

It is 60 percent as radioactive as natural uranium.

!!! JEEPERS !!!

[SnuffaBolshevik]

thousands of shells and hundreds of tanks coated with the metal

This shows that the person who wrote this doesn't have a clue about DU. They sure seem to have an agenda, though.

[Humidston]

Reed says he unknowingly breathed DU dust while living with his unit in Samawah, Iraq.

This thread is way too serious to say it.

Nope.

[mylife]

crikee! I have some at the house!

[Chode]

just exactly what part of DEPLETED don't they understand???

[mylife]

Civilian applications for depleted uranium are fairly limited and are typically unrelated to its radioactive properties. It primarily finds application as ballast because of its high density. Such applications include sailboat keels, as counterweights and sinker bars in oil drills, gyroscope rotors, and in other places where there is a need to place a weight that occupies as little space as possible. Other relatively minor consumer product uses have included: incorporation into dental porcelain used for false teeth to simulate the fluorescence of natural teeth; and in uranium-bearing reagents used in chemistry laboratories.

Uranium was widely used as a coloring matter for porcelain and glass in the 19th century. The practice was believed to be a matter of history, however in 1999 concentrations of 10% depleted uranium were found in "jaune no.17" a yellow enamel powder that was being produced in France by Cristallerie de Saint-Paul, a manufacturer of enamel pigments. The depleted uranium used in the powder was sold by Cogéma's Pierrelatte facility. Cogema has since confirmed that it has made a decision to stop the sale of depleted uranium to producers of enamel and glass. [5]

DU is also used for shielding for radiation sources used in medical and industrial radiography.

[Kozak]

dust with a half-life of 4.5 billion years.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

A half life of 4.5 Billion means the stuff is nearly as stable as the Universe. The amount of radiation given off is INVERSELY related to the half life. Idiots.

[Spunky]

"It takes at least 10 minutes and a large glass of orange juice to wash down all the pills - morphine, methadone, a muscle relaxant, an antidepressant, a stool softener. Viagra for sexual dysfunction. Valium for his nerves."

With the kind of medications he is taking he must be flying high.

[mistybella]

While he may be wrong in what he thinks has caused his illnesses he certainly deserves some answers and compensation. If he was gassed by Iraquis then it is the responsibility of our Goverment to find that out and hold the Iraqi Goverment accountable.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

About 30 percent of the 700,000 soldiers who served in the first Gulf War still suffer illnesses similar to Reed's.

OK, this article is saying that 210,000 people are taking that drug cocktail for all of those things?!?!?! How is that possible? Or is it saying that 210,000 people have one of the symptoms that he has reported? Big difference between the two (thousands of people have migraines? My God! We need to ban the military! </s>)...

[avg_freeper]

morphine, methadone, a muscle relaxant, an antidepressant, a stool softener. Viagra for sexual dysfunction.

I bet he's fun at a party.

[El Gato]

Ammunition coated with depleted uranium

Read no further. They do not know what they are writing about.

Hint, the shells are not coated with DU, they have DU cores, often covered by an aerodynamic shell of something very light, like aluminum.

[Condor51]

It takes at least 10 minutes and a large glass of orange juice to wash down all the pills - morphine, methadone, a muscle relaxant, an antidepressant, a stool softener. Viagra for sexual dysfunction. Valium for his nerves.

Morphine AND Methadone??? An Antidepressant AND Valium??? Then a Muscle Relaxant And Viagra?

Uh... something is wrong with that picture. There's certain drugs you DON'T take together (I know). Me thinks this 'story' is BS.

If true, the only part that makes sense is the Valium. (and if he didn't take the 'Muscle Relaxant' I doubt he'd need the Viagra)

[weegee]

"It takes at least 10 minutes and a large glass of orange juice to wash down all the pills - morphine, methadone, a muscle relaxant, an antidepressant, a stool softener. Viagra for sexual dysfunction. Valium for his nerves."

So he's taking:
Morphine
Methadone
Valium
musle relaxers
AND an antidepressant

And he wonders why he suffers from "sexual disfunction"?

That's a drug cocktail that would put The King in a grave.

[PeteB570]

OK, one story.

During the first Gulf War a unit's chemical alarm went off and they all put on their MOPP gear. In the years following the war some of them made all kinds of claims about what the "Chemical exposure" did to them and all the help they needed for their problems.

The only problem was that a bunch of guys I know who were working with the local forces drove through the unit while they were Mopped up. The US and local troops were riding in trucks and not wearing MOPP gear. They just shrugged and drove on with the mission.

Up to four years after the war the guys that rode through on the trucks were just as normal as me. Hmmm, I think I need to rethink that last sentence.

[delacoert]

It is 60 percent as radioactive as natural uranium. Which means it's LESS RADIOACTIVE than natural uranium.