While US officials claim the Iraqi government could use revenues from the Oil for Food program to feed its people, UN officials have declared the program hopelessly inadequate. History will slaughter those responsible. NATO officials are meeting today in Brussels to address the continuing crisis over the use of depleted weapons in the Balkans. Although several European nations have linked the weapons to deaths from cancer, NATO and the US insist that the radioactivity in depleted uranium is too mild to be harmful. But the presence of plutonium in the munitions is alarming.
Plutonium is a highly carcinogenic substance, even in minute amounts.
If the DU, which made from reprocessed uranium from nuclear reactors contains plutonium there is little doubt that it is a serious threat to the health of both soldiers and civilians. The danger is aggravated by the fact that plutonium is relatively difficult to detect once it is outside of secure, well-instrumented facilities, or once it has been incorporated into the body. In Iraq, the US fired off a million rounds. Andreas Zumach , reporter for German media outlets. Catch the evening news every day, Pacifica Network News .