Moreover, there is a recent claim by the Italian Government that depleted uranium is not the only component of Nato weapons. Without such proof, it is should not be morally acceptable to use depleted uranium in any military applications. By polluting the ecosystems of other nations, we are essentially committing war crimes against the women, children, and all civilians of these countries . The admission that plutonium is also involved has further heightened the furore. Plutonium has also been linked to fatal cancer, if inhaled even in minute amounts.
Plutonium is much more toxic.
Simply put, if a nation is not willing to fertilise its own soil, treat its own water, and pollute its own air with depleted uranium, then it should not be doing so to others, says Mermer. For more information contact the National Poison Centre at Universiti Sains Malaysia, tel. 04-6570099, fax.