CPTnet
26 December 2007
 IRAQ: Muslim Peacemaker Team members report on DU epidemic

by Cliff Kindy

Dr. Najim Askouri, a nuclear physicist, and Dr. Assad Al-Janabi,
pathologist, are members of Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT) in Najaf. On 6
December 2007, they reported on depleted uranium (DU) at a gathering in
Suleimaniya. That report documented the health impact of depleted uranium
weapons used during the Gulf wars.

The focus of their study was Najaf, population one million, and surrounding
rural areas, about 180 miles from DU use in the First Gulf War.

In 2004, during a period of collapsed health care infrastructure, there
were 251 reported cases of cancer. By 2006, with data more accurately
reflecting reality, that figure rose to 688. Already in 2007, 801 cancer
cases have been reported. These figures show an incidence rate of 28.21 by
2006, contrasting with the normal rate of 8-12 cases of cancer per 100,000
people.

Askouri and Al-Janabi made two striking observations. First, cancers
related to radiation exposure have dramatically increased, especially the
rare soft tissue sarcoma and leukemia. Second, the age at which cancer
begins is dropping rapidly, with incidents of colon cancer at eight, and
liposarcoma at eighteen months. Dr. Al-Janabi noted that 24% of the cancers
reported occurred in the eleven-thirty age range.

Researchers gave special attention to three locations in Najaf. Al-Anzar is
a street fifty meters long. Here they found thirteen cancer cases among
unrelated individuals of different ages and genders without a family history
of cancer. Another, Al-Fathi, is a one-kilometer rural stretch along a
river where they found thirty-seven varied cancer cases. The third area was
Al-Muslameen, a well-to-do sector of the city, with twenty documented cases.

Dr. Askouri began his report by noting the U.S. military used 350 tons of DU
in 1991 and 150 during the 2003 bombing. When DU hits a target, it
aerosolizes and forms oxides. The first oxide is water-soluble and enters
the aquifers and food chain. The second is insoluble and settles as dust
carried on the winds.

Aerosolized dust enters the lungs and causes problems as it crosses cell
walls and affects the genetic system. Dr. Askouri reported his grandson was
born with heart problems, Downs Syndrome, an underdeveloped liver and
leukemia which he assumes were caused by the parents' exposure to DU. He
said, "Cancer is spreading from the conflict area as a health epidemic which
will only deteriorate." The Najaf cancer rate has tripled in sixteen years,
similarly to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

He concluded by asking, "Would it not be just for us to request equipment
and facilities to document the problems, clean the environment and care for
those exposed to DU?"