Date: Tue Oct 3, 2000 2:45am
Forwarded to DU List from Dr Chris Busby:

For general info:

I have just returned from a visit to Baghdad, Basrah and the battlefields of S Iraq (the Mother of all Battles) with an alpha scintillation counter (and my fingers crossed for luck). This was for a TV documentary but I was also a guest of the Iraqui government who wanted a westerner to advise on the problem and examine the evidence.  There are DU bullets lying around the area and giving a high beta dose. I also visited the cancer hospitals and have some data on cancer increases, which appear to be real and higher in the area where the DU was dropped. There is a higher alpha reading in the whole of the desert area of S Iraq than in Basrah (about ten-fold) and Basrah has higher alpha than Baghdad but the Iraquis would not let me take out samples of soil and sand. However I am in touch with their committee and have asked if they will send me samples.

Having seen the situation on the ground I feel that as well as the other considerations there is a very serious hazard from the beta daughters Pa-234 and Th-234 which

(a) have release of exposure due to the conversion to particulates and

(b) represent a Second Event hazard.

The signals from a 30mm A-19 shell lying on the ground gave about 12,000cps beta and 12cps alpha at the surface of the 15mm penetrator. This represents a dose of about 500microSv/hr with my probe based on 0.5MeV events.

All the best
 
Dr Chris Busby

Scintillation counter was Nuclear Enterprises Type Electra 1A microprocessor controlled (new in 1998). Probe was DP2/4 49cm square dual type phosphor scintillation probe operating at 850V and calibrated at this voltage against Am-241 calibration source. Response to Am-241 source at 5.5MeV was 33.43% (31-39%). This machine distinguishes alpha from beta and gamma. Window material was polycarbonate aluminised both sides total thickness 3.5microns. Phosphors ZnS(Ag) on NE102. The beta rate from an A10 penetrator was around 12000cps and the alpha rate about 12cps. The signals were almost pure beta since they were effectively quenched by interposing 0.8mm steel plate. Gamma response was 25cps as a dose equivalent field of 0.1microSievert/hr (10microR/hr) based on Cs-137 events.

Measurements were made using the integrating facility of the Electra Integration time was always 60sec. In the southern desert battlefield region averages over 60 sec for beta+gamma in desert varied slightly between 5 and 6cps. For alpha the rate varied much more but was not less that 0.1cps with a mean of about 0.18cps and max of 0.13cps. These results based on not more than 30 readings so caution. Alpha activity was higher in the region with the most dead tanks. As we drove back towards Basrah the alpha cps fell to the 0.1cps level and in Basrah in the dust by the river the alpha rate was about 0.01 to 0.02cps.

The yellow substance.

This was an almost pure beta emitter as a 1mm metal plate almost totally
quenched the signal. It is difficult for me to imagine it was radium as

(a) the gamma signal would have been very high and the plate would not have quenched it and

(b) there was too much of it.

The whole tank would have had to have been filled to the gunwhales with luminous dials. No other tank that I saw had this material and these included tanks with big radioactive holes in their turrets and tanks with radioactive black powdery material on the ground.

If we assume it was kosher then I think that maybe it was a reaction product. There are many possibilities, Uranium peroxide, UO2 complex salts etc. If there was any water present in the explosion then some reaction might have occurred. Maybe someone tried to put out the fire or add some water or acid at some stage to decontaminate. The colour was right for a complex Uranium salt. Maybe the tank was carrying some chemical. The main question is--has anyone else seen such a substance?

Alphas in the desert and Basrah, soil etc.

The discussion about Uranium in soils in Saudi/ Basrah etc begs several questions.

 We are not looking at soil but at a generated aerosol, the micron sized and mobile electrostatic charged alpha emitting micron ceramic Uranium Oxide particles. Granitic Uranium in Devon stays in the rocks and so the only alphas we would expect are the odd direct one if the probe is on the rock or Radon in the air. These micron particles generated by the impact have enormous specific surface area, fly about and I calculate that alphas can 'get out' of the matrix (the beta signal is also alarmingly greater for the same reason). We seem to agree that it is the particulate nature that makes them a health hazard; but it also makes them mobile and leads to higher measurable alpha activity. I found it most odd that the areas around the tanks and in the battle zone did not have more alpha activity, not less. The question is, where have they gone to? Especially if we assume that the yellow material represents an initial concentration near a tank. I did not even find high levels of UO2/U3O8 powder inside the turret of tanks with penetrator holes (which were highly radioactive due to alloying) in them! This is my interest: how and why does this stuff move about?

I am currently doing some experiments on this.

Yes it is a shame they wouldnt let me take out my samples.

I agree about the lung tissue. Have you thought of scanning electron microscopy with X-ray fluorescence for the Uranium--this would also give you the dimensions? I have a friend who may be able to do this.

Dr Chris Busby