Subject: [du-list] Warning NATO countries in May 1999 against the use of DU in Kosovo was sent to the Heads of all NATO countries. Test of the letter forwarded for your information.
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 19:38:37 -0500
From: "Dr. H. D. Sharma" <hdsharma@golden.net>

May 18, 1999.

Dear Chancellor/President/Prime Minister --which ever applies to a NATO country--- for Germany -Chancellor Schroeder,

Most respectfully, in the name of humanity, I, a humble radiochemist, wish to submit that the use of depleted uranium (DU) as weapon of preference for piercing armour has resulted in poisoning the environment. It has come to our attention that nearly three hundred and fifty tons of depleted uranium was deployed by the Coalition forces during the Gulf War in 1991. Veterans of the war from most countries that took part in the conflict, have since reported suffering from a variety of ailments that are now symbolized as the Gulf War Syndrome.

During the year 1998, it was mentioned that depleted uranium might be one of the causative agents for the veterans' ailments.  The Military Toxic Project initiated medical/scientific sutidies to determine a possible link between DU and Gulf War Illness.  It would, of course, be easy to exclude depleted uranium as the causative agent by showing its absence inside the human body.  Our interest lay in learning more about the effect of chronic exposure to low-level radiation on human health.  Uranium is excreted through urine and thus we requested urine samples from the veterans. Initially, we received seven samples from the US Gulf War veterans.  The samples were analyzed for isotopic  composition of uranium isotopes, viz, uranium-235 and uranium-238; uranium-235 was determined by the delayed-neutron counting method and uranium-238 by the well-known instrumental neutron activation method.  The determination of the two isotopes in a sample enables us to evaluate the amount of uranium as well as the type of uranium, i.e. whether it is natural uranium or it is depleted uranium.  Depleted uranium deployed during the Gulf War had the ratio of uranium-238 to uranium-235 as 498.  In naturally occurring uranium, the ratio is 137.8.  Much to my surprise, we found the presence of depleted uranium in microgram quantity in 24-hour samples.  The ratio of the two isotopes has since been confirmed by another method that involves measurements with surface ionization mass spectrometer.  We then proceeded to analyze over forty urine samples from the Gulf War veterans from countries, namely, the USA, the UK, Canada and Iraq for the estimation of inhaled non-transportable uranium dioxide stored in lungs during the Gulf War.  Urine samples were also collected from residents of Basra and of Baghdad for assessing accumulation of uranium-dioxide aerosols in the civilian population residing near the war zone during the 1991-1993 period.

I shall, most respectfully, dispatch our brief report to you later of our findings. The report will include evaluation of health consequences to the veterans and to the civilian population from accumulated depleted-uranium dioxide in lungs during and after the Gulf War as well.  To the best of my knowledge, I have not come accross any report that includes the determination of depleted-uranium fraction in urine samples.  Total uranium content that includes transportable uranium in urine samples has been reported.

In my report under conclusions, it will be seen that accumulation of depleted-uranium oxide has led to deposition of radiation dose among the veterans as well as the civilian population.  The risk estimate from exposure to the oxide (a non-transportable Class Y substance with a long biological half-life) inside lungs leads us to believe that about five per cent of the exposed Gulf War veterans have succumbed or will succumb to fatal cancers.  This is a conservative estimate but one can see nearly thirty thousand of nearly 600,000 exposed veterans deployed in or near the war zone will be delayed casualties to the insideous disease.  One can also estimate the number of civilian causualties that may still be higher.  The incidence of cancer among the population of Basra has increased dramatically after the war.

I will be presenting this report to you so that it can be scrutinized by experts in your country. I am personally available to defend all aspects of the report at all times.  I dare say that the use of depleted uranium can be regarded as crimes against humanity.  Dropping an atom bomb brings about a large number of casualties in a very short time but the use of depleted uranium for piercing armour can bring about a slow but painful death to about the same number of persons.  I beseech you to take appropriate actions so that depleted uranium is not used in future conflicts.  The specific radioactivity of depleted uranium is low but it is radioactive and it emits alpha particles that makes it an element that deposits high radiation dose to lungs when inhaled as dioxide.  I have not dealt with other illnesses that may be induced by the presence of the oxide inside the human body.  In my opinion,NATO, a humanitarian organization, should not use depleted uranium in Yugoslavia, therefore, not to have Gulf War syndrome revisited with the Bslkan syndrome.

Yours sincerely

Hari D. Sharma
Professor Emeritus

HDS:lc


PS If you so desire I can FAX to you the letter written to seventeen NATO countries. I have not found the reply I received from Germany but as soon as I do, I shall forward a copy to you. Incidently, one letter came back undelivered. It was to the Prime Minister of Portugal.

Someone has quoted the existence of my letter in the Czech republic. I am forwarding a copy of that as well.