Il «caso uranio»: fra le cure spunta Di Bella

GAZZETTA DI MODENA - Prima Pagina
martedì 14 maggio 2002, S. Mattia, Apostolo
Ricerca consiglia i retinoidi
Il «caso uranio»: fra le cure spunta Di Bella
di Vincenzo Brancatisano

"Quello dell'uranio impoverito è un problema più politico che scientifico". Le rivelazioni della Gazzetta (articolo di Stefano Bellentani) circa lo studio sulla contaminazione dei soldati italiani da uranio usato nei Balcani, studio affidato all'equipe del professor Umberto Torelli della Divisione di Ematologia del nostro Policlinico, hanno indotto la reazione dell'Istituto Europeo di Ricerca e Sviluppo nel Sociale di Milano. Il ricercatore dell'Ierss, Marco Saba, sostiene che "il problema della contaminazione da uranio impoverito, che poi si è rivelato contaminato da Plutonio ed altri metalli pesanti poiché fu fabbricato negli Usa mischiando al U-238 scarti di centrali nucleari, è un problema squisitamente politico più che scientifico, come ha già sottolineato il professor Asaf Durakovic, ex responsabile medico del Pentagono per la questione dell'uranio impoverito. Questo professore, costretto a lasciare il lavoro negli Usa per pressioni politiche, esercita ora come specialista di medicina nucleare all'Ospedale e Centro Ricerca "King Faisal" a Riad in Arabia Saudita. L'uranio impoverito fu usato e viene usato ancora nella realizzazione delle ogive dei proiettili per la sua micidiale capacità di penetrazione, ma trova utilizzo in altre forme, quale ad esempio quello del contrappeso negli aerei di linea. C'è chi sospetta, in merito, che questi usi siano preordinati alla necessità di smaltimento di materiale radioattivo fuoriuscito dalle centrali nucleari. La questione è nota da molti anni ma solo da poco tempo ha ottenuto la giusta attenzione, a causa dell'incredibile numero di malattie neoplastiche associate in qualche modo con l'uso dell'uranio nelle zone di guerra. L'anno scorso fu costituita una commisione presieduta dall'ematologo romano Mandelli, che in pochi giorni decretò l'ininfluenza dell'uranio nella sospetta produzione delle patologie tumorali tra i soldati, ma quella decisione suscitò polemiche non solo tra gli ufficiali e le famiglie delle vittime. Marco Saba fu tra i primi a denunciare il pericolo connesso all'uso dell'uranio. Ora scende in campo per dire che nelle more degli studi, che si preannunciano anche interessanti, occorre fare qualcosa per disintossicare le migliaia di potenziali vittime, si pensi solo all'Iraq. Tra le vittime inconsapevoli, forse, anche soldati e volontari italiani che furono in missione nei posti dove fu massiccio l'uso dell'uranio.

Spiega Saba: "Mentre gli specialisti si perdono in disquisizioni per cercare di attribuire le patologie associabili all'inquinamento radioattivo alle più svariate cause (vaccini, meteoriti extragalattiche, mucche pazze e altro), non si pensa altrettanto a provvedere a curare per quanto possibile gli effetti di questa contaminazione". Saba ricorda che esistono prodotti in commercio, i retinoidi, che in qualche modo si ricollegano a Modena, visto che sono i farmaci usati dal professor Luigi Di Bella nella sua discussa terapia anticancro. "Dalla nostra ricerca abbiamo trovato che la somministrazione della soluzione ai retinoidi (vitamina A, Betacarotene sciolti in vitamina E, ndr., farmaco di riferimento della Mdb, ndr.) associata all'Alginato di Sodio, procura da un lato il rinforzamento del sistema immunitario e dall'altro riduce l'emivita biologica dei radionucleidi ingeriti. E proprio da questa ricerca nasce il progetto di realizzare a Bassora in Iraq un'industria farmaceutica con la partecipazione di Snam-Progetti ed il patrocinio dell'Irss della Fondazione Oasi. Bene comunque che qualcosa si muova in Italia almeno per sensibilizzare l'opinione pubblica".

Leaked US files show how uranium weapons have caused problems

Leaked US files show how uranium weapons have caused problems for EOD teams

The Iraqi War Logs, recently released on the Wikileaks website, show that the presence in Iraq of munitions containing DU causes difficulties for US troops.

2 November 2010 - ICBUW

Documents show that uranium weapons are complicating explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) efforts by US troops, and suspected DU is cited in several false alarms. There is also a case of an hoax improvised explosive device (IED) being constructed with a round containing DU, and of trucks carrying radioactive scrap being intercepted near the border with Turkey. As Iraq did not possess uranium weapons prior to 2003, it must be assumed that for all the incidents involving uranium weapons, these weapons were brought into the country by either US or UK forces.

The released information is comprised of over 390,000 US military field reports from 2004 to 2009, and follows the release of similar documents related to the war in Afghanistan. ICBUW has investigated both sets of documents for evidence of the use of uranium weapons. However each report covers a single incident which might be of interest to military superiors, and only contains details which might be noteworthy for such an audience. Information such as the type of ammunition fired is generally not included.

After the release of the Afghanistan documents, there were claims that information could have endangered US informants, however the pentagon has been forced to concede that there is no evidence that this has actually occurred. However, in response to this criticism Wikileaks have heavily redacted information from the Iraqi documents. Unfortunately, the way this has been done is rather erratic, and unobjectionable information, such as the calibre of rounds, has also been removed.

However, information that can be gleaned from the Iraqi documents show the effect that the presence of uranium weapons has had on coalition operations. In several instances, the work of EOD teams has been complicated by the suspected presence of DU. In some cases this appears to have been abandoned or unexploded uranium weapons left by coalition forces.

However, other reports show the alarm that suspected DU can cause US troops. At an incident between Ramadi and Fallujah in 2005, it was suspected that a rocket fired at US troops may have contained DU, and the area was cleared (see below for the report). In 2006, soldiers who were disarming an IED in a market north of Baghdad found a substance they suspected to be DU, and had to call for a more experienced EOD team – the substance was found to be home made explosive.

Another report suggests that insurgents may be using concerns about DU to their advantage. A 2008 incident involved a fake IED incorporating a uranium weapons round north of Tikrit. The round was passed on to an EOD team, but analysis in the report suggests that purpose of the hoax device may have been to lure an EOD team to the area. The team, who would be considered a high value target by insurgents because of their skills, would then be targeted by a real device.

An incident in 2004 highlights another well known concern about the use of uranium weapons – that contaminated metal from targeted vehicles may find its way into the commercial scrap trade. Several trucks that were apparently crossing into Turkey had high levels of radioactivity. Although the report does not indicate what radioactive materials were on the trucks, several scrap yards were investigated as the possible source. A copy of this report is detailed below.

Taken together, these incidents clearly show that the use of uranium weapons by the US and UK were not just a matter of concern for civilians and the Iraqi authorities, but have presented also difficulties for their own side. It also seems clear that, despite their attempts to imply that there is no health risk from DU, this propaganda is not even believed by their own troops on the ground.

Iraqi War Logs - 2005-309-012351-0399

IDF ATTK ON -___ AR IVO : ___ INJ/DAMAGE
2005-11-04 11:42:00


AT 1742C, -___ REPORTS THAT (___) ROUND OF IDF IMPACTED IVO GRID ( ___). THE IMPACT LOCATION WAS OBSERVED BY ECP-___, OP-___ AND OP-___. ROUGH RIDERS ___ WHERE DISPATCHED TO THE AREA TO CONDUCT A SEARCH. PANTHER FIRE SUPPORT ELEMENT (___) FROM CAMP ___ REPORTED THAT AN OP FROM ___ ENGINEERS IVO ( ___) WITNESSED A LAUNCH IVO ( ___), AT AN ___ OF ___ DEG. PANTHER ALSO REPORTED THAT THIS COULD BE A ___ ROCKET WITH DEPLETED URANIUM ___. WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL AND DARKNESS, THE ROUGH RIDERS WHERE PULLED BACK OUTSIDE THE AREA. THE ROUGH RIDERS ___ SEARCH FOR THE POI IN THE MORNING. AFTER CONTACTING CAPTAIN ___ AT ___ ENGINEERS, THIS POI WAS DISCUSSED AS ONE PREVIOUSLY USED; HOWEVER, NO IDENTIFICATION OF THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF ROCKET COULD BE DETERMINED FOR THIS ATTACK. THE SITUATION ___ DEVELOP VIA INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE /___ INFANTRY AND THE ___ ENGINEERS. COUNTER BATTERY RADAR DID NOT ACQUIRE THIS IDF AND PANTHER ___ DID NOT HAVE A COUNTER BATTERY FIRE MISSION AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. UPDATE TO FOLLOW.

UPDATE # - ___ ENGINEERS HAS REVISED THE POO GRID AS ( ___). ALSO, A WHITE ___ TRUCK WITH RAILS WAS SPOTTED IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF LAUNCH. THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE HAD BEEN OBSERVED IN THE PAST, VIA UAV, AS A ROCKET LAUNCH PLATFORM.

UPDATE # , --___ QRF ELEMENT SWEPT POSSIBLE IMPACT AREA WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.

AT 1742C, -___ REPORTS THAT (___) ROUND OF IDF IMPACTED IVO GRID ( ___). THE IMPACT LOCATION WAS OBSERVED BY ECP-___, OP-___ AND OP-___. ROUGH RIDERS ___ WHERE DISPATCHED TO THE AREA TO CONDUCT A SEARCH. PANTHER FIRE SUPPORT ELEMENT (___) FROM CAMP ___ REPORTED THAT AN OP FROM ___ ENGINEERS IVO ( ___) WITNESSED A LAUNCH IVO ( ___), AT AN ___ OF ___ DEG. PANTHER ALSO REPORTED THAT THIS COULD BE A ___ ROCKET WITH DEPLETED URANIUM ___. WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL AND DARKNESS, THE ROUGH RIDERS WHERE PULLED BACK OUTSIDE THE AREA. THE ROUGH RIDERS ___ SEARCH FOR THE POI IN THE MORNING. AFTER CONTACTING CAPTAIN ___ AT ___ ENGINEERS, THIS POI WAS DISCUSSED AS ONE PREVIOUSLY USED; HOWEVER, NO IDENTIFICATION OF THE SPECIFIC TYPE OF ROCKET COULD BE DETERMINED FOR THIS ATTACK. THE SITUATION ___ DEVELOP VIA INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE /___ INFANTRY AND THE ___ ENGINEERS. COUNTER BATTERY RADAR DID NOT ACQUIRE THIS IDF AND PANTHER ___ DID NOT HAVE A COUNTER BATTERY FIRE MISSION AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. UPDATE TO FOLLOW.

UPDATE # - ___ ENGINEERS HAS REVISED THE POO GRID AS ( ___). ALSO, A WHITE ___ TRUCK WITH RAILS WAS SPOTTED IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF LAUNCH. THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE HAD BEEN OBSERVED IN THE PAST, VIA UAV, AS A ROCKET LAUNCH PLATFORM.

UPDATE # , --___ QRF ELEMENT SWEPT POSSIBLE IMPACT AREA WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.

http://wikileaks.org/id/4BD76A8D-5478-4989-A52C-4BF71A8FD4CA/

Iraqi War Logs - 01LNO-91939054

___ SURVEY AT ___ GATE
2004-01-26 07:00:00

TF -___ CAV (___ TRP) REPORTED THEIR ___ FOX RECON PLATOON CONDUCTED ___ SURVEY AT ___ GATE IAW CJTF-___ FRAGO ___. THE PLATOON REPORTED ___ OF ___ SCRAP METAL TRUCKS HAD HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION (___). THE TRUCKS ARE ISOLATED AND SECURED. SURVEYED OTHER TRUCKS CROSSING INTO TURKEY AND THE SCRAP METAL YARD (___) WHERE THE SOURCES MAY HAVE ORIGINATED. ALL SURVEYS ARE NEGATIVE.TF -___ CAV (___ TRP) REPORTED THEIR ___ FOX RECON PLATOON CONDUCTED ___ SURVEY AT ___ GATE IAW CJTF-___ FRAGO ___. THE PLATOON REPORTED ___ OF ___ SCRAP METAL TRUCKS HAD HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION (___). THE TRUCKS ARE ISOLATED AND SECURED. SURVEYED OTHER TRUCKS CROSSING INTO TURKEY AND THE SCRAP METAL YARD (___) WHERE THE SOURCES MAY HAVE ORIGINATED. ALL SURVEYS ARE NEGATIVE.

http://wikileaks.org/id/11333/

Notes:

http://wikileaks.org/iraq/diarydig
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iraq-war-logs

Depleted uranium Motion tabled in Scottish Parliament

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have submitted a motion calling on the UK government to abstain or vote in favour when the UN General Assembly considers the new resolution on depleted uranium weapons.

4 November 2010 - ICBUW

The Motion echoes the Early Day Motion (EDM) currently before the UK Parliament, which also calls on the UK to support the new UN resolution. The EDM resolution has now been signed by 69 Members of Parliament (see link at the end of this article) from all the main parties.

The Motion's sponsor, Dr Bill Wilson MSP, is a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party and former environmental scientist. He has been deeply troubled by the ongoing reports of birth defects in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

During the first vote on the new UN resolution at the First Committee last week, the UK joined only the US, France and Israel in opposing the text as 136 states voted in favour. The General Assembly will vote on the resolution at the end of November.

In their explanation of vote at the First Committee, the UK, France and US claimed that it should be up to them to decide if and when information on the whereabouts of the munitions that they have fired is released. Research by ICBUW suggests that the rapid release of accurate data following conflicts is the single most effective means of reducing the risk from the weapons. To date, the US has failed to release information on at least 404,000kg of DU that it used in Iraq in 1991 and 2003. The UK on the other hand has shared data on their use of the weapons in Iraq in 2003, because of this it was hoped that they would support the new draft.

S3M-7332 Bill Wilson: UN Vote on Depleted Uranium

That the Parliament notes various reports of recent increases in the incidence of childhood leukaemia and other cancers, stillbirths and birth defects in Iraq, which also suggest that these are linked to the deployment of depleted uranium weaponry; supports the recent UN resolution calling on countries using depleted uranium weapons to release quantitative and geographical data relating to the use of these weapons to the governments of affected states; notes that the UK Government did not support the resolution at an earlier stage, and expresses the hope that, when the resolution goes forward to the United Nations General Assembly for a second vote at the end of November 2010, it will at least not veto it.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/motionsandamendments/motions.htm

A previous Motion tabled in 2009 by the Scottish Greens stated:That the Parliament acknowledges the European Parliament’s resolution on “Depleted uranium weapons and their effect on human health and the environment - towards a global ban on the use of such weapons”; recognises the serious health concerns about the use of depleted uranium weapons on both military personnel and civilians, concerns that are widely acknowledged by many including the UN General Assembly; further recognises the serious environmental hazards posed by depleted uranium such as the contamination of soil and groundwater, and strongly urges the Scottish Government to offer its moral and, where appropriate, practical support for a global ban on the use of depleted uranium weapons.

Scotland is home to one of the UK's two depleted uranium firing ranges. The site at Dundrennan has been used to fire in the region of 30 tonnes of 120mm depleted uranium tank rounds into the Solway Firth - something that has long been a matter of concern to local people and parliamentarians.

Notes:

EDM 825 UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON DEPLETED URANIUM
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41791&SESSION=905

S3M-7332 Bill Wilson: UN Vote on Depleted Uranium
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/motionsandamendments/motions.htm

See also

• 

  International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons

  UN First Committee sends clear message to depleted uranium users over transparency

  The United Nations First Committee has voted, by an overwhelming margin, for state users of depleted uranium weapons to release data on where the weapons have been used to governments of states affected by their use.

  29 October 2010 - ICBUW
• 

  International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons

  UK parliamentarians submit motion calling for government to support UN resolution on depleted uranium weapons

  Members of Parliament from the three largest UK political parties have submitted an Early Day Motion (EDM) that calls on the UK government to support a resolution calling for transparency from DU users that has been tabled at the UN.

  14 October 2010 - ICBUW
• 

  International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons

  We urgently need transparency over depleted uranium use

  Humanitarian concerns over health problems in Fallujah have renewed calls for full disclosure from depleted uranium users.

  26 July 2010 - ICBUW

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