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Reuters. 26 March 2002. Baghdad Holds Meeting on Depleted Uranium Impact. BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government opened a conference on Tuesday to examine the effects on health of depleted uranium munitions used by U.S.-led forces during the Gulf War, which it says have caused a rise in cancer in Iraq. "The conference is to meet the urgent need for researchers and specialists in Iraq and other countries to define negative impacts of DU weapons on humans and the environment," Education Minister Fahad Salim al-Shaqra said in his opening speech. Experts at the two-day conference, organized by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, include researchers from Egypt, Thailand and Yemen. Shaqra said cancer among children and congenital deformities had increased in Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War. "The rate of cancer cases among under-15s has registered a 120 percent increase from 1997 to 1990, likewise the rise in leukemia cases was 60 per cent for the same year," Shaqra said. He added cancer among children had almost trebled from four cases per 100,000 in 1990 to 11 in 1999. Congenital deformities in Basra, southern Iraq, increased four-fold from 1990 to 1999. "The rate cancer increased among children in 1999 was 242 per cent, whereas leukemia cases increased by 100 per cent in the same year compared with 1990's figures," Shaqra added. Shaqra said incidence of cancers of the breast, thyroid gland and lymphatic system also rose. An Iraqi vet said on Saturday thousands of fish that have died at fish farms near Baghdad were poisoned by munitions used by British and U.S. forces. DU munitions were first widely used in the Gulf War -- declassified U.S. documents show U.S. forces fired about 944,000 cigar-sized rounds against Iraqi armor in Iraq and Kuwait. DU combusts on impact with its target, making it highly effective at piercing tank armor. Last year, the World Health Organization began an in-depth study into the health impact of the shells used in Iraq. But in November, after lobbying from Washington, the U.N. General Assembly voted against an Iraqi proposal for a U.N.-backed study into the effects of depleted uranium used in the Gulf War. A report by Britain's Royal Society scientific organization published earlier this month said top soil in areas heavily contaminated with depleted uranium should be removed and water quality should be monitored for any contamination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
