temporary politics break. ;) This story was big news in the UK a few weeks ago, but never made it into the news over here. Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a former US Army advisor, sent a team to Afghanistan to test civilians for uranium contamination after the war there:
Without exception, every person donating urine specimens tested positive for uranium internal contamination. ... the donors presented concentrations of toxic and radioactive uranium isotopes between 100 and 400 times greater than in the Gulf veterans tested in 1999. (jm: also on average 26 times the maximum permissible level in the US)
'If (the) findings are corroborated in other communities across Afghanistan, the country faces a severe public health disaster... Every subsequent generation is at risk.'
Also, a very interesting interview with Major Doug Rokke, who worked on the cleanup procedures during the first Gulf War, dealing with DU and other contaminants.