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.