I do not want to minimize the consequences of war, but this article has no plausibility.
I do not want to minimize the consequences of war, but this article has no plausibility.
DU is toxic, but the main hazard is inhaling the dust. That's likely not a big issue unless you're near impacting rounds...
We talk about semi-desert environment where dust flies all around, and it doesn't become easily locked in soil like in more humid environment. If you live a kilometer downwind from place where an A-10 smashed some iraqi tanks with DU ammunition, you have clear source of exposure.
Sure, depending on how well the extremely dense (1.7x the density of lead, remember?) dust remains airborne. Also, the dust concentration is likely to be so low that far away that it's extremely low exposure.
Don't lose sight of the fact that the article provides zero factual evidence that DU caused those deformities. It's strictly guilt through association.