- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmy.ml
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- usnews
- ukraine@sopuli.xyz
The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.
roguetrick ( @roguetrick@kbin.social ) 52•10 months agoWhatever munition you choose, it will lead to heavy metal poisoning.
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 15•10 months agodepleted uranium is much worse than conventional ammo.
letsgocrazy ( @letsgocrazy@lemm.ee ) 37•10 months agoBeing invaded is worse.
The quickest way to save the most amount of lives is whatever gets rid rid of Russia the quickest.
No question.
Depleted Uranium is hardly dangerous.
Another booby trapped mine with a grenade underneath gets placed by Russians every 4 minutes.
Another Ukrainian citizen is tortured.
And now there are reports of Ukrainian children being tortured.
Bring on the napalm.
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 12•10 months agoDepleted Uranium is dangerous for anyone exposed to it. It will be a persistant environmental pollutant that could render large areas unsuitable for agriculture. Downplaying the effects is stupid and dangerous.
We need to talk about the effects and weigh the military benefit vs. the long term problems. Also for the military benefit you cannot take the shortcut of assuming no AP munitions to be used otherwise. Also the question is whether stronger AP abilities are needed, as Abrams should make quick work of T64s and probably T72s with normal AP rounds too.
So we have to weigh a potentially marginal benefit with a significant long term health effect. I trust the Ukranian army and government to make that decision, but again the issues shouldn’t be downplayed. Because of downplaying and ignoring the issues with it there is thousands of American and British vets that suffer from diseases and birth defects in their children, struggling to get it recognised and properly compensated.
Gladaed ( @Gladaed@feddit.de ) 6•10 months agoDepleted uranium is not much different from lead. Heavy metals are unhealthy. It is barely radioactive as it is made from the rather stable uranium isotopes. (Hence depleted)
Hamartiogonic ( @Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz ) 5•10 months agoUranium is pretty toxic compared to lead. LD50 is roughly 114 mg/kg vs. 4665 mg/kg depending on source. If you happen to get that dust inside your body, the radiation isn’t going to help you stay healthy either.
mycorrhiza they/them ( @mycorrhiza@lemmy.ml ) 3•10 months agothe “quickest way to save the most amount of lives” is peace talks. Both armies are locked in a stalemate and the war is going nowhere.
zephyreks ( @zephyreks@programming.dev ) 3•10 months agoWhatever water you drink, it will lead to heavy metal poisoning (eventually).
Square Singer ( @squaresinger@feddit.de ) 12•10 months agoWhatever music you listen to, it will lead to heavy metal poisoning. Or to malmusicion.
TWeaK ( @TWeaK@lemm.ee ) English1•10 months agoWhatever heavy metal poisoning you get, it will lead to murmaider.
Avid Amoeba ( @avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ) 2•10 months agoNot sure if dad joke.
Gladaed ( @Gladaed@feddit.de ) 1•10 months agoPun intended?
UraniumBlazer ( @UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee ) English30•10 months agoOh well… The amount of health risks that these rounds would cause would pale in comparison to the mines that the Orcs have planted everywhere. Anything to drive out the invaders!
cynetri (he/any) ( @cynetri@midwest.social ) English5•10 months agois this a /s or a fr moment
UraniumBlazer ( @UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee ) English6•10 months agoA fr moment
Avid Amoeba ( @avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ) 30•10 months agoI’m sure Ukrainian soldiers on the front line are worried about cancer and birth defects.
flipht ( @flipht@kbin.social ) 41•10 months agoIt’s not about them. It’s the children who find the spent ammo later.
This crap is the reason that there are birth defects spikes anywhere the US military operates.
cooljacob204 ( @cooljacob204@kbin.social ) 23•10 months agoThe amount of Ukrainians dying right now will pale in comparison to those effected by the munitions.
The controversy around depleted uranium rounds is way overblown.
Even in Iraq the evidence is super inconclusive. And yes birth defects rose however the entire country basically collapsed for years and nothing clearly indicates it was the DU used.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s nasty stuff. But this is war, more people are getting killed by bombs then any DU related cancer can cause.
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 8•10 months agoIn Basra the rate of leukemia in children rose dramatically and that is too specific of a disease to not be linked to DU exposure due to the heavy use of it in surrounding tank battles.
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 7•10 months ago- correlation ≠ causation. 2) if the disease is caused by DU, is it due to the radioactivity or the fact that DU is a heavy metal?
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 5•10 months agoi never said it had to be because of radiation. Even just in its effect as a heavy metal it seems to be much worse. Also it could be that it becomes airborn more easily than other metals such as lead, so the wreckage of tanks shot with DU are more dangerous to the people cleaning them up.
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 2•10 months agoWhy are you so worried about speculated harms when Ukrainians are actually being raped, tortured, and murdered by russians? Your lack of humanity is showing
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 4•10 months agoTurning “we need to weigh benefits and costs” into “your lack of humanity is showing” is quite a take and obviously has nothing to do with reality.
letsgocrazy ( @letsgocrazy@lemm.ee ) 4•10 months agoHow do you you it’s not linked to any of the other hundreds of dangerous chemicals?
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 5•10 months agoBecause the issue is specific to the region and started specifically after the tank battle where DU ammunition was used. If it would be a general issue with some dangerous chemical being used, we’d expect to see similiar issues in other regions. Of course it is hypotheticakky possible that at the same time some dangerous and persistant chemical exposure happened in the region, but that is not plausible and also the US would have a strong interest in finding such an alternative explanation. But there isn’t any research published, that provided an alternative.
Also look into the wording of the US when sending the ammunition to Ukraine. They state that no radiation hazard is to be expected for the Ukrainians. They do not talk about a toxicological hazard.
kitonthenet ( @kitonthenet@kbin.social ) 21•10 months agoOk but the alternatives are not environmentally conscious either, finally the people who’s land it is should be the ones making choices about the conditions of that land
Square Singer ( @squaresinger@feddit.de ) 7•10 months agoBut which people? Government or the people who actually own the land?
And I guess, their favourite choice of “Don’t use any weapons on my land and just clear off voluntairily” is not an option.
I don’t get why people hate on the Ukraine for using weapons to defend themselves. Not like they chose to be attacked.
Avid Amoeba ( @avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ) 19•10 months agoThis makes sense.
I imagine there’s a lot more reasons for birth defect spikes post US mil ops in addition to this. The military isn’t exactly an environmentally conscious operation. ☠️
flipht ( @flipht@kbin.social ) 10•10 months agoSure, burn pits and other crap will help.
But this kind of ammo, kids will find and hang on to. They bring it home, add it to their collection of other cool shit they’ve scavenged…and then their brothers and sisters are born with malformed limbs, mishaped heads, etc.
There have been a lot of stories written about it over the years. The one I read was specifically about Iraq I believe, but it was a while ago.
zephyreks ( @zephyreks@programming.dev ) 12•10 months agoTo be fair, the impact of DU is mostly because of heavy metal poisoning, not radioactivity.
deft ( @deft@ttrpg.network ) 6•10 months agoAgent orange is what plants crave
yetAnotherUser ( @yetAnotherUser@feddit.de ) 17•10 months agoIs ammo made from lead that much better? I honestly don’t know. Sure the radiation sucks but Uranium, at least the isotope they’re sending is “barely” radioactive. It’s the same Uranium people had in their plates etc. The toxicity is probably the far more relevant factor but I don’t know how Uranium compares to lead.
Cethin ( @Cethin@lemmy.zip ) English17•10 months agoDepleted uranium is not really that radioactive. Everything is technically radioactive eventually though. Depleted uranium is what’s left behind when you seperate the radioactive stuff out. It’s a heavy metal still, so isn’t good for you, but heavy metals will always be involved. Trying to have a war using only healthy, organic, ethically sourced munitions isn’t going to happen.
letsgocrazy ( @letsgocrazy@lemm.ee ) 3•10 months agoThere isn’t radiation in Depleted uranium.
teddy_m ( @teddy_m@lemmy.ml ) 15•10 months agoEveryone should worry. Depleted uranium will contaminate large crop production areas and later these grains will be sold all around the world. Everybody will eat some.
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 7•10 months agoWhat does the “depleted” part of depleted uranium mean?
teddy_m ( @teddy_m@lemmy.ml ) 6•10 months agoDepleted means that the radioactive isotope is lower in concentration. It still is somehow radioactive (it’s almost fine if not ingested) and still remains a heavy and toxic metal.
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 4•10 months agoRight, so how are all these large areas and crops going to be contaminated?
krolden ( @krolden@lemmy.ml ) 7•10 months agoWhen they explode, they spread radioactive dust into the surrounding area. If that area is ever farmed it can contaminate the crops and cause cancer to anyone breathing in the dust
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 2•10 months agoAnd what is the level of risk of that happening?
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 1•10 months agoAre you denser then Uranium? Why do you think there is an issue with waste from nuclear power plants? Hint: it is radioactive!
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 2•10 months agoCalls me dense, doesn’t know what depleted uranium is
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 2•10 months agoSure, whatever makes you feel lighter.
letsgocrazy ( @letsgocrazy@lemm.ee ) 6•10 months agoNo it won’t
pelikan ( @pelikan@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English6•10 months agoYes, Ukrainian soldiers on front line are worried about cancer and birth defects. They are rational human beings who hope to return to their homes and live long lives and grow healthy children, not some subhumans with only intent to kill, kill, kill, as you wish to think.
Avid Amoeba ( @avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ) 1•10 months agoI don’t know how rational this is. Given how many soldiers have died so far, if I were a Ukrainian sent to fight on the front line, I wouldn’t expect to be coming back. Rather I’d hope that I contribute to the defeat of the enemy, so that my children or my comrades children don’t grow up under Russian rule. I’m not in their shoes of course. There’s no universal motivation so maybe what you say is more prevalent. That said, this war might not end without soldiers doing a lot more killing so “kill, kill, kill” might be an appropriate viewpoint.
Stuka ( @Stuka@lemmy.ml ) 22•10 months agoTankies shaking in their boots over that Abrams 120mm DU APFSDS slicing though Russian steel like butter.
It’s so easy to trigger tankie bridgades. How many posts yall got about me now? Tagged me in a few!
sewerkat ( @sewerkat@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 22•10 months agoThe amount of ruscist sympathisers in this thread is depressing. Are depleted uranium munitions fucked up? Yeah and they shouldn’t be used. But that isn’t an excuse to bootlick a fascist invader that is already performing ethnic cleansing on territories they took last year
Dee ( @Dee@lemmings.world ) 7•10 months agoYeah, I use threads like these to block users. Can’t wait for lemmy to implement user level instance blocking like mastodon has.
Edit: don’t downvote me, tell me what issue you have with this.
pelikan ( @pelikan@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) English3•10 months agoI have no issue with your blocklist (and not gonna downvote your comment), but i still have to say that your position is pretty strange. Why at all join lemmy.ml which is known as real Babel tower with wide range of different opinions without any of them being dominant or enforced (and that differs .ml from .world, beehaw, hexbear, lemmygrad and so on)? If you need echo chamber, you can join other instance or get back to reddit, no reason to wait someone to code some functions.
Big Miku ( @TheBigMike@lemm.ee ) English18•10 months agoFrom what I’ve read depleted uranium is not proven to cause cancer, nor is it not proven (With the exception that you inhale it or eat it).
In Iraq it’s still up to debate if it causes cancer or birth defects, since burning buildings and other burning stuff also causes a lot of nasty things to humans.
From what I’ve read they were also used in Bosnia, and they haven’t had similiar effects to Iraq.
So let the Ukrainians have their depleted uranium.
gnuhaut ( @gnuhaut@lemmy.ml ) 17•10 months agoWhy though? Can’t imagine that these rounds are going to change the course of the war, so why? Are they out of non-Uranium ones?
letsgocrazy ( @letsgocrazy@lemm.ee ) 23•10 months agoThey are harder and penetrate armour better. So yes they will provide an advantage.
The sooner Russian occupiers are no longer murdering Ukrainians and dropping mines over every square meter of land, the less harm comes to Ukrainians.
tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 ( @tryptaminev@feddit.de ) 10•10 months agoNo individual measure aside from troops on the ground or nukes is going to change the course of the war by itself.
The ammunition is very effective at punching through the armor. But the Ukrainians will be fucked when in 5 years Leukemia in children is skyrocketing
invno1 ( @invno1@lemmy.one ) 5•10 months agoMaybe but if they lose the war will that be better?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine set to be unveiled in the next week.
The munitions can be fired from U.S. Abrams tanks that, according to a person familiar with the matter, are expected be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
It follows an earlier decision by the Biden administration to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians.
The United States used depleted uranium munitions in massive quantities in the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars and the NATO bombing of former Yugoslavia in 1999.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says that studies in former Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon “indicated that the existence of depleted uranium residues dispersed in the environment does not pose a radiological hazard to the population of the affected regions.”
Parts of the country are already strewn with unexploded ordnance from cluster bombs and other munitions and hundreds of thousands of anti-personnel mines.
The original article contains 499 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Sidyctism ( @Sidyctism@feddit.de ) 12•10 months agoDepleted utanium is a war crime
flying_monkies ( @flying_monkies@kbin.social ) 14•10 months agoDepleted utanium is a war crime
Actually, it’s not. Quoted from the British article about the DU rounds they’re shipping for the Challenger 2s:
The UK MoD insists that the depleted uranium shells it is sending to Ukraine are not prohibited by any international agreement.
It says that under Article 36 of the First Protocol of 1977 Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, the UK’s depleted uranium shells are “capable of being used lawfully in international armed conflict”.
President Vladimir Putin has warned that if the UK does send depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, “Russia will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component”.
The MoD replied in a statement: “The British Army has used depleted uranium in its armour-piercing shells for decades. Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to disinform.”
Stating the use of DU is a war crime is just Russian mouthpieces repeating Kremlin lies.
Stuka ( @Stuka@lemmy.ml ) 9•10 months agoWhatever weapon the enemy is using is a war crime!
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 3•10 months agoAh yes, the British… They know a thing or two about warcrimes.
flying_monkies ( @flying_monkies@kbin.social ) 1•10 months agoWhile the British don’t know as much about war crimes as the Russians, this time they’re technically correct. Technically correct is the best correct.
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 3•10 months agotEChniCaLlY cORrECt IS thE BEsT CoRreCt - a true functionary
flying_monkies ( @flying_monkies@kbin.social ) 1•10 months agoA tRuE fUnCtIoNaRy - the best a tankie can come up with when a tankie gets called out for their bullshit
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 2•10 months agoYes, nothing wrong with hiding behind some self percieved “correctness” (actshually…) to justify pollution that causes helth issues for generations. But I am so glad you are “technically correct” - how would you sleep otherwise?
Stuka ( @Stuka@lemmy.ml ) 7•10 months agoSaying things are war crimes doesn’t make it so! Also Anti-Flag sucks.
mashbooq ( @mashbooq@infosec.pub ) 4•10 months agoRecharged utanium, however, is a war benevolence
zaphod ( @zaphod@feddit.de ) 10•10 months agoSeems a little strange considering their refusal to provide M1 Abrams tanks from their stockpile as these have depleted uranium armor.
ours ( @ours@lemmy.film ) English10•10 months agoMaybe there are way more secrets in making armor with depleted uranium (and certainly other things layered in) than just shaping a shell with it?
Rapidcreek ( @Rapidcreek@reddthat.com ) 5•10 months agoThey’ll receive their first 14 M1A1 by Sept. 25. I don’t think any foreign countries get the reactive armor except for the US.
DragonTypeWyvern ( @DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe ) 1•10 months agoThe UK.
PowerCrazy ( @PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml ) 7•10 months agoI’m just glad that as an Adult in the room, I’m on the right side of history. Arming Ukranian Nazis with depleted uranium is actually the least evil option and anyone who doesn’t understand that is a child.
Another 50 billion for the cause!
slice1 ( @slice1@lemmy.ml ) 3•10 months ago
runiq ( @runiq@feddit.de ) 4•10 months agoAs a German, thank you. Meanwhile we’re still dragging our feet with the TAURUS, sigh.