Flights radioactive depleted uranium by Gianni Lannes take off and land in Italy: thousands of kilograms of uranium DU fly over our heads every day. The estimate is by default because it does not include military aircraft of NATO, Eastern Europe and airlines across the world. "For many years it was depleted uranium used in airplanes and helicopters," pointed out in a circular dated December 1984, the Federal Aviation Administration (the U.S. agency for flight safety), and recommended precautions to be followed in the event of an accident.
Why? "The 'depleted uranium' has a specific gravity almost twice the lead and then you have heavy loads in confined spaces," explains Massimo Zucchetti, a professor at the Politecnico di Torino.
The metal of the 'disgrace' is obtained as waste from uranium 235, used as fuel in nuclear power plants. Although depleted, however, uranium is dangerous. The half-life is 4.4 billion years. "In the event of impact, depleted uranium tends to catch fire, creating a cloud of powdered uranium oxide. If ingested, inhaled or embedded uranium 238 attacks kidneys, lungs and liver causing damage to cells with an increased risk of cancer, "writes Professor Zucchetti.
"Apart from the Douglas DC-10 and KC-10, many commercial aircraft using uranium as a counterbalance in the control surfaces. Weights of the same type are used on Boeing 747, the Lockheed L-1011, on C-141, the C-130 and the C-5A "reads a letter that McDonnell Douglas sent to all purchasers of the DC-10 in 1983. "Another area of \u200b\u200bapplication in aircraft uranium is as a counterweight of the blades in the rotors of helicopters" the statement continued.
But what? The Agusta Finmeccanica builds helicopters Bell 412 A, under license from American Bell: its blades contain 13 kilograms of U-238. In the brochure Starmet (official supplier of Boeing) and that of the French Cogema, are listed in detail all the commercial uses since 1968, U-238 and the main customers (from Philips). Gerald R. Mack, a former Boeing vice president of Europe, says: "Several manufacturers of airplanes, including Boeing, Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas, have used depleted uranium as a counterbalance to the plans of command of the aircraft because the material provides a significant amount of weight in confined spaces. While the depleted uranium was used in different ways on different planes, can generally be found as part of the overall elevator and rudder like the back of large projects and on some models, as a component mounted on the wing ' full wing. " The manager admits: "All the DC-10 were delivered with balance weights of depleted uranium in 5 positions: outer wings, wing, wing complete, upper helm, trucks outside. The total weight on each plane was about 729 pounds (330.6 kg, ed).
notes Douglas Educational Service, and the Protocols of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in 1983 warned of its "avoid approaching aircraft uranium."
The circular notice how government should come into contact with depleted uranium during the investigation of aircraft, "not breathing and swallowing in the vicinity of aircraft that have damaged uranium counterweights.
"These slowly emit highly toxic dust and radiotoxic that can be inhaled or ingested, freeing the body directly for their dose of radiation with very negative consequences for the health of exposed 'to identify those responsible Democratic National Medicine, the biologist, and Dr. Fernando Mara d'Angelo. Ie: maintenance technicians, firefighters, health workers, police, support staff and, more generally, passengers.
dioxide and oxides of uranium aerosols in the air can be inhaled even at several tens of kilometers from their sources, depending on weather conditions. "The Italian aviation maintenance facilities do not seem adequately informed or educated about it as well as does not appear that the risks from these exposures and possible emergencies have been provided in the assessment documents required by the regulations on "Medicine goes Democratic.
In Italy, thanks to an exemption from the obligation to report established by a ministerial decree of 15 December 1970, the presence of significant quantities of depleted uranium in aircraft is not subject to any prior communication to the supervisory authorities. The airlines, however, are not insured against hypothetical risks of poisoning and radioactive contamination. Just browse dell'exAlitalia insurance policies (general and Assitalia) which exclude from their coverage of the "risks of contamination poisoning or fires linked to possible uranium parts of the aircraft. "
counterweight uranium-238, burned (photo by Gianni Lannes)
Ben 11 years ago, the Democratic Medical Association had lodged a documented criminal charges: "A number of commercial aircraft currently in flight line, contain in their structure several hundred kilograms Uranium 238 "Result? Archiving oblivion.
The Movement of the struggle for health was addressed to the Italian courts seeking to verify the existence of health and environmental hazards. "The airlines of the United States should review all aircraft in Class 80 for MD control the horizontal stabilizer "read a directive of the Federal Aviation North American (FAA), the failure of which is the source of the disaster of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in which 88 people were killed Jan. 31, 2000. Boeing owns McDonnell Douglas MD 80 that the factory - one of the airplanes in the massacre of Linate and advised companies around the world to review the stabilizers of aircraft. Professionals and experts call it a 'dangerous jet', after the complaint of Captain David Crawley. In 2000, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had received a petition from U.S. citizens with the request to strengthen the rules to control the depleted uranium counterweights. The response of the NRC has landed only five years later, ie January 6, 2005: "Existing rules already provide adequate levels of security, both in cases of incidents stocking these counterweights in aircraft decommissioned."
words in the wind. Just read the manual maintenance of jet aircraft, or to examine the export licenses and certifications issued by the U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) to realize that depleted uranium has been used in passenger planes of airlines around the world, with the exception of Japan Air Lines after the accident at Nikko (12 August 1985) uses its fleet from 96 on balances of tungsten harmless.
Years ago a complaint was lodged at the courts of Rome, against Alitalia SpA, Agusta SpA and those responsible for Leonardo da Vinci airport, Ciampino and Urbe, Pratica di Mare.
"Despite the fact that Alitalia aircraft in its fleet several uranium 238, there are currently no plans for evacuation or decontamination against this type of nuclear radiation" stated, among other things, the complaint. Alitalia, with a letter in January 1996, had informed the authorities' use of depleted uranium for the balance of control surfaces located in spaces protected and difficult to access. " In
Belpaese airways and airports are located in areas close to densely populated city. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission "even if there were ever an accident, uranium counterweights 238 are consumed at a rate of 5 percent per year because of erosion" and the radioactive dust circulating in the air we breathe.
A report of the Fire Brigade stationed at Malpensa, where millions of passengers traveling and working in thousands of employees, reported that "during servicing operations refueling aircraft Mc Donnell Douglas DC-10-signed F GNEM company's Cuban-AOM, CU flight 425, the external balances of the moving parts of the tail of the aircraft, built in uranium-238, showed signs of oxidation. It is not the first nor the last case. It was not possible to take measurements because "the appropriate probe for measuring alpha is not supplied to the command."
The risks are not only display what the consequences of unforeseen accidents. The most significant impact and greater concern fires in urban areas, since the "DU" is highly pyrophoric. In high-temperature conditions as in the case of a fire-above 500 degrees Celsius or high-pressure, depleted uranium burns, turning into uranium oxide, which becomes dangerous if inhaled or ingested.
Numerous studies show that can cause cancer, leukemia and birth defects. The physicist Robert L. Parker reported in Nature (December 1988) that the worst imaginable scenario has already occurred-October 4, 1992 at Bijlmermeer (district of Amsterdam), December 22 '99 at Stansted in England, ed-resulting from a crash of a Boeing 747 , 250 000 people would run health risks or imminent poisoning resulting from contamination by uranium oxides.
In Italy the dispersion of DU following aircraft disasters known and unknown, has never been investigated. It was never ascertained the epidemiological consequences. In addition to confirmed deaths, there are an unknown number of victims invisible.
Cisam-di Pisa, military nuclear dump (photo by Gianni Lannes)
What condition will the planes that contain these radioactive counterweights? Sara has never been made for maintenance? In Italy who has received the documents from Boeing and McDonnell Douglas? Whose responsibility even if the Ministry of Defence has become the basis Cisam of San Piero a Grado (in the park of San Rossore Migliarino) - a stone's throw from Pisa - a graveyard for nuclear waste, including depleted uranium dismantled by the military helicopters?
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ACCIDENTS
The March 3, 1977 crash, near Pisa, a military transport plane C-130. Killed 38 students and an officer of the Naval Academy in Livorno, three officers and two noncommissioned officers of the crew. On 6 December 1990 an Italian Air Force Macchi MB 326 crashes into the school Salvemini Casalecchio di Reno, near Bologna. Official toll: 12 dead, 80 injured and an unknown number of radiation-contaminated. The latest incident, which has knowledge of which involved staff-Italian (but not only) took place in Kukes, a few kilometers from the border of Kosovo, 11 June 1999. A 200 meters from the refugee camp exploded a Lockheed Hercules C-130 (with plate removed) on a secret mission. How many people that day has breathed the toxic fumes nuclear? Because NATO has said that "the camp was evacuated to get away from the theater of conflict" and not for the serious accident? On 13 August 2006, a C130-Hercukles, departed from Algiers to Frankfurt and directed crashed in a field of besure neighborhood on the outskirts of Piacenza. On November 23, 2009, in Pisa, a crashed Air Force C130 j (five deaths).
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR 11 YEARS
Written question (E - 0419/00) by February 7, 2000 by Erik Meijer. Subject: Stop the risks associated with the use of depleted uranium in civil aviation.
Here is the text:
1. And 'the Commission aware of the report published by New Scientist of January 15, 2000, which examines the incident of the Korean Airlines Boeing 747, which took place in Essex - Great Gretagna - in December 1999, which among 'Another is that the civilian aircraft was carrying 300 kg on the back of depleted uranium, not as a burden but as a counterweight? 2. Is the Commission aware that depleted uranium is used on a large scale, especially in older aircraft design? 3. Sa also, the Commission that depleted uranium is a material that causes serious risks to public health, as evidenced by the crash of Bijlmermeer (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and especially the Gulf War in Iran? 4. Can the Commission the European or world-wide standards governing the use of depleted uranium in aircraft construction? 5. Can the Commission indicate what are the rules governing the handling of depleted uranium at the time of the dismantling of the aircraft and disaster? 6. What steps will it take to put a definitive end to the risks associated with the use of depleted uranium in aircraft? "
The question still lies waiting to be answered.
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care of health PLANETARY
The adjective is reassuring: depleted. In English, "depleted", reduced, exhausted. But the 'Depleted Uranium' is known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic.
E 'was found in the scientific literature produced by institutions, institutions and prestigious organizations: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, International Action Center, Union of Concerned Scientist, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Office of Radiation, Chemical & Biological Safety (Michigan State University), Gulf War Veterans, Ramazzini Institute. Is not only used in the field of war.
E 'in place for decades, a vast and widespread recycling, but also in products intended for contact with humans.
circulating the globe more than 300 patents for products where you use 'Depleted Uranium'. Reveals the Landau Network Centro Volta in Como, "The European Patent Office has approved 696 projects involving the use of depleted uranium, among them there are baseballs and alloys for dental fillings." What
no longer a secret becomes a disturbing question. "How come tens of thousands of tons This product has been used for years in aircraft construction (civil and military), helicopters, satellites, sailboats, ships, yacht racing, screens for rooms of hospitals, oil drilling, in ammunition and mines, in asphalt roads, to lock the tanks, construction of containers, as a counterweight to the centrifugal washing machines and forklifts for lifting goods in golf clubs, bullets in hunting and common electrodes welding? "Stop the Committee request the U-238.
The United States has accumulated, according to data from the same Department of Energy (Final Plan for the Conversion of Depleted Uranium Exafluoride: DOE Report to Congress, July 1999), "750,000 tons of depleted uranium." Slag that grow at a rate of 30-40 thousand tons per year. The DOE's report reveals that "the contribution of industry, through the partial re-use of these materials, can reduce significantly the costs of programs related to their storage." Official estimates show that globally the amount of stored DU is about 10 million tonnes. Some companies, among them being the Starmet, recycle this waste for several years, selling them and scattering them on the planet. The Commission on Human Rights requested the UN Secretary-General to prepare the resolution 1997/36- a dossier "on the use of depleted uranium and other weapons of mass destruction or with indiscriminate effect, incompatible with international humanitarian law and human rights laws." Report missing news for 14 years.
