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The Environmental and Health Impacts of Chemical Spraying: Can Law Protect Victims? The Case of Agent Orange
Published in Stefania Negri, Environmental Health in International and EU Law, 2019
Anne Dang-Xuan Nguyen, Amandine Orsini
The AO case is particular, owning to its span of action and blurred notion of intention. The intention to harm is more obvious in the use of other types of weapons (white phosphorus obviously causes burns, for instance). Again, its consequences bear similarities with uranium exposure out of nuclear tests50 or depleted uranium ammunitions.51 While suffering crippling health conditions, neither French military staff working on test sites nor American soldiers serving in Iraq managed to gain recognition of the link between their condition and their exposure to hazardous substances.
The obstacle of war
Published in Théodore H MacDonald, Removing the Barriers to Global Health Equity, 2018
Then there are the future illnesses that may well unfold. For instance, nobody knew that the notorious Agent Orange defoliant, used by the US in Vietnam from 1961-71, would turn out to have had carcinogenic and other effects on US troops. Needless to say, its impacts on Vietnamese people is not worthy of consideration! Today, there is mounting evidence that exposure to depleted uranium – used for firing anti-tank rounds from US M1 tanks and A-10 attack aircraft – can cause cancer, diabetes and birth defects. Many veterans are returning to the US with their health apparently in ruins from adverse reactions to anti-anthrax injections and/or consumption of experimental pills to counter chemical warfare agents. The other costs reflect to an even greater degree the level of human degradation and loss of dignity involved. For instance, some of the people being treated at Walter Reed have been asked to take part in the testing of drugs being developed to counter the effects of chemical warfare. This often incurs ancillary costs for psychiatric side effects.
Environmental Radioactivity and Radioecology
Published in Gaetano Licitra, Giovanni d'Amore, Mauro Magnoni, Physical Agents in the Environment and Workplace, 2018
An interesting byproduct of enriched uranium is depleted uranium, often indicated as DU; it is uranium with a very low 235U content, typically less than 0.2%, the natural level being 0.72%. The manufacturing of nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants has produced large quantities of depleted uranium, which initially was treated as low radioactive waste to be disposed of. Very soon, however, it became clear that this special material, which has a very high density (about 19 g/cm3) and a high atomic number Z (Z = 92, number of protons), could have very interesting re-uses. Depleted uranium was utilised to make a large variety of peculiar technological items: very effective radiation γ shields for high activity sources, stabilisers for sailboat keels and, especially in the past, counterweights in the wings of some aircraft (the Boeing 747 and others).
A review of chemical warfare agents linked to respiratory and neurological effects experienced in Gulf War Illness
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2022
Angela Cruz-Hernandez, Andrew Roney, Dinesh G. Goswami, Neera Tewari-Singh, Jared M. Brown
Over 30 years after the GW, scientists have yet to understand the etiology of GWI. Multiple exposures have been implicated, particularly inhaled toxicants, such as depleted uranium (DU), pesticides (organophosphates [OPs] and carbamates), fine particulate matter (PM) (building fires, oil well fires, and desert dust), and chemical warfare agents (CWAs; sarin and sulfur mustard [SM]) (Binns et al. 2008). Other non-respiratory exposures that have been suspected of contributing to the disease etiology include microbiological exposures, immunizations against anthrax, plague, botulism, and physiological stress components (i.e. sleep deprivation, extreme temperature, and combat stress) (Haley 1997; Hyams et al. 2001; Peakman et al. 2006). This review will focus on the etiology of GWI/CMI, focusing on CWA inhalation exposures suggested in disease pathology. For these exposures, this review will summarize the prevalence and likelihood of veterans being exposed, mechanistic studies, and the environmental factors that can cause neurological and lung inflammation resulting from inhaling CWAs.
Passage of uranium through human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells: influence of time exposure in mono- and co-culture in vitro models
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2020
C. Gloaguen, A. F. Raimundo, C. Elie, A. Schmitt, M. Floriani, S. Favard, D. Monneret, F. Imbert-Bismut, N. Weiss, M. A. Deli, K. Tack, P. Lestaevel, M. A. Benadjaoud, A. Legendre
Uranium (U) is a heavy metal and radionuclide that is found naturally in the Earth’s crust, and so is also present in underground water, air, plants and animals. In addition, certain human activities, industrial, nuclear or military, lead to the production of U waste, which increases the risk of human low-dose exposure. This waste is mainly composed of depleted uranium (DU) and is now considered an emerging environmental pollutant (Faa et al. 2018). DU contains a low level of 235U and is around 40% less radioactive than naturally occurring U. Health risk concerns have been raised for populations exposed to U, especially regarding toxicity in the kidney and central nervous system (CNS). Previous studies have shown that U ingestion affects animal behavior: impairment of locomotor activity and learning processes and increased anxiety (Briner and Murray 2005; Lestaevel et al. 2015). In fact, after ingestion of DU-contaminated drinking water (40 mg.L−1), there were even traces of U (quantity <3 ng/L) in the brain of exposed animals and U was detected in specific brain areas - the striatum, the cortex and the hippocampus (Houpert et al. 2007). This localization of U is heterogeneous and, dose and exposition mode-dependent (Houpert et al. 2005; Tournier et al. 2009).
COHERE – strengthening cooperation within the Canadian government on radiation research
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2021
Vinita Chauhan, Julie Leblanc, Baki Sadi, Julie Burtt, Kiza Sauvé, Rachel Lane, Kristi Randhawa, Ruth Wilkins, Debora Quayle
Uranium is widespread in nature; Canadians primarily receive uranium exposure through drinking water and food. Natural events, such as forest fires can release uranium into the environment as with its release from rock and soil through natural processes. Artificial sources of uranium, largely stemming from the nuclear energy industry, also contribute to the release of uranium to the environment and contribute to the occupational exposures of workers. Although the health effects of acute (and very high) exposures to natural and depleted uranium exposures including nephrotoxicity are well-known, the health risks from long-term chronic consumption of uranium are less understood and deserve further investigation.