Desert Storm Syndrome

Article

I found this article the referenced a few of the environmental impacts of the Gulf War on Saudi Arabia. This is the section that I found most interesting:

"Also in Iraq, for the first time, the United States used depleted uranium shells designed to pierce armor and destroy bunkers. These weapons were made from a dense radioactive metal. British and American tanks fired thousands of these shells in Desert Storm and both American aircraft and snipers fired hundreds of thousands of depleted uranium bullets, which oxidize upon impact. This created a fine dust which coated destroyed tanks, bunkers and the landscape where they were used. The extensive use of depleted uranium left behind 640,000 pounds of contaminated equipment and soil in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and southern Iraq. There is a strong suspicion among some that depleted uranium is related to what has popularly become known as "Desert Storm Syndrome," which manifested itself by neurological problems, rashes and lung damage. Depleted uranium was a fairly new technology and, like Agent Orange, considered perfectly safe. Admiral Zumwalt is a member of the Special Oversight Board for the Gulf War. This panel is currently researching the different types of exposures that may have led to the health problems Desert Storm veterans are experiencing."

I would imagine that over 600,000 lbs of contaminated equipment could cause numerous problems (many of which would most likely be impossible to detect). I don't like the idea of the U.S. using "fairly new" technology that is not well understood. I could see how such a tool could be very useful in destroying hostel targets, but I wonder if such rounds became standard and were used indiscriminately. Maybe toxic munitions such as this should not be used unless it is truly needed.

UN compensation for environmental damage

Article

This article is brief, but I think that it is interesting. It shows action by the UN to try to determine what the environmental impacts of of the Gulf war were by awarding several countries, including Saudi Arabia, $243 million. It looks as though during the 90-91' occupation of Kuwait incurred $46 billion in environmental claims. That is a staggering number that raises some interesting questions. How do you assign a dollar amount to environmental damage caused by war? $46 billion is no small figure. How was this number calculated? I think that it is not only important to look at these impacts of war in resources such as number of birds and trees dying, but also in economic terms.