Fallujah Birth Defects: Doctors Blame U.S. Weapons For Huge Rise

BBC News :

Doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons used by the US after the Iraq invasion.

Read the whole story: BBC News

Comments

[huffydenis012]

08:11 PM on 03/13/2010

Because no comprehensive studies have been conducted, it becomes a non problem, except for the families of those affected.
Another question is, “What are our armaments doing to our own military, and their families?”
An interesting point in the BBC report, or a review of it, talked about the reluctance of Vietnamese to discuss birth defects that might be related to Agent Orange. Since it took many, many years for the US to acknowledge the effects of Agent Orange on our own troops, its small wonder they would want to embrace looking for new internal health threats for our troops or an effected population, based upon their munitions, if only for the potential economic liability.
(Note: My brother, retired SF Sergeant Major, died at age 62 of cancer. He described his x-rays as looking like inverted Swiss cheese with the holes being the solid (tumors) and cheese the rest of the body tissue. During three tours in Nam, he was twice doused in Agent Orange, and had the name of the delivering pilot, who was still alive to validate one event, but chose never to claim it, “Because it goes with the territory.” He also enjoyed a smoke on his final day.)
Certainly the military industrial complex is not likely to initiate any investigations jeopardizing their cookie jar, unless directed to do so.
They will need our congressional push and support to insure comprehensive studies are conducted.

[dhrama]

06:11 AM on 03/05/2010

This should be stickied as the main forever.

[Laplase]

05:39 PM on 03/04/2010

This is horrible. If this isn't a war crime, I don't know what is.

[devildog21]

01:28 PM on 03/04/2010

A little off topic, but it's interesting that along with all the awful things we have to Iraq, we have also given them socialized medicine. Imagine that.

If we let Canada invade us, can we get universal healthcare too?

[skialethia]

12:21 PM on 03/04/2010

Let's not forget that this was an ILLEGAL war, based on bogus intelligence! Although I believe 99% of all wars are illegal!

Those children and their parents must receive compensation!

So far justice has not been done. The criminals responsible for this war and its consequences have not been brought to trial. Obama has made many mistakes but this is one of his worst, along with his inability to stand up to Isrl's leaders and just say NO to funding that is enabling their ongoing land theft and humanitarian blockade of Gaza! And speaking of Gaza, I imagine we will see this problem in Gaza in a few years too!

This is humanity???

[wizegeye]

12:13 PM on 03/04/2010

Many of the posters here are willing to accept accusations without any concrete evidence. At a minimum, the US military should look into this issue to determine whether it's done anything to cause the defects. I wonder if anyone's considered that the large number of IEDs could be the cause. These devices are made using a variety of electronic and explosive materials, which could produce harmful byproducts when constructed and/or detonated.

[grn1]

12:16 PM on 03/04/2010

IED's are not made with depleted uranium which causes birth defects. US bombs are.

[wizegeye]

12:54 PM on 03/04/2010

Actually, depleted uranium isn't used in US "bombs." It's used in US armor-piercing ordnance. In the 1970s, the Pentagon reported that the Soviet military had developed armor plating for Warsaw Pact tanks that NATO ammunition couldn't penetrate. The Pentagon searched for material to make denser bullets and, after testing various metals, selected depleted uranium.

[nexxtep54]

12:20 PM on 03/04/2010

Depleted uranium has been used by the US military for decades. Don't ask for a link, look it up yourself.

[wizegeye]

12:29 PM on 03/04/2010

If it's been used for decades, then why haven't we seen similar circumstances in other areas where the US military has used these weapons? Again, I never said US weapons weren't the cause, only that we should study the situation to determine whether this is the actual cause of the defects. That would seem to be the reasonable next step.

[Dailykook]

11:57 AM on 03/04/2010

I thought ISrael was default blame in middle east. We moved up a notch.

[nexxtep54]

12:27 PM on 03/04/2010

Silly comment.

[skialethia]

12:37 PM on 03/04/2010

Read this and get back to me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Special_Plans

[Dailykook]

03:19 PM on 03/04/2010

I'm not reading your cr+!p about Israel stealing babies and using organs blah blah...They blood libels were centuries ago. Get enlightened.

[nexxtep54]

11:48 AM on 03/04/2010

Way to go US \ Whay a nifty lesson in recycling . . .turn your radio-active waste from nuclear power plants into bullets and fire at will. I just cant wait for your atomic Earth Penetrating Weapons (bunker busters) you had declared as conventional weapons to start dropping on Iran from Israel. Genocide on an unprecedented scale, Hillary ?

[wizegeye]

12:05 PM on 03/04/2010

What in heaven's name are your talking about?

[devildog21]

12:10 PM on 03/04/2010

Depleted uranium ammunition used by U.S. troops.

[nexxtep54]

12:22 PM on 03/04/2010

Even these guys know. 4 min 13 sec. into video there's real news. stop watching Fox, and learn something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r_ICauyyWs

[hodz]

11:24 AM on 03/04/2010

This is one of the reasons why they hate us.

[wizegeye]

12:07 PM on 03/04/2010

Unlike you, I'd like to see some research done on the defects to determine, if possible, cause and effect. The anecdotal evidence is very weak, especially since the US military would have been exposed to the same elements that would have caused the defects.

[devildog21]

12:11 PM on 03/04/2010

I'd also like to see that. When do you think they'll start looking into it?

My money is on never.

[pbinh]

12:15 PM on 03/04/2010

Ever hear of "Gulf War Syndrome"?

[3dtrix]

11:04 AM on 03/04/2010

What are they complaining about? Their neighborhoods should be safe in about 4.5 BILLION years - the radioactive half-life of depleted uranium. Until then, they can try to figure out if the cancers and birth defects are more a result of the metal's EXTREME toxicity or radioactivity. Either way - they'll have a long time to be grateful for our helping hand - especially if they don't have hands of their own...

[mage]

11:04 AM on 03/04/2010

We are creating a new generation of people who are not loving us. It is sad.

[Manq]

05:55 PM on 03/04/2010

Which guarantees there will be more and more attacks against the US for the next fifty years.

Political policy is destroying our future.

[Manq]

11:02 AM on 03/04/2010

Join the US Armed Forces!

Travel the world! Meet interesting people! And Kill them! Including kids!

[grn1]

12:29 PM on 03/04/2010

or join the US/Israel government of middle east domination to secure globalization and kill them from afar with the bodies and health of young men and women who are lead to believe they can make a difference in the world. Stop blaming the military, they serve those insane cowards like wolfowitz

[spytheweb]

11:00 AM on 03/04/2010

Welcome to freedom.

[devildog21]

11:46 AM on 03/04/2010

Please. You act like we have done them a favor by killing tens of thousands of civilians and now a legacy of birth defects for how many more years to come.

They would be at least as well off and many thousands would still be alive if we had not started an unnecessary, illegal war.

[grn1]

12:31 PM on 03/04/2010

it's just a matter of who you determine has freedom, join the military now and then welcome the rest of us.

[Manq]

10:59 AM on 03/04/2010

It's almost as if the world would be better without the U.S.

Maybe we need to become a third world country so we won't have the money to try to run all the other countries in the world.

This kind of thing is just unconscionable.

[grn1]

12:32 PM on 03/04/2010

No wonder cheney thinks torture aint so bad, look what we do to the children.

[devildog21]

01:26 PM on 03/04/2010

Almost?

[skialethia]

10:53 AM on 03/04/2010

My heart goes out to these children and their parents. I would like to give them some advice: Get a couple of excellent lawyers, file a class-action suit against the People of the U.S.A. and sue the U.S. government for hundreds of MILLIONS!!!

[Manq]

11:00 AM on 03/04/2010

Suing for money is the American way of doing things.

Is it ANY wonder some of these people become suicide bombers?

[skialethia]

12:12 PM on 03/04/2010

Of course the money can never make things right, but it can help them caring for children with special needs and it can compensate them for the pain and hardship they suffer, and provide a security net for those children's future.

JUSTICE must be done! Unfortunately, the crime has been committed and the consequences are irreversible, but this country must take responsibility for its actions and never do this again!!!

What a horrendous catastrophe! Children always pay the price for the "stewpidity" of our leaders and the bru tality and irresponsibility of war.