Wednesday 10 October, 2001
Bombing: the long-term fears
The air strikes on targets in Afghanistan have followed a similar pattern to those in the previous attacks against Yugoslavia and Iraq, bombing raids from a great distance designed to knock out military targets, preparing the way for a ground invasion.
But the accuracy of such raids has been a contentious point and concerns have been raised over the long-term effects of some of the materials on people and the environment. BBC Science reports.
Depleted Uranium
American and British forces have not yet released the full details of precisely what they have dropped on Afghanistan. But it's likely that some of the bombs and cruise missile warheads contained depleted uranium, or DU, a dense, heavy metal used to pierce armour.
DU is both poisonous and radioactive. On impact, such weapons burn up to leave solid uranium shrapnel, and a fine dust called uranium oxide.
Following its use in Yugoslavia and in Iraq, the World Health Organisation and other bodies have shown that it can be dispersed over a wide area, broken down into tiny particles, inhaled and even enter food and water supplies.
Long-term leukaemia risks
Although it is ten years since DU weapons were first deployed in battle - in Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War, the evidence that it can cause long-term harm remains inconclusive. Experts remain uncertain of just how quickly diseases such as leukaemia can appear after radiation exposure.
Speaking to BBC World Service earlier this year, Dr Mike Clark of Britain's National Radiological Protection Board was sceptical about the links between DU and leukaemia, however he noted how previous cases of radiation exposure have lead to the development of cancer. He commented:
'Normally for radiation to be the cause, the latent period for leukaemia is about five years and that was what was seen for Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors.'
Furthermore the cancers and birth deformities, which have risen in Iraq, could also have been caused by a range of chemicals thought to be present in the environment, either from pesticides or other bomb ingredients.
Bomblets
Cruise missiles can carry a range of warheads, from nuclear devices to cluster bombs, known as bomblets. Their conventional warheads contain a variety of poisonous substances such as nitrates and heavy metals.
The bomblets present an added problem, as some of them may not explode, littering the area with devices that could go off at a later date. They can be anti-personnel, anti-tank, dual-purpose or incendiary.
| 'Some even stay on the ground and explode under pressure like small landmines.' | |
It is due to their indiscriminate nature and lingering effects that human rights and arms control groups have called for such weapons to be banned. However the military remain in favour of them as they see them as a highly effective means of deterring troops and vehicles from entering areas.
Accuracy
According to NATO's own figures, of 307 cruise missiles launched at Iraq during the Gulf War, 65 missed their targets.
The initial stage of the operation in Afghanistan has aimed to destroy the Taleban's anti-aircraft missiles and aircraft on the ground, to disrupt their command centres and render airstrips unusable.
Whilst the US defence department have released reconnaissance photographs and simple maps of locations that had been targeted, it is still unclear how accurate the bombardment of Afghanistan has been. For while Washington says it has taken control of the skies, it remains uncertain as to how much control they have over the long-term damage.
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| Uranium 235 |
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Depleted uranium is a by-product of the nuclear fuel industry.
It gets its name because it has been stripped, or depleted, of most of its content of uranium 235 - which is used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
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