Bombing of Damascus

[lovuian]

33. would Depleted uranium be considered "nuclear weapon"

would you consider that in that classification ....or is it just considered a 'weapon of mass destruction"

Inhaled or ingested DU particles are highly toxic, and DU has been classified as an illegal weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

if it has been used and I really hope it hasn't ...the evidence will be easy to confirm by gieger counter readings

The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the United Nations Human Rights Commission,[36] passed two motions[37] — the first in 1996[38] and the second in 1997.[39] They listed weapons of mass destruction, or weapons with indiscriminate effect, or of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering and urged all states to curb the production and the spread of such weapons. Included in the list was weaponry containing depleted uranium. The committee authorized a working paper, in the context of human rights and humanitarian norms, of the weapons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium

“More than ten times the amount of radiation released during atmospheric testing [of nuclear bombs] has been released from DU weaponry since 1991,” said Leuren Moret, a U.S. nuclear scientist.

DU has a half-life
I think it is a very long time

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has estimated that around 50 tons of DU dust from the first gulf war will lead to 500,000 cancer related deaths. Compare this to the 250,000 deaths caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/depleted_uranium_shells_used_by_the_military_are_worse_than_nuclear_weapons.php

Since the first Gulf War, the rate of birth defects and childhood cancer in Iraq has increased by seven times. More than 35 percent (251,000) of U.S. Gulf War veterans are dead or on permanent medical disability, compared with only 400 who were killed during the conflict.