"One overlooked but significant consequence of the Bush administration’s plans to invade Iraq is the renewed debate about weapons containing depleted uranium (DU). During the last decade, international interest in the effects of the use of DU munitions has ebbed and flowed with the tides of war. In the debate’s present revival, the most zealous defenders and critics of DU munitions advance old and new claims that mix facts with fiction and propaganda, creating myths and misperceptions that obscure sensible assessments of DU’s serious health and environmental effects...

"DU munitions are neither the benign wonder weapons promoted by Pentagon propagandists nor the instruments of genocide decried by hyperbolic anti-DU activists. While the political effects of using DU munitions are perhaps more apparent than their health and environmental effects, science and common sense dictate it is unwise to use a weapon that distributes large quantities of a toxic waste in areas where people live, work, grow food, or draw water. There’s no end in sight to the DU debate, but debunking the false claims from both extremes is an important first step in creating the conditions necessary for constructive dialogue and sensible scientific studies."

For the complete report, go to the link above.