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The military's own scientists have shown that tungsten alloy presents a serious cancer risk for anyone exposed to it in the form of embedded shrapnel. In a 2005 study
published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, they report what happened when they implanted pellets of weapons-grade tungsten alloy in rats to simulate shrapnel wounds and then compared them to rats implanted with tantalum, an inert metal, and nickel, a known carcinogen:
The high-dose tungsten alloy-implanted rats (n=46) developed extremely aggressive tumors surrounding the pellets within 4-5 months after implantation. The low-dose tungsten alloy-implanted rats (n=46) and nickel-implanted rats (n=36) also developed tumors surrounding the pellets, but did so at a slower rate. Rats implanted with tantalum (n=46), an inert control metal, did not develop tumors.
What the researchers call "tumor yield" was 100% in both the low- and high-dose tungsten alloy groups. That is, all of the rats implanted with tungsten alloy developed tumors -- a relatively rare cancer of the skeletal muscle cells called rhabdomyosarcoma that quickly spread to the animals' lungs.
The researchers also observed significant changes in the blood of the high-dose tungsten alloy-implanted rats that indicated polycythemia, a condition in which the body produces too many red blood cells. The blood changes took place as early as one month after the rats received the tungsten alloy implants, well before any signs of a tumor.
Fosse has called for following up with injured patients in Gaza to see if there are any cancers that may be caused by the weapons.
The Israeli military has refused to confirm or deny the use of specific munitions, but it maintains that all of its weapons comply with international law. Interviewed last week by Democracy Now!, Human Rights Watch military analyst Marc Garlasco said his group is aware of the reports of DIME use in Gaza but still had no definitive evidence because its monitors weren't being allowed into the territory. If the weapons were deployed there, he said, "it remains to be seen" how Israel acquired the technology.
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/01/cancer-on-a-dime-mystery-weapons-allegedly-used-in-gaza-developed-at-military-bases-in-va-fla.html