the people of Colonie, N.Y. have depleted uranium poisoning

[donsu]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/06/5643/


Poison From Depleted Uranium Munitions Site Lingers
New study shows people who lived near or worked at former munitions factory in Colonie have depleted uranium in their bodies


-snip-

The findings, unveiled at a news conference, seem to contradict an earlier assessment by the federal government that deemed it impossible to measure contamination because it had been so long since the emissions ended.

Contrary to that 2004 assessment by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the scientists from England and the University at Albany say they can now show that more than two decades later, people still carry the radioactive metal in their bodies.

-snip-

An estimated 5 to 10 metric tons of uranium dust was spewed from the plant’s smokestacks between the late 1950s and early 1980s as it manufactured armor-piercing projectiles and burned the waste in a furnace.

-snip-

“A lot of my co-workers died young,” said Mike Aidala, 70, who worked at the plant from 1958 to 1980, starting as a janitor and working his way up. “Whether the plant was the reason, I’ll never know.”

-snip-

The scientists also said they found depleted uranium in dust in four buildings around the 11.2-acre site — in some cases at levels that exceed the Army Corps’ cleanup standard for soil.
-snip-
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the industry barons made their money and are long gone.

the people being scammed, snookered, screwed again.

[shadowknows69]

1. I'd wager most of the people in my area do too

Fort Drum has a huge live fire range where they fire just about everything. Particularly Apaches and A-10s (when they were in service). Is there a simple blood test you can take?

[donsu]

4. there is a test but it costs around 1 thousand and is done in only

a few labs in the world.

[shadowknows69]

5. isn't that convenient

[otherlander]

2. kick

because more people need to see this.
:grr:

[Tesha]

3. Well, I guess they get to die for their country. (NT)

[Buzz Clik]

6. Another set of quotes about the area:

Depleted Uranium in Soil and Dust Near the NL Industries Site, Colonie, New York

Depleted uranium (DU), a by-product of the uranium enrichment process, is chemically toxic and radioactive. From 1958 to 1981 DU was used to manufacture munitions and aircraft counterweights at the NL Industries site in Colonie, NY. Waste material was burned and emitted from a smokestack as fine particles of DU oxide. In total, between 5 and 10 metric tons of DU settled from the air on soil, rooftops, and other surfaces near the plant during its operations.

Following final closure of the plant in 1984, the US Dept. of Energy and the Army Corps of Engineers removed the factory building and many tons of soil on the plant site and surrounding properties that were above the negotiated cleanup standard of 35 picocuries per gram. The Army Corps declared the cleanup completed in the fall of 2007.

In 2006, several soil and dust samples were collected on three residential and one commercial property near the plant site. Soil samples were collected from yards and dust samples from interior surfaces. None of the soil samples exceeded the NL site cleanup standard. However, more than one half of the dust samples were significantly above the cleanup standard, with at least one sample from each property exceeding the standard. One dust sample was ten times higher than the NL site standard.

Contaminated dusts contain microscopic DU particles which have the potential to be re-suspended and inhaled by building occupants in the course of normal day-to-day activities. Once inhaled, the particles are retained in the lung where they can potentially damage surrounding lung tissue. The particles will gradually dissolve and DU will spread to the liver, kidneys, and other organs before being excreted. Present day urinary excretion levels of DU in exposed residents and workers indicates that some of the particles dissolve very slowly. Studies are ongoing to determine the size and chemical makeup of the DU particles to improve predictions about how they will behave in the environment and inside the bodies of contaminated individuals.

It is clear that contaminated dusts represent a potential pathway for secondary exposure to DU particles. Systematic sampling of household dust in all the surrounding properties is necessary to understand the extent of contamination in order that appropriate remedial action can be taken.

http://www.albany.edu/ihe/emerging/DU_Soil_and_Dust.htm