US blocks critical investigation. (Middle East).IRAO -- Six years after the Gulf War, cancer cases in Iraq had nearly doubled to 10,931, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Iraq's Health Ministry. Iraqi health officials blame exposure to the toxic residue of depleted uranium Depleted Uranium (DU) is uranium remaining after removal of the isotope uranium-235. It is primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238. In the past it was called by the names Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38, but these have fallen into disuse. (DU) munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. for unprecedented increases in cancer, leukemia, birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. and fetal deformaties. Iraq's plea for an independent United Nations investigation of the health impacts of DU weapons was defeated by a 45 to 54 vote of the UN General Assembly (there were 45 abstentions). According to Reuters, UN observers attributed the defeat to "a lobbying campaign by Washington." |
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