[Conversation Invitation] Military Interventions in the Broader Middle East: Effects on Nation Building and Education

Why am I posting this?
Because this is a public health issue.

From the Brookings Institution Upcoming Event summary

Events in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya have raised questions about the extent to which military intervention promotes nation building. As the prospect of military involvement in Syria seemingly draws inexorably closer, the urgency in accurately framing and seeking answers to this question through robust and frank debate is becoming increasingly clear.

Clear also is the crucial role of quality education in nation building, in combating poverty and promoting peace, social justice, and human rights.

Too frequently overlooked however, are the forms and consequences of military interaction with education when intervention is debated, authorized or takes place. In times of conflict education will suffer – and will do so through a myriad of ways: teachers and students may be killed, injured, imprisoned, or threatened; children may be recruited into the militaries of states and non-state armed groups; and schools and universities damaged or destroyed, deliberately or as collateral damage. Educational premises may, also, be used by military forces as barracks, for storage of munitions or even as firing positions and, in so doing, render them vulnerable to attack by opposition forces. Military support to education through construction of education facilities can sometimes be problematic. Individually and combined, all have the potential not only to harm education specifically, but also to undermine a commonly expressed motivation for military intervention: to facilitate nation building. The protection of education is inseparable from such endeavors.

The Brookings Doha Center – in partnership with the Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict, a programme of the Education Above All Foundation – is pleased to invite you to a conversation with General Sir David Richards, former Chief of Defense Staff of the British Armed Forces and former principal military advisor to the British Prime Minster from 2010–2013. General Sir David Richards played a leading role in the UK’s military operations in Afghanistan and Libya and throughout his distinguished career at the very top of the UK armed forces and government.

To reserve a place for yourself and/or a guest, please RSVP with the names of those who wish to attend to dohacenter@brookings.edu.

 

For those wishing to view/listen to this event, here’s the email response I rec’d (within 24 hours!) from the Brookings Doha Center.

Please note that the full audio of the event will be made available within 48 hours of the event, the full transcript within 72 hours, and the full video of the event will be up approximately one week after the event. We will also have an event summary that will be posted in a week. All materials can be found on the event’s website page.

EVENT AGENDA

• Moderator

  • 

    Salman Shaikh

    Director, Brookings Doha Center

    Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy

    @Salman_Shaikh1

• Speaker

  • General Sir David Richards

    Former Chief of the Defense Staff, UK

Improving Access to Mental Health Care and Psychosocial Support within a Fragile Context: A Case Study from Afghanistan

While American service men and women are being treated for war related traumas, let us not forget the effects of war on civilians…

From the PLos Absract 

• After the fall of the Taliban, the rebuilding of the Afghan health care system, from scratch, provided opportunities to integrate mental health into basic health services through the use of funds that became available during this complex humanitarian emergency.
• Practice-oriented mental health trainings for general health workers and ongoing clinical supervision in the basic health care system led to substantially increased demand for and access to basic mental health care services.
• Treatment of mental disorders within the health care system needs to be accompanied by a community-based approach that focuses on psychosocial problems.
• Addressing service delivery needs in a fragile state has to be accompanied by capacity building and policy development in order to foster structural changes within the health care system.

….

Looking to the Future

The experience in Nangarhar shows that, even within a fragile and resource poor context, it is possible to develop integrated services for mental health and psychosocial support, to rapidly cover an area of more than a million people. It is important to use funds available during a humanitarian emergency to pursue lasting improvements in the health care system [28]. There is an urgent need to develop a system of routine outcome measuring tools that includes both symptom reduction and improvement of social functioning. It is challenging to develop context-specific and low-cost outcome measures, but recent evidence for child psychosocial programmes in post conflict areas demonstrates that it can be done [29]. People with a limited background in mental health care can deliver integrated services, once their tasks are integrated within a system of care that includes focused, competency-based trainings, regular supervision, and refresher training [30]. It is important to strengthen the psychosocial elements of treatment within the health care system, and to ensure that the social context in which the symptoms occur and are maintained, are considered in the treatment plans of health care providers. The most recent version of the BPHS includes the addition of psychosocial counsellors at the district hospitals and comprehensive health centres. Preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of adding psychosocial counselling in primary health care settings in Afghanistan is encouraging [31] Apart from health system–based interventions, the authors have learned the importance of addressing psychosocial problems through activities outside the formal health care sector to strengthen self-help and foster resilience.

Related articles

• Community and health system approaches improves mental health in Afghanistan (eurekalert.org)
• Community and health system approaches improves mental health in Afghanistan (medicalxpress.com)
• Providing psychosocial assessment and support for migrants: A critical urge (icmhd.wordpress.com)
• Combatting Mental Illness Stigma in Society (psychcentral.com)
• Adolescent Suicide Prompts Look at Mental Health System: Ontario, Canada (jeanettebartha.wordpress.com)

• PTSD outcomes improve as US Army adds behavioral health screening to primary care (EurekAlert)

Depleted Uranium Weapons – A Short Introduction on the Adverse Health Effects to Soldiers and Others

Last week my “cousin” [actually it is more complicated than that] asked me for information about the effects of depleted uranium weapons.
She had read about a soldier who died from uranium poisoning.
Here is a portion of the email she sent me

There was an obit in our local newspaper,  2/4/12  of a young man who died, and had some Tiffin connection.

Here I quote from his obit:

“Travis Carson, age 25, died Feb. 2, 2012 of uranium poisoning lung cancer….Travis was serving active duty in the U.S.Army from 2006 until his death. He had served one tour of duty I Iraq.” (he is survived by his wife and four children.)

Image via Wikipedia

My cousin also asked me to look up information on depleted uranium which could be used to present to members at her local (Tiffin, OH)  Pax Christi meeting. (I am also a member of Pax Christi here in Toledo, OH)

This is what I sent her. It is a bit sketchy, I admit. But I hope it does give one an idea of what DU can do not only to our military members, but civilians and the environment in general.

I find it distressing that time and time again war materials are used without due regard to long term effects to people (military and civilians alike) and the environment. Agent Orange is another example.

Sites in Kosovo and southern Central Serbia where NATO aviation used forbidden munition with depleted uranium during 1999 bombing.

                                                   

   

Depleted Uranium (DU)  Weapons- A  Short Introduction 

What is DU and where does it come from ? Depleted Uranium (DU) is nuclear waste that is a product of uranium processing. Uranium found in nature occurs in different isotopes: U234, U235, and U238. Each isotope has a different number of neutrons, but the same number of electrons.

Image from http://www.world-nuclear.org/eduation.uran.htm (What is Uranium, How Does It Work- World Nuclear Association)This Web site also has great basic information on uranium and how reactor fuel is extracted from uranium ore

When uranium ore is processed for nuclear fuel, the product is usually pellets made containing the isotopes U-238 and U-235. Most of the fuel is made of the stable isotope U-238 which is barely radioactive.  U-238 is also called a “fertile” fuel; it is acted upon by the U-235 isotope to create energy. The U-235 isotope is much more volatile, radioactive, and “fissile”. When neutrons are fired at it, it produces a self-sustaining series of nuclear reactions, releasing huge amounts of energy. The U-238 atoms can capture neutrons shot off during the U-235 nuclear reactions, and split to become unstable plutonium atoms which also emit energy.

All this energy is converted to steam to produce electricity.   U-235 is one of the waste products of nuclear reactors (as Davis Bessie). Nuclear waste products can be processed for disposal at storage sites or reused as a fuel component or in manufacturing (as weapons).

[For a fuller detailed descriptions, please go to http://www.world-nuclear.org/education.uran.htm and http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/wast.htm]

 What are DU weapons and why are they used?   Depleted Uranium itself is a chemically toxic and radioactive compound, which is used in armour piercing munitions because of its very high density. It is 1.7 times denser than lead, giving DU weapons increased range and penetrative power. They belong to a class of weapons called kinetic energy penetrators. The part of the weapon that is made of DU is called a penetrator: this is a long dart weighing more than four kilograms in the largest examples: it is neither a tip nor a coating. The penetrator is usually an alloy of DU and a small amount of another metal such as titanium and molybdenum. These give it extra strength and resistance to corrosion.

In addition to armour-piercing penetrators, DU is used as armour in US M1A1 and M1A2 battle tanks and in small amounts in some types of landmines (M86 PDM and ADAM), both types contain 0.101g of DU in the resin cases of the individual mines. 432 ADAM antipersonnel landmine howitzer shells were used on the Kuwaiti battlefields during the 1991 Gulf War. Both M86 PDM and ADAM mines remain in U.S. stockpiles.

Where have DU weapons been used?    Governments have often initially denied using DU because of public health concerns. It is now clear that DU was used on a large scale by the US and the UK in the Gulf War in 1991, then in Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, and again in the war in Iraq by the US and the UK in 2003. It is suspected that the US also used DU in Afghanistan in 2001, although both the US and UK governments have denied using it there.

While we have a reasonable idea how much DU was used in the Balkans (12,700kg) and the 1991 Gulf War (290,300kg), there is little data on the extent of its use following the 2003 invasion in Iraq. One estimate put the total at 140,000kg by early 2004; with far more being used in urban areas than in 1991. This was chiefly a product of a move towards asymmetric warfare but also an increasingly casual approach to DU’s use. The US consistently refused to release data on the locations of DU strikes to UNEP and post-conflict instability has made assessing the true extent of contamination virtually impossible.

How does the DU in weapons get into the body?   The DU oxide dust produced when DU munitions burn has no natural or historical analogue. This toxic and radioactive dust , which can travel many kilometres when “kicked up” in arid climates, are readily inhaled and retained in the lungs by civilians and the military alike. From the lungs they travel to and are deposited in the lymph nodes, bones, brain and testes.

It is thought that DU is the cause of a sharp increase in the incidence rates of some cancers, such as breast cancer and lymphoma, in areas of Iraq following 1991 and 2003. It has also been implicated in a rise in birth defects from areas adjacent to the main Gulf War battlefields. A Balkan focused UNEP reported that these corroding penetrators were likely to contaminate groundwater and drinking water supplies and should be removed.

What are the radioactive hazards of uranium weapon? Radiation has three basic forms, all are emitted when DU “burns” as in munitions being fired

Alpha -fast moving atoms that are slowed by a few inches of air or piece of paper because of their relatively large size

Beta – fast moving electrons with higher energy than alpha because they are lighter and faster, can go through several feet of air or thin metal

Gamma- most damaging radiation, made of photons (much like light), their high energy can penetrate up to several inches of lead
The chief radiological hazard from uranium 238 is alpha radiation. When inhaled or ingested, alpha radiation is the most damaging form of ionising radiation. However, as U238 decays into its daughter products thorium and protactinium, both beta and gamma radiation are released, increasing the radiation burden further. Therefore DU particles must be considered as a dynamic mixture of radioactive isotopes.

Inside the body alpha radiation is incredibly disruptive. The heavy, highly charged particles leave a trail of ionised free radicals in their wake, disrupting finely tuned cellular processes. In one day, one microgram, (one millionth of a gram), of pure DU can release 1000 alpha particles. Each particle is charged with more than four million electron volts of energy; this goes directly into whichever organ or tissue it is lodged in. Ionizing radiation is a human carcinogen at every dose-level, not just at high doses; there is no threshold dose and any alpha particle can cause irreparable genetic damage.

What are the chemical toxicity hazards of uranium weapons?  While many studies have only investigated the possibility of kidney damage, since 1991, and triggered by concerns over DU, dozens of papers have highlighted other, more worrying effects of uranium toxicity. Repeated cellular and animal studies have shown that uranium is a kidney toxin, neurotoxin, immunotoxin, mutagen, carcinogen and teratogen. Compared to the uranium naturally present in the environment and the ore in mine workings, DU dust is a concentrated form of uranium. Uranium has been shown to cause oxidative damage to DNA. Recent studies in hamsters found that uranium formed uranium-DNA adducts (bonds),these make it more likely that the DNA will be repaired incorrectly. If this occurs, adducts can lead to genetic mutations that may be replicated leading to carcinogensis.  In 2007 DU compounds were shown to damage experimental human lung cells and disrupt DNA repair.

Are there any organizations addressing DU health and environment concerns?

The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons [http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/wast.htm] has information on current legal status, their campaign (news, events, timeline, projects), how to take action, and resources. They have a social media presence via YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Most of the information on this page came from this organization.

 

Related Resource

• Uranium (ToxTown – summaries of environmental concerns and toxic chemicals where you work, live, and play)

              Excerpts

Military personnel may be exposed to uranium if they work on a ship or submarine, or handle ammunition or nuclear weapons. They can be exposed through shrapnel that contains depleted uranium or dust from ammunition. Personnel may be exposed if their armored vehicle is penetrated by uranium munitions, or if they salvage vehicles that have been in contact with uranium munitions. When a depleted uranium projectile hits a vehicle, the projectile forms particles of varying sizes. Personnel in or near such vehicles may breathe or swallow depleted uranium, or have tiny uranium fragments in their bodies.

 

How can uranium affect my health?
The health effects of natural and depleted uranium are caused by its chemical properties as a heavy metal and not by radiation.

Eating or breathing very high levels of uranium can cause acute kidney failure and death. Exposure to high levels of uranium may lead to increased cancer risk, liver damage, and internal irradiation. Exposure to uranium can damage the kidneys and respiratory tract, and cause dermatitis and blood changes.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health considers uranium compounds to be potential occupational carcinogens. Uranium is not listed as a known or anticipated carcinogen in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program.

Radon is listed as a human carcinogen in the Twelfth Report on Carcinogens because it causes lung cancer. Exposure to high levels of radon can cause other lung diseases such as emphysema and thickening of lung tissues. Simultaneous exposure to radon and cigarette smoking can increase the incidence of lung cancer and lung disease.

Related articles
(these articles are for informational purposes only, they have not been evaluated fully. So little has    been published by vetted sources that it was decided to include all found articles via a WordPress option)

• Depleted Uranium a Soldiers Death Sentence! (disclose.tv)
• The U.s. Still Uses Uranium Deplet in Afghanistan (socyberty.com)
• Depleted Uranium and the Boeing 747 airplane program (enformable.com)
• Horrors of depleted uranium threaten the world (libyaagainstsuperpowermedia.com)
• Opinion: Depleted Uranium Weapons – a new area of Liberal Democrat policy? (libdemvoice.org)
• Canadian Soldier’s Struggle to Have DU Poisoning Acknowledged (stevebeckow.com)
• Depleted Uranium – the dangerous enemy – A death sentence (powersthatbeat.wordpress.com)
• Quebec ex-soldier plans hunger strike (cbc.ca)
• US and Client States Used Weapons of Mass Destruction on Libya (libyaagainstsuperpowermedia.com)
• Depleted uranium has wreaked havoc on health in Iraq (disclose.tv)
• Fallujah babies: Under a new kind of siege (alhittin.com)
• Poisoned soldier plans hunger strike in bid for care (ctv.ca)
• US uranium to blame for deformed babies in Fallujah? (rt.com)
• ‘Poisoned’ Bosnia veteran begins hunger strike (ctv.ca)
• Veteran who claims poisoning starts hunger strike outside minister’s office (theglobeandmail.com)
• ‘Poisoned’ veteran begins hunger strike outside minister’s office (thestar.com)
• Ex-soldier ends hunger strike (cbc.ca)
• Hunger striking vet to meet Veterans Affairs minister (ctv.ca)
• Vet who went on hunger strike worried about treatment (ctv.ca)

Lungs A Casualty Of War For Iraq Soldiers; Rare Bronchiolitis ID’d

Image via Wikipedia

From the 21 July Health News Today item

American soldiers coming back from extended service in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering extremely rare breathing problems according to a new study. Exposure to poisonous toxins may be to blame. Constrictive bronchiolitis disease is irreversible and severe cases often require a lung transplant. These same problems were seen during the first Gulf War….

…Dr. Michael Light, a professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine says the following:

“Pulmonary abnormalities probably are real after exposure to whatever it might be, from Middle Eastern deployments.”

However, what about the local residents? Do they suffer from the same breathing problems?

Light adds:

“They’re exposed to the same things, but we don’t know if they get this problem. This is a wake-up call that there may be ways that can reduce the impact of these exposures.”

Click here to read the entire news article

Related articles

• Occupational lung diseases in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (eurekalert.org)