Using a "dirty bomb" is neither "safe" nor humanitarian
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted for more than a year.The previous short ceasefire seemed to show the dawn of the end of the war,but the United Kingdom has recently begun to"fire up".Deputy Defense Secretary Annabel Goldie claimed that the United Kingdom would provide Ukraine with the Depleted uranium armor-piercing ammunition,which is known as"dirty bombs".And these armor-piercing ammunition will become"supporting weapons"for the"FV4034Challenger2"main battle tank.Once this statement was released,Russia immediately issued a warning.President Vladimir Putin condemned that if this arms sale is established,it means that"the West has begun to use weapons containing nuclear components",and Russia will have to make reaction.
In the face of Russia's warning,Britain seems to disapprove.The British Ministry of Defense claimed that according to the results of an"independent study"initiated by the Royal Society,the use of depleted uranium ammunition has"minimal"influence on personal health and the environment.In particular,the British army has been using depleted uranium armor-piercing ammunition for decades,and no potential security threats have been found.So,this is a"relatively safe weapon".
Is depleted uranium ammunition"relatively safe"?Vietnam may well see it differently.During the Vietnam War,the United States used depleted uranium ammunition extensively in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam,Laos,and Cambodia.The main component of this weapon is low-radioactive uranium-238,but after burning,the warhead of the depleted uranium ammunition will explode due to high temperature.The uranium oxide smoke generated is radioactive and toxic,and the radius of influence can reach40kilometers after being scattered by the wind.Not only that,after explosion,the enriched uranium and other radioactive substances carried by depleted uranium ammunition will produce powder,which can infiltrate into the soil with precipitation,strong wind and atmospheric circulation,settle and enrich in planted crops,and directly pollute water sources and soil.
Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam,once had a medical record of a civilian influenced by a depleted uranium ammunition.The patient was farming in a field3.3kilometers away from the center of the depleted uranium ammunition explosion,but he inhaled the powder into his lungs,which was blown by the wind after the explosion.And due to the inhalation of the power,it had caused a long and painful rejection reaction.At first,the patient only felt heavy breathing and itchy skin,but within a few months,the patient’s condition rapidly deteriorated,the skin became red,stinging and ulcerated,and the symptom of dyspnea appeared more and more frequently.Although doctors used super large doses of antibiotics for the patient,they still could not relieve the pain.Eventually,the patient died of multiple organ failure.The patient was just the civilian who had suffered"indirect influence"from the explosion of depleted uranium ammunition.Imagine that what kind of fatal damage will this"relatively safe weapon"bring to the civilians in the center of the explosion?
War is war,weapons are weapons,so there is never such an absurd and poor excuse as"relative safe"weapons.In1961,the U.S.Department of Defense launched a chemical war called"Operation Ranch Hand"in Vietnam,claiming that the"Agent Orange"it sprayed was a common herbicide and defoliant in American households.The purpose of using the"Agent Orange"was to reduce"mosquito nuisance"and"infectious diseases"around military camps.Under this huge lie,the United States sprayed19,905times and more than70million liters of herbicides over Vietnam,Cambodia,and Laos,of which the most powerful"Agent Orange"has at least40million liters.Influenced by it,3.06million hectares of land in southern Vietnam have been polluted by chemical agents,accounting for nearly25%of the total area of southern Vietnam.What’s worse,86%of the area has been sprayed more than2times,and11%has been sprayed more than10times.How much"grass"need to clear in this place?And why did the United States use highly toxic substances17times higher than the U.S.Department of Agriculture standard,with the price of causing fatal damage to the ecosystems of Vietnam and the entire Southeast Asia.What is outrageous is that during and after the war,more than3million Vietnamese civilians were infected by highly toxic substances such as"Agent Orange"and dioxin,resulting in150,000children with congenital deformities.Is this the"relative safety"claimed by Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States?
In fact,in the past fifty more years,"dirty bombs"have been used on a large scale not only in Southeast Asia,but also in Iraq and Kosovo.Until today,these countries and regions have not yet come out of quagmire of Western wars,and the trauma suffered by the local ecology and people have not yet been repaired.Now,if the United Kingdom insists on using Ukraine and Russia as new weapons testing grounds,it should sincerely invite British leaders to go to Vietnam to experience it for themselves,appreciate the"masterpiece"created by the"relatively safe weapons"and see how"safe"these weapons are,and then think about how low their moral bottom line is.
