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It's worse than that - DU has a half life of 4.5 billion years -
that means it'll still be fatally toxic when the sun goes out. Of course,
before then the sub-micron particles that do so much damage will have been
'cleaned up' by continental resurfacing. After a billion or so years the
planet should sort itself out.
DU will go on killing people long after the wars and emnities that
led to it being used are as meangless and mythical as the Trojan Wars for
us. Indeed, those happened a mere 3000 years ago: less than a thousandth of
the time that DU will stick around. Compared to DU, the evil and continuing
harm done by AP landmines and cluster bombs is over in an eye-blink.
'We had to destroy the village - in order to save it' is obsolete.
Now it's 'We had to poison the country, killing ten or twenty (or a hundred,
or a thousand) people in it every year for the lifetime of humanity - in
order to save it'.
Chris Williams
> contamination of a cut. Furthermore, DU entering the
> food chain or water magnifies potential health
> problems. DU remains radioactive for 4.5 billion
> years.
>
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