NOVEMBER 21, 2003--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nationwide campaign against secret shipments of radioactive ammunition announced.

Contact: Sunny Miller (413) 773-7427 (Deerfield, Massachusetts)
                Glen Milner (206) 365-7865 (Seattle, Washington)

Four organizations have called for an end to unmarked radioactive ammunition shipments across the United States. The highly toxic, radioactive ammunition, also known as “depleted uranium” or DU, has been used in recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The shipments occur on a daily basis throughout the U.S., on our highways, railways, and waterways.

Unmarked radioactive ammunition shipments are currently allowed by a special Department of Transportation (DOT) exemption, allowing explosive and radioactive ammunition to be shipped with only an “Explosives” placard. The DOT exemption, DOT-E 9649, was first applied for in 1986 by the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC).

DOT-E 9649 has been renewed every few years by the DOT and the MTMC, and could be renewed again on June 30, 2004. Activists against the use of depleted uranium munitions and these secret shipments plan to block the renewal process for the DOT exemption. If successful, depleted uranium munitions shipments will be required to be labeled with “Radioactive” and “Explosives” placards.

DU munitions are a uniquely hazardous material, consisting of a radioactive penetrator which breaks down into small particles when burned, and an explosive charge or combustible propellant in the shell of the cartridge. In an accident scenario, DU munitions on our highways or railways can burn and spread radioactive material. In the case of a fire, first responders (local police and firefighters) would have no idea the shipment contains radioactive materials.

Why should we care about DU shipments while devastation continues in foreign countries from the actual use of this radioactive weapon? Glen Milner, of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, explains, “By understanding the danger of shipping DU through our neighborhoods, we will better understand the actual damage done by firing DU in neighborhoods in other countries in our name.”

Sunny Miller, of Traprock Peace Center, states, “The Department of Defense knew in 1986 that depleted uranium munitions, and the shipment of this highly toxic and explosive material would be a controversial issue.” Sunny Miller adds, “That is the reason our military has secretly shipped DU, deadly uranium weapons, for all these years."

Organizations sponsoring the plan are Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Poulsbo, Washington; Traprock Peace Center, Deerfield, Massachusetts; Military Toxics Project, Lewiston, Maine; and Nukewatch, Luck, Wisconsin.

Please call (206) 365-7865 or (413) 773-7427 or e-mail gkaajm@juno.com for a six page action plan and references on radioactive munitions shipments.

JANUARY 7, 2003--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Depleted Uranium (DU) weapons fired by U.S. Navy on Washington coast

Contact: David Mann (Gendler and Mann, LLP) (206) 621-8868
                Greg Wingard (Waste Action Project) (206) 261-2670
                Glen Milner (Ground Zero Center) (206) 365-7865

DEPLETED URANIUM BULLETS, MADE FROM RADIOACTIVE WASTE MATERIAL, WERE FIRED IN EXERCISES OFF THE COAST OF WASHINGTON STATE ACCORDING TO RECENTLY RELEASED U.S. NAVY DOCUMENTS. THE U.S. NAVY MEMO WAS ISSUED IN JUNE 2001 AS A WARNING TO OTHER SHIPS, AND FOR SUBMARINES TO “STAY CLEAR”.

A COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PEACE ORGANIZATIONS ARE CONSIDERING FILING FOR AN IMMEDIATE COURT INJUNCTION AGAINST FURTHER USE OF DEPLETED URANIUM ROUNDS BY THE U.S. NAVY.

Depleted uranium (DU/U-238) is a highly toxic material. It is about half as radioactive as natural uranium (U235) and twice as heavy as lead. Depleted uranium has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. It is known to have been first used by U.S. Army tanks and Air Force jets during the 1991 war against Iraq with devastating effects on the environment in the region.

In 1995, the Army Environmental Policy Institute concluded, “If depleted uranium enters the body, it has a potential to generate significant medical consequences. The risks associated with depleted uranium are both chemical and radiological.”

“How can the Navy fire depleted uranium rounds and spread radioactive material into prime fishing areas off our coast?” said Dave Mann, Seattle environmental attorney. “The Navy is willing to put us all at risk, including its own sailors, to improve its warfighting capabilities”, said Glen Milner, of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, who received the information through the Freedom of Information Act.

The U.S. Navy memo was released through the Freedom of Information Act in December 2002 to Glen Milner of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action. The memo states in June 2001, the USS Fife, a U.S. Navy destroyer stationed at the U.S. Naval base at Everett, was “CONDUCTING GUNNERY OPERATIONS CONSISTING OF 5” 54 LWGM/BLP AND CIWS/DEPLETED URANIUM ROUNDS IN AREAS W237C AND W237F... (ALL TIMES JUN 01)”

Areas W237C and W237F are warning areas west of the Washington Coast between Neah Bay and Ocean Shores. This area is prime fish habitat for a number of endangered species.

The CIWS designation is for “Close-In Weapons System”, also known as the Phalanx system. This weapons system is complete with radar and rapid-fire 20 mm guns. The guns are capable of firing up to 3,000 or 4,500 rounds per minute.

Depleted Uranium (DU) Fact Sheet

Depleted uranium is a waste product of the process used to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power plants and weapons production. When a DU projectile impacts a solid surface, the pyrophoric properties of this heavy metal ignite, producing intense heat, resulting in an aerosolized radioactive release as the projectile quickly burns through the armor. The residue of this firestorm is an extremely fine ceramic uranium dust that can be spread by the wind, inhaled and absorbed into the human body, and absorbed by plants and animals, becoming part of the food chain.

The W237C and W237F are Navy Warning Areas and are approximately 25 to 100 miles off the Washington coast between Ocean Shores and Ozette (south of Neah Bay). The areas are used routinely for joint air/surface operations such as missile firings, air-to-surface bombing, air-to-air firing and combat tactics. The W237 areas are also a designated anti-submarine-warfare (ASW) range for ASW operations, sonobouys, practice depth charges and smoke markers.

The Navy Warning Areas are also approximately 50 miles off Vancouver Island. The use of DU weapons brings into question whether the U.S. Navy is firing DU rounds in other areas, such as the Nanoose range in Canadian waters.

The firing of depleted uranium rounds from the USS Fife also creates a hazard for Navy personnel aboard the destroyer. The ship itself becomes a radiological hazard.

Citizens of the City of Everett should be concerned over the storage and handling of depleted uranium weapons within city boundaries. Can the Navy be trusted to transport and handle this type of weapon properly?

According to Sea Waves Magazine, the USS Fife made a port visit in San Francisco on August 3, 2001. Usually such a port call will involve public tours of the ship such as at our own Seattle Seafair. It is unknown at this time whether the USS Fife allowed citizens on what would have been a contaminated ship.

The Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action is one of five peace and environmental organizations involved in a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Navy for violations of the Endangered Species Act and NEPA regarding the Trident D-5 nuclear missile upgrade at the Bangor submarine base. A 60 Day Notice was filed in March 2001. A decision by Judge Franklin Burgess in Tacoma in October 2002 is under appeal in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Plaintiffs seek an injunction against the new Trident D-5 missile deployment.

For further information about depleted uranium, check out Traprock Peace Center

DU Storage Facilities and Shipment Size Limits

The Department of the Army’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission Materials License dated December 24, 1997 (expired on November 30, 2002) discusses DU storage facilities and shipment size limits.

Bulk Storage

Section 2-2, paragraph 2.1.4 states:

There are two categories of storage covered by this application: bulk storage and non-bulk storage. Bulk storage represents long-term storage of large amounts of ammunition. Bulk storage installations can store a maximum of 10 million kilograms of DU. Authorized bulk storage installations are listed below:

Anniston Army Depot, Anniston, AL Bluegrass Army Depot, Richmond, KY Crane Army Activity, Crane, IN Hawthorne Army Depot, Hawthorne, NV Letterkenny Army Depot, Chambersburg, PA McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, McAlester, OK Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, TX Seneca Army Depot, Romulus, NY Sierra Army Depot, Herlong, CA Tooele Army Depot, Tooele, UT

(Note that 10 million kilograms is over 11,000 tons.)

Non-bulk Storage

Section 2-3, paragraph 2.1.5 states:

Non-bulk storage covers any Army installation that has a requirement to store lesser amounts of DU ammunition in support of military operations. Non-bulk storage installations can store a maximum of 50,000 kilograms of DU. Although not considered an all-inclusive list, typical examples would be installations that store DU ammunition in support of deployment, retrograde, shipment consolidation, or repair of military vehicles. Storage of DU ammunition under this category can range from a few days to long term.

Shipment Size Limits

Section 2-5, paragraph 3.2 states:

Transportation: The anticipated quantity of DU in a single road or rail-transport vehicle is based upon the gross weight limitation imposed on the vehicle. Rail transport vehicles could contain as much as 40,000 pounds of DU, while road transport vehicles could contain up to 15,000 pounds of DU. Typical peacetime shipments of DU ammunition by an ocean vessel could involve between 300,000 and 900,000 pounds of DU.

Navy Document on Depleted Uranium
Special thanks to Glen Milner

This MSDS sheet was released from the Department of the Navy, Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Indiana, on 22 May 03 in response to a 2 April 03 Freedom of Information Act request by Glen Milner. The Material Safety Data Sheet, dated 14 May 1984, shows the Navy has been aware of many of the problems associated with depleted uranium since that time.

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Fact Sheet: U.S. Navy Fleet arrival at SEAFAIR on July 30 in Elliott Bay

Almost every surface vessel in the U.S. Navy has the CIWS or Close-In Weapons System, which is capable of firing up to 4,500 20mm rounds per minute as a final ship defense against missiles and fighter planes. This is the gun system, according to Navy documents released in December 2002, used to fire radioactive depleted uranium rounds into prime fishing waters off the Washington State coast. The gun must be fired twice a month for testing and calibration purposes.

Depleted uranium, U-238, is a waste product of the process to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power plants and weapons production. Depleted uranium is 1.7 times as dense as lead and has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.

When a depleted uranium projectile impacts a solid surface, the pyrophoric properties of this heavy metal ignite, producing intense heat, resulting in an aerosolized radioactive release as the projectile quickly burns through the armor. The residue of this firestorm is an extremely fine ceramic uranium dust that can be spread by the wind, inhaled and absorbed into the human body, and absorbed by plants and animals, becoming part of the food chain.

In a 1995 study, the Army Environmental Policy Institute concluded, "If depleted uranium enters the body, it has a potential to generate significant medical consequences. The risks associated with depleted uranium are both chemical and radiological."

In 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy admitted that depleted uranium used in Kosovo was contaminated with "transuramic" (heavier than uranium) fission wastes from inside nuclear reactors. Munitions used were spiked with plutonium, neptunium and americium.

Documents recently released through the Freedom of Information Act show gross negligence of the U.S. Navy in handling depleted uranium rounds. In August 2001 the Navy mistakenly shipped 20mm depleted uranium rounds instead of tungsten rounds to the U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle. The Coast Guard received and stored 1,700 radioactive rounds at Pier 36 in downtown Seattle and loaded it on the cutter Mellon. When Coast Guard personnel realized they had depleted uranium on their vessel, they turned it over to the Navy's weapons storage depot at Indian Island.

The Coast Guard is not licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to handle depleted uranium munitions.