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Is Karzai's Accusation That Coalition Forces Are Polluting Afghanistan with Nuclear Material Accurate or an Over-Reaction?

Scientific American by Larry Greenemeier | Jun. 25, 2011 (News Report)

President Obama has called for the withdrawal of 33,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan over the next year and the remaining 68,000 by the end of 2014, but questions linger regarding what the troops are leaving behind after more than nine years of combat. In particular, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has accused U.S. and NATO-led coalition troops of littering Full Story »

Posted by Fabrice Florin - via Scientific American, Bobby Britt (t)

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Walter Cox
3.1
 by Walter Cox - Jun. 28, 2011

Normally I have a lot of respect for "Scientific American," however this story seems to gloss over the known risks associated with depleted uranium, both for military personel and for civilians who must reside in areas contaminated by the fine dust that is generated on impact by depleted uranium shells. Genetic consequences for those exposed to depleted uranium are of particular concern (birth defects, inherited susceptibility to cancers, etc.), as are cancers and major organ damage that are known to occur over time due to the ingestion or inhalation of depleted uranium dust or the by-products of combustion in a war setting. These risks have been well-documented during the twenty years since Gulf War I.

It may not be intentional, however this article seems a bit of a whitewash to me.

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