Aishah Ali’s interview with geoscientist Leuren Moret
Ever since she knew about the devastating effects of radiation and depleted uranium pollution on the world as a result of nuclear weapons, geoscientist Leuren Moret has been on a crusade to stop wars and weapons testing.
The War Crimes Conference and Exhibition held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur recently was eye-opening and conscience-raising in its condemnation of the atrocities of war. During the three-day event, attendees gained insight into the horrors of past conflicts and the impending threat to our future if wars continue. Among the many impassioned pledges was a move to establish a War Crimes Tribunal in Malaysia this year and try U.S. President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard for their roles in initiating the illegal Iraq war.
The Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalize War is a global movement introduced several years ago by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. The February War Crimes Conference is the most recent of the annual events organized by the Perdana Global Peace Forum. The event fielded distinguished speakers who shared their expertise and showcased a number of war victims from Iraq and Palestine who gave a human face to the grim discourse with their heartrending testimonies.
Among the eloquent speakers was geoscientist and international radiation specialist Leuren Moret, who gave a startling revelation about the effects of radiation and how our global environment has been contaminated from atomic bomb testing since 1945 to the present, and how this pollution has sharply increased since the U.S. introduced depleted uranium (DU) weapons to the battlefields for the first time with the 1991 Persian Gulf War. This, she says, has caused a world epidemic of cancer, diabetes, neuro-muscular diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, diseases of the heart and brain and infertility.
A U.S. nuclear weapons lab whistle blower, Moret has spoken in 46 countries as she feels it is her obligation to share the devastating results of her research, which she began after working at two nuclear weapons laboratories in California from the 1970s to 1991.
What she has to say will not only shock, but also answer the question we have always asked: why are so many people suffering from cancer and unexplained diseases of the heart, brain and nervous system these days?
Aishah Ali: Your talk was scary. Can I ask you to elaborate on the effects of radiation and DU on our health? First of all what is your role at this conference?
Leuren Moret: My role is to introduce the radiation issue as a world war crime. It is extremely important for Malaysians to know because particles from radiation and DU are everywhere in the air.
We drink the same water, we breathe the same air and we eat food from soils that may have been contaminated. That’s why the pollution of the environment and the atmosphere is so important for the future of humanity and it is directly affecting public health here in Malaysia. I have been reading about increased infertility in Malaysia, which is part of the global trend.
Aishah Ali: Why us? We are so far away from the war zones.
Leuren Moret: These tiny radioactive particles are all over the world in two weeks. When a nuclear bomb explodes or when a DU weapon burns, it produces radioactive poison gas. Uranium when it burns is hotter than the sun and it forms extremely tiny particles. These particles stay in the air until rain or snow removes them and they contaminate our soil and water. Areas where there is high rainfall such as Hawaii, or the coastal areas in Southeast Asia, have much higher levels of radiation rained out into the local environment. Of course, this damages all living things, not just humans.
Aishah Ali: How do they get into our body and damage our health?
Leuren Moret: You know why people smoke opium? When you inhale the smoke, it gets into your bloodstream very fast. If it’s eaten, it goes through your digestive system. But if you inhale or inject it into your blood veins, it goes all over your body. What happens is, the tiny particles in the lungs go into your bloodstream and your bloodstream goes everywhere in your body -- to your bones, brain, even contaminating your hair.
It has devastating effects. The first is the heavy-metal chemical effect. You know how lead and mercury are very toxic? Uranium is also a toxic chemical.
The metal reaction will give your body horrible rashes and allergies.
Another is the radioactive effect where nuclear particles disturb the cells. Our cells communicate with one another but what happens is the radiation damages the signals and cells start to malfunction.
The third and most serious effect of DU is the nanoparticle or “particulateâ€
Amazing new revealings about the Institution called WAR
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