Rezman

Biology

=**Birth Defects**= DU (Depleted Uranium) was used by the Iraqi to attack Kuwaiti during the war in 1991. It is identified as a neurotoxin which is also known as "nerve poison". This disease can be passed down to other generations. ([]) spinal bifida: it's one of the many birthday defects caused by the use of agent orange in Vietnam.
 * Spina bifida** ([|Latin]: "split spine") is a developmental birth defects, caused by the incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through the opening in the bones.[]

Agent orange was planed to be use to clear out all the living trees so that Vietnam armies has no place to hide. But the consequences were far greater. resulted in spontaneous abortions, chloracne, skin and lung cancers, lower intelligence and emotional problems to children. When Americans sprayed the chemical, it was sprayed on many Vietnamese civilians, animals and plants, which result in many death. Many children where indirectly affect. This means that their parents were expose to the chemical "agent orange" and as a result their children were born out to carry mental and physical problems. And It is definite that Americans are to be blamed but Americans are saying that there are not enough evidence to prove this issue. []
 * Vietnam war**-human environment


 * Environmental ||
 * Any thing flammable would be set off into flame ||
 * Nagasaki: Even buildings design to survive earthquakes collapse and blasted away. ||
 * Nagasaki: Water line broke this lead to the lack of water even 6 weeks after the explosion ||
 * Hiroshima: Fire combine with wind had cause a fire storm killing even more people those that survive the bomb. ||
 * Air pollution ||
 * Radioactive debris were still flying around ||
 * Many animals and plants were killed during the blast and more died later as the result of radioactive ||
 * Surface water were polluted by mostly radioactive wastes ||
 * The affect on Hiroshima was noticeable within 10km radius while in Nagasaki it was noticeable within 1 km radius ||

APPLICATIONS OF DEPLETED URANIUM
 * Due to its high density, about twice that of lead, the main civilian uses of depleted uranium include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shields in medical radiation therapy machines and containers for the transport of radioactive materials. The military uses DU for defensive armor plate.
 * Depleted uranium is used in armor penetrating military ordnance because of its high density, and also because depleted uranium can ignite on impact if the temperature exceeds 600°C.

EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM INTAKE OF DEPLETED URANIUM POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO DEPLETED URANIUM RECOMMENDATIONS
 * Under most circumstances, use of depleted uranium will make a negligible contribution to the overall natural background levels of uranium in the environment. Probably the greatest potential for DU exposure will follow conflict where DU munitions are used.
 * Contamination by DU in the environment was localized to a few tens of meters around impact sites. Contamination by DU dusts of local vegetation and water supplies was found to be extremely low. Thus, the probability of significant exposure to local populations was considered to be very low.
 * A UN expert team reported in November 2002 that they found traces of DU in three locations among 14 sites investigated in Bosnia following NATO airstrikes in 1995. A full report is expected to be published by UNEP in March 2003.
 * Levels of DU may exceed background levels of uranium close to DU contaminating events. Over the days and years following such an event, the contamination normally becomes dispersed into the wider natural environment by wind and rain. People living or working in affected areas may inhale contaminated dusts or consume contaminated food and drinking water.
 * People near an aircraft crash may be exposed to DU dusts if counterweights are exposed to prolonged intense heat. Significant exposure would be rare, as large masses of DU counterweights are unlikely to ignite and would oxidize only slowly. Exposures of clean-up and emergency workers to DU following aircraft accidents are possible, but normal occupational protection measures would prevent any significant exposure.
 * Average annual intakes of uranium by adults are estimated to be about 0.5mg (500 μg) from ingestion of food and water and 0.6 μg from breathing air.
 * Ingestion of small amounts of DU contaminated soil by small children may occur while playing.
 * Contact exposure of DU through the skin is normally very low and unimportant.
 * Intake from wound contamination or embedded fragments in skin tissues may allow DU to enter the systemic circulation.
 * In the kidneys, the proximal tubules (the main filtering component of the kidney) are considered to be the main site of potential damage from chemical toxicity of uranium. There is limited information from human studies indicating that the severity of effects on kidney function and the time taken for renal function to return to normal both increase with the level of uranium exposure.
 * In a number of studies on uranium miners, an increased risk of lung cancer was demonstrated, but this has been attributed to exposure from radon decay products. Lung tissue damage is possible leading to a risk of lung cancer that increases with increasing radiation dose. However, because DU is only weakly radioactive, very large amounts of dust (on the order of grams) would have to be inhaled for the additional risk of lung cancer to be detectable in an exposed group. Risks for other radiation-induced cancers, including leukemia, are considered to be very much lower than for lung cancer.
 * Erythematic (superficial inflammation of the skin) or other effects on the skin are unlikely to occur even if DU is held against the skin for long periods (weeks).
 * No consistent or confirmed adverse chemical effects of uranium have been reported for the skeleton or liver.
 * No reproductive or developmental effects have been reported in humans.
 * Although uranium released from embedded fragments may accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS) tissue, and some animal and human studies are suggestive of effects on CNS function, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from the few studies reported.
 * Following conflict, levels of DU contamination in food and drinking water might be detected in affected areas even after a few years. This should be monitored where it is considered there is a reasonable possibility of significant quantities of DU entering the ground water or food chain.
 * Where justified and possible, clean-up operations in impact zones should be undertaken if there are substantial numbers of radioactive projectiles remaining and where qualified experts deem contamination levels to be unacceptable. If high concentrations of DU dust or metal fragments are present, then areas may need to be cordoned off until removal can be accomplished. Such impact sites are likely to contain a variety of hazardous materials, in particular unexploded ordnance. Due consideration needs to be given to all hazards, and the potential hazard from DU kept in perspective.
 * Small children could receive greater exposure to DU when playing in or near DU impact sites. Their typical hand-to-mouth activity could lead to high DU ingestion from contaminated soil. Necessary preventative measures should be taken.
 * Disposal of DU should follow appropriate national or international recommendations.

=**Effects of War On the Environment**= =**Soil**=

**Iraq & Kuwait** – Movement of heavy machinery such as tanks through the desert damaged the brittle surface, causing soil erosion. **Iraq & the United States** – Military movements and weapon application result in land degradation. The destruction of military and industrial machinery releases heavy metals and other harmful substances. (from: environmental effects of war )
 * Sudan (Darfur & Chad)** – Attempts of remaining farmers to cultivate new land to grow crops despite the drought led to desertification and soil erosion.
 * Afghanistan war** – Pollution from application of explosives entered air, soil and water.
 * Russia & Chechnya** – Major environmental problems include radioactive waste and radiation, oil leaks into the ground from bombarded plants and refineries, and pollution of soil and surface water.
 * Vietnam war** – The application of 72 million litres of chemical spray resulted in the death of many animals, and caused health effects with humans. One chemical that was applied between 1962 and 1971, called Agent Orange, was particularly harmful. Its main constituent is dioxin, which was present in soil, water and vegetation during and after the war.
 * Kosovo war** – In 1999 when NATO bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, the resulting environmental damage was enormous. Petrochemical plants in suburbs started leaking all kinds of hazardous chemicals into air, water and soil.


 * Congo war:**
 * Environmental ||
 * National park were affected as refugees hunt endangered wild life as bush meat ||
 * Hippopotamus have decrease from 29,000 to 900 in population during this war ||
 * Farmer burned down forest for farming ||

=**Air**=
 * Kosovo war:** "dioxin, hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide and PAHs, and oil burning released sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead and PAHs into the air. Heavy clouds of black smoke forming over burning industrial targets caused black rain to fall on the area around Pancevo."([|environmental effect of war])

(from: [|environmental effects of war] )
 * Afghanistan war** – Pollution from application of explosives entered air, soil and water.
 * Hiroshima & Nagasaki nuclear explosions** – The events of August 6 and August 9 can be translated into environmental effects more literally. The blasts caused air pollution from dust particles and radioactive debris flying around, and from the fires burning everywhere.
 * Iraq & Kuwait** – Fleeing Iraqi troops **ignited Kuwaiti oil sources**, releasing half a ton of air pollutants into the atmosphere.
 * Iraq & the United States** – Oil trenches are burning, as was the case in the Gulf War of 1991, resulting in air pollution. In Northern Iraq, a sulphur plant burned for one month, contributing to air pollution. As fires continue burning, groundwater applied as a drinking water source may be polluted.
 * Israel & Lebanon** – A sludge layer covers Beaches across Lebanon, and the same problem may occur in Syria as the spill continues to spread. Part of the oil spill burned, causing widespread air pollution. Smog affects the health of people living in the city of Beirut. So far problems limiting the clean-up operation of oil spills have occurred, because of ongoing violence in the region.
 * Kosovo war** – Burning of Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) resulted in the formation of dioxin, hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide and PAHs, and oil burning released sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead and PAHs into the air. **Heavy clouds of black smoke**forming over burning industrial targets caused black rain to fall on the area around Pancevo. In 1999 when NATO bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, the resulting environmental damage was enormous. Petrochemical plants in suburbs started leaking all kinds of hazardous chemicals into air, water and soil. Factories producing ammonia and plastics released chlorine, hydrochloric acid, vinyl chloride and other chlorine substances, resulting in local air pollution and health problems.
 * Oil strike 1991**: Toxic smoke and fumes killed migratory birds and aggravated human chest conditions([|war and the environment])

=**Water**=
 * Pearl Habor (WWII):** "The USS Arizona, being the most heavily damaged ship during the attack, continues to leak oil from the hulk into the harbor" ([|environmental effect of war])
 * Oil strike 1991**: Crude oil released into the sea killed tens of thousands of marine birds and mammals. Oil from extinguished wells formed huge petrochemical lakes, destroying the land surface ([|war and the environment])

(from: environmental effects of war ) A scientist from a Desert Laboratory toured Kuwait’s burnt-out oilfields. ‘I’ve never seen such devastation. Kuwait’s desert before the Gulf War was very healthy, despite centuries of nomadic grazing and decades of oil development. It supported substantial greenery and wildlife. But now it’s coated in oil residues that affect water permeability, seed germination and microbial life. Plants are dying because they can’t breathe through blackened leaves under dark skies.’ Capping the burning oil wells took ten months. Crude oil released into the sea killed tens of thousands of marine birds and mammals. Oil from extinguished wells formed huge petrochemical lakes, destroying the land surface. Toxic smoke and fumes killed migratory birds and aggravated human chest conditions. A veterinarian at the liberation of Kuwait said: ‘I saw birds just dropping out of the sky. Later I found a herd of dead camels covered with dead flies: whatever killed the camels killed the flies at the same time.’ web: [] Soldiers besieging Sarajevo cut off the electricity supply, and with it the water pumps; people lining up at wells and stand pipes were easily and routinely picked off by snipers or attacked with mortar fire. It’s been common practice in war zones for belligerents to fill wells with rocks, steal pipes and pumping systems, dynamite dams, and pollute what’s left. A revolt in Iraq was crushed by draining the marshes on which the rebels lived and depended. Millions have died in war zones and refugee camps from water-borne diseases. And water looks increasingly likely to be a cause of war, because there is simply not enough of it to go round. In the mere 40 years up to 1990, global water-use tripled. Its use is inequitable and profligate where it’s relatively easy to get. A western family can use 2000 litres a day; in Africa a few litres of untreated water each have to be carried, often for long distances or in war conditions. The world population is still growing, while water tables fall, underground aquifers empty, lakes shrink and wetlands dry up. There are fears for war over the Euphrates, the object of a vast damming operation in Turkey which will cut Syria’s water supply by a third – and Turkey threatened to cut Syria off altogether for supporting Turkish dissidents. There are fears for war over the river Jordan: Israel, bent on self-sufficiency, claims all the water it can; but Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians need supplies too. There are fears for war over the Nile: Egypt is diverting river water to irrigate the desert, to grow crops instead of importing them; eight more countries, including drought-devastated Sudan, are in the queue. President Sadat has said: ‘The only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water’ web: []
 * Afghanistan war** – Pollution from application of explosives entered air, soil and water.
 * Hiroshima & Nagasaki nuclear explosions** – Radioactive sand clogged wells used for drinking water winning, thereby causing a drinking water problem that could not easily be solved. Surface water sources were polluted, particularly by radioactive waste. Agricultural production was damaged; dead stalks of rice could be found up to seven miles from ground zero.
 * Iraq & Kuwait** – Additionally, pollutants seeped from bombed chemical plants into the rivers. Drinking water extracted from the river was polluted, resulting in widespread disease. For example, cases of typhoid fever have increased tenfold since 1991.
 * Iraq & the United States** – Damage to sanitation structures by frequent **bombing**, and damage to sewage treatment systems by power blackouts cause pollution of the River Tigris. Two hundred blue plastic containers containing uranium were stolen from a nuclear power plant located south of Baghdad. The radioactive content of the barrels was dumped in rivers and the barrels were rinsed out. Poor people applied the containers as storage facility for water, oil and tomatoes, or sold them to others. Milk was transported to other regions in the barrels, making it almost impossible to relocate them.
 * Russia & Chechnya** – Major environmental problems include radioactive waste and radiation, oil leaks into the ground from bombarded plants and refineries, and pollution of soil and surface water.
 * Vietnam war** – The application of 72 million litres of chemical spray resulted in the death of many animals, and caused health effects with humans. One chemical that was applied between 1962 and 1971, called Agent Orange, was particularly harmful. Its main constituent is dioxin, which was present in soil, water and vegetation during and after the war.
 * Kosovo war** – In 1999 when NATO bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, the resulting environmental damage was enormous. Petrochemical plants in suburbs started leaking all kinds of hazardous chemicals into air, water and soil. Factories producing ammonia and plastics released chlorine, hydrochloric acid, vinyl chloride and other chlorine substances, resulting in local air pollution and health problems. Water sources were polluted by oil leaking from refineries. The Danube River was polluted by oil more severely, but this time hydrochloric acid and mercury compounds also ended up there. These remained in the water for a considering period of time and consequently ended up in neighbouring countries Rumania and Bulgaria.
 * Oil strike, 1991**
 * DEATH BY WATER**

=Land= __**Can Gio:**__ Mangroves one of the essential plant to provide the perfect habitat, food and reproductive ground for many marine and terrestrial animals were destroyed during this defoliant. Mangroves did not only provide food for animals but it also provided food for us human. And that's not all it also provided the local people charcoal, timber and fuel wood. With the chemical sprayed the soil is chemically changed giving it a different pH so plant would not be able to grow in these conditions. Mangroves also provide protection against tides, waves and water current so with out this plant coastal area becomes flooded and cause riverbank erosions.

There were a slight raise in number of animals such as fish and molluscs because of the dead leaves that the mangrove provided. But as the mangrove disappeared as the result of the chemical spray, the number of animals also start to decrease. Indirectly it also affect the life style of the people who lived in those areas as they were dependant on these natural resource as a living.

=**Organisms (examples of effects on specific organisms as parts of food chains and webs - biomagnification and bioaccumulation)**=


 * Soil contaminated with dioxin becomes river sediment, which is then passed to fish, a staple of the Vietnamese diet. Its keep passing the dioxin through the animals in the food chains.

A herbicide and defoliant, consisting of (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid, (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid, and dioxin, that was widely used in the Vietnam War; it has been shown to post-exposure [|carcinogenic] and [|teratogenic] properties in humans.  AUGUSTA, Ga. - Veterans exposed to Agent Orange are at increased risk of aggressive recurrence of prostate cancer, researchers report. A study of 1,495 veterans who underwent radical prostatectomy to remove their cancerous prostates showed that the 206 exposed to Agent Orange had nearly a 50 percent increased risk of their cancer recurring despite the fact that their cancer seemed relatively nonaggressive at the time of surgery. And, their cancer came back with a vengeance: the time it took the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, level to double – an indicator of aggressiveness – was eight months versus more than 18 months in non-exposed veterans.
 * Agent orange**

From 1961 to 1971 the U.S. and our allies sprayed 21 million gallons of chemical defoliants and herbicides over the southern portion of today’s Vietnam. The chemicals were sprayed by airplane, helicopter, riverboat, truck, and, around the perimeters of bases, by hand. Roughly two-thirds of these chemicals contained dioxin. While the record of destruction is still being compiled and corrected (see the work of Jeanne Stellman of Columbia), current sources give 10% as a rough figure for the total area devastated in the south, including 33% of the upland forests and 50% of the coastal mangroves. In some provinces 50% of the land was stripped bare. During the 1960’s Saigon papers carried stories of birth abnormalities in areas that were heavily sprayed. American and international scientists launched investigations and called for a stop to the use of chemicals.
 * __What is the history of Agent Orange __?**

Agent Orange was a nickname derived from the orange identification stripe painted around the 55-gallon barrels in which it was stored.
 * __Why is it called “Agent__** **__Orange__****__”__?**

· In 2004, three representatives of the Agent Orange Victims Association in Vietnam brought suit in New York against the chemical companies. A petition supporting this suit has gathered over 500,000 signatures worldwide. See __[|www.PetitionOnline.com/AOVN/petition.html]__ · The Vietnamese Red Cross set up the Agent Orange Victims Fund in 1998. · U.S. veterans, other individuals, and NGO’s have started projects supporting individuals, families, and communities in Vietnam. · In the 1980’s, U.S. veterans sued the companies that made Agent Orange and won what was at that time the largest out of court settlement ever awarded. · Three large international scientific conferences have been held in Vietnam, with participants from roughly 20 countries in Europe and Asia. Conferences on both the scientific and the humanitarian aspects of Agent Orange were held in Stockholm and at Yale University, both in 2002, and in Paris in 2005. **__What are its lingering effects today__?** · **//__For the land__//**: Much of the land has re-grown or been reforested, though a tough, economically useless grass nicknamed “American grass” still covers some areas. As of 1990, nearly 2 ½ million acres still lay barren. · **//__Hot spots:__//** A limited number of areas with high residual dioxin exist today, most notably around the perimeters of former bases where there was intensive and repeated close-range spraying, and at storage sites where spills occurred, such as the 7,500 gallon spill at the air-base in Bien Hoa. Urgent clean-up action is needed to prevent further human exposure. · **//__For American veterans__//__:__** Ongoing studies by the U.S. Institutes of Medicine have formed the basis for compensation granted by the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs for the following diseases: soft-tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chloracne, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as respiratory and prostate cancers, multiply myeloma , peripheral neuropathy, type 2 diabetes, and spina bifida in children of all U.S. veterans, and other birth defects in the children of women veterans. · **//__For Vietnamese veterans and civilians__//**__:__ Vietnamese scientists have linked veterans’ exposure to Agent Orange to high rates of digestive ailments, neural disease, skin diseases, and cancers. Women living in sprayed regions have experienced high rates of premature birth, spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, molar pregnancy, uterine cancer, and severe birth defects. · **//__Other lingering consequences of war__//**//__:__// The Vietnamese population also continues to be exposed to CS tear gas left behind in barrels that are now leaking their contents into the environment. Unexploded ordnance is another major problem: by 1998, UXO had killed 38,000 people and wounded 64,000 others since the //end// of the war; as of 2002, about 180 people per month continued to be wounded or killed. In addition to chemical exposure and physical injury, Vietnamese face serious problems from infectious disease, malnutrition, and other consequences of war.
 * __What is being done today to address these consequences__?**

Agent Orange Effects on Health

According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. The most affected zones are the mountainous area along Truong Son (Long Mountains) and the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. The affected residents are living in sub-standard conditions with many genetic diseases. The use of Agent Orange still has an effect on the citizens of Vietnam, poisoning their food chain and creating concern about its effect on human beings. This chemical has been reported to cause serious skin diseases as well as a vast variety of cancers in the lungs, larynx, and prostate.Children in the areas where Agent Orange was used have been affected and have multiple health problems including cleft palate, mental disabilities, hernias, and extra fingers and toes. Presently the Veterans Administration provides compensation and treatment for several diseases to former military service personnel who were exposed to Agent Orange.