Depleted Uranium Speaking Tour also coming to Belgium

Damacio A. Lopez is Executive Director of IDUST, the International DU Study Team, a non-governmental organization of researchers, activists, soldiers, doctors and scientists throughout the world dedicated to immediately stopping the use of DU in military weapons.

Through coalition and alliances with other organizations IDUST works to inform and coordinate community advocacy efforts around the globe to stop the proliferation and use of weapons containing DU. IDUST promotes health studies and medical care for soldiers and civilians exposed to DU and the clean up and remediation of contaminated sites and the abolition of DU in military weapons. IDUST joins the World Depleted Uranium Center in the campaign to ban DU in military and civilian applications.

Mr. Lopez first became involved in DU research in 1985 when he organized Socorro residents in the investigation of potential health risks associated with nearby explosive testing at New Mexico Tech of DU weaponry. He has authored and co-authored many respected works, including; "Friendly Fire, the Link Between Depleted Uranium Munitions and Human Health Risk," 1994, "Uranium Battlefields Home and Abroad: Depleted Uranium Use by the U.S. Department of Defense," 1993, and "Progress on the Persian War Illness: Reality and Hypotheses," 1995, published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. Mr. Lopez served as a consultant to the United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland in 1997.

Damacio was invited to come to Iraq by a group called "The Japanese Citizens Peace and Research Delegation to Iraq." Together with Damacio, the members of this team have had personal experience with radiation: most of them are from Hiroshima. They are the children and grandchildren of the people who experienced a nuclear bomb dropped on them. The team's mission here has been to contribute to preventing another war from happening by joining the global anti-war campaign and by carrying out on-site research on the damage brought about by the radioactive and poisonous DU weapons used during the Gulf War and which continue to be used until this day.

The team also wants to extend what little help we can to the Iraqi people and the children suffering from the Gulf War and the long economic sanctions.

ARE YOU INTERESTED TO INVITE DAMACIO FOR A TALK, SPEAKING EVENT ETC. OR DO YOU HAVE NAMES OF PEOPLE OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE CAN CONTACT?

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)