A munitions technician with the first Special Operations Maintenance Squadron inspects 30mm rounds at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Feb. 6, 2018. (Rachel Yates/U.S. Air Force)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — South Korea not too long ago returned roughly 1.3 million rounds of armor-piercing ammunition made of depleted uranium to the United States, a welcomed departure, in accordance with a South Korean legislator.
The rounds introduced a threat to public well being and security, Kim Jin-pyo, a member of the National Defense Committee and the Democratic Party, mentioned in an electronic mail to Stars and Stripes on April 5.
“If an explosion accident takes place at the ammunition warehouse, hundreds of thousands of people could be injured,” Kim mentioned. “I actively welcome this depleted uranium ammunition relocation.”
The U.S. Air Force deemed the 30mm rounds “unserviceable due to an expired shelf-life,” a seventh Air Force spokeswoman advised Stars and Stripes by electronic mail Tuesday. The rounds ought to arrive within the U.S. someday this month and will probably be destroyed in accordance with routine procedures, mentioned spokeswoman Lt. Col. Kelley Jeter.
The rounds have been saved at a South Korean ammunition warehouse in Gyeonggi province, she mentioned. The 30mm rounds are usually fired from cannons mounted on A-10 Thunderbolt II assault planes.
“The 7th Air Force munitions logistics and safety experts were involved in this decision and have no safety or environmental concerns,” Jeter mentioned.
The South Korean tenth Fighter Wing transferred the rounds to the seventh Air Force in March, a wing official advised Stars and Stripes by telephone on Friday.
Depleted uranium is 1.6 instances extra dense than lead, making it a really perfect materials for armor-piercing projectiles, in accordance with the National Library of Medicine.
The U.S. employed depleted-uranium rounds through the Gulf War and as not too long ago in 2015, when A-10s attacked lots of of Islamic State autos in Syria, in accordance with a number of information studies.
Long-term well being impacts of publicity to depleted uranium are being studied by worldwide organizations.
The well being dangers depend upon a number of components, together with particle dimension and the quantity of publicity, to the U.N. Environment Programme. However, “air, soil, water and vegetation can potentially be contaminated and affected” by depleted uranium, in accordance with the U.N. program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency discovered the radiological threat “was not significant” the place depleted uranium in small particles was present in impression areas, in accordance with the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs.
However, there’s “a potential risk of radiation effects” for anybody who comes into direct contact with depleted-uranium fragments or ammunition, in accordance with the U.N.
In South Korea, the transferred rounds have been half of “an endless debate” over their security, Kim mentioned. He cited a threat of leaked radiation, a heightened threat of leukemia and different dangerous results.
South Korea must replace the Munitions Activities Gained by Negotiations Memorandum of Understanding, Kim mentioned in his electronic mail. The settlement permits the Air Force to retailer munitions in South Korean army services.
The present settlement leaves South Korea accountable for potential well being unwanted side effects and absolves the U.S. army of any accountability, even within the occasion of an issue on the ammunition warehouse, he mentioned.
Under the settlement, the South Korean army was accountable for managing, storing, inspecting and sustaining the munitions.
