Save Iraqi Children

In the summer of 2003, two Iraqi physicians visited Nagoya to give lectures on the effect of depleted uranium (DU) weapons which British and U.S. coalition forces used in the war.

Dr. Jaward al-Ali and Dr. Janan Hassan, who were invited by an NGO, Save Iraqi Children, Nagoya, displaying pictures and collected data, said, "DU has been blamed for the increased number of birth deformities, malignant tumors and children's leukemia in the ten years following the first Gulf War. The medical care system in Iraq has collapsed because of the economic sanctions. There is no hope of recovery of children who are suffering from leukemia.” Please see our pamphlet "Iraqi Children Now".

We Japanese participants were shocked by their lectures showing the high incidence rate of leukemia. The only thing that Iraqi patients can do is wait for their own death because of the ruined medication and lack of medicines, while in Japan they can be saved by chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant.

Responding to their lectures, the Physicians Forum against Nuclear War and for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons decided to support Save Iraqi Children and invited five-year-old Iraqi boy Abbas Ali to treat his leukemia at Nagoya University Hospital. We also invited two young Iraqi physicians and gave them training.

They requested us to aid Iraq in giving proper treatment. Then we called on medical institutions throughout Japan to provide medical instruments, and shipped out the instruments in three large containers on August 3. We are planning a second shipment.

In light of data collected by Iraqi medical persons concerned, there is a strong suspicion that leukemia, birth deformities and malignant tumors are caused by DU. On the pretext that there has been no scientific proof of the causal relationship, Britain and the U.S. used a large amount of DU in the war on Iraq and they do not deny the possibility of future use. The IPPNW is expected to conduct scientific research of radioactive and chemical toxicity of DU and to make clear the cause of those diseases and deformities, as well as to call on the world to ban the use of DU weapons until ill effects of DU are denied.

Photograph 1: Pamphlet, "Iraqi Children Now"

Photograph 2: Birth deformity

Photograph 3: Abbas

Photograph 4: Shipping medical equipment to Iraq.