Lead dust is an unfortunate issue, but it isn't one that anybody gets terribly concerned about. It took us a long time to get it out of paint and birdshot, but both are still with us in places. DU is another toxin spread by the military during the course of normal operations. There are many such things, and the alternatives are not always clear or available. War does tend to harm people. Now we can harm them long after the fighting stops, but that has been true for a long time now, maybe since the dawn of history.

We are getting more and more humane in how we conduct our affairs, both on and off the battlefield. We get there because some people pushed us to recognize problems and improve. DU may be such a thing. Nothing will change unless we push the change.

Hellswraith: My understanding is that if you actually feel ill from working with radiological agents, that's REAAALLY bad. However, the long term effects of radiation exposure are bad enough. If the DNA damage caused by the radiation causes cancer in you next year, will it really matter then that you felt nothing now?