Glenn Beck makes light of the nuclear problem in Japan by lying about Chernobyl

Beck took the opportunity to attack the 'anti nuke' movement by dismissing the potential danger of radiation poisoning from the stricken reactors in Japan. While it's not clear how much damage has been done it appears quite obvious that the reactors are far from being stabilized and the whole situation could get a lot worse.

From his show:

GLENN BECK: The UN says the worst nuclear disaster in human history is Chernobyl. The UN says 4,000 people died because of that. That's the "I hate nukes" people that have adjusted that number. Stu, what are the confirmed dead in -- from Chernobyl? Was it 40?

STU BURGUIERE: Uh, I believe it was - estimates ranged between about 55 and 70.

BECK: Okay. Many of those were in the stage that, God forbid, we now start to head towards in Japan. Those were the people that went in and did the work on the containment facility.

BURGUIERE: Yeah, the vast majority. There were some, children, unfortunately afterwards who drank contaminated milk and passed away. You've got to believe that Japan is not treating their citizens like the Soviet Union did, and feeding children contaminated milk.

BECK: Correct.

The numbers Beck ia quoting are the immediate deaths attributable to the Chernobyl meltdown. Because over 600,000 people fled the area to all corners of the Soviet Union which soon dissolved it has been impossible to undertake any comprehensive studies of the aftermath but even the U.N. estimate is considered ridiculously low. Other estimates run into the hundreds of thousands. A fairly comprehensive study in Belarus suggests 93,000 deaths and another 270,000 cancers.

In Japan comprehensive studies were done after the atom bombs fell. These studies showed huge amounts of cancers that manifested themselves long after the bombs fell.

I'll bet Glenn Beck has never heard of 'depleted uranium' or where and how it's used and what the results are. The Iraqis certainly know. Modern military weapoms use depleted uranium in the tips of shells and bullets to help penetrate armor. It's proponents claim it poses no additional dangers. The people of Fallujah, where some of the fiercest battles of the Iraq war were fought will tell you differently.

Infant deaths in the hospital in Fallujah went from 1% in 2002 to 24% in 2009. Most of the infants that died within seven days of being born showed severe deformities. Additionally, severe disabilities are commonplace in the infants that survive their first week. This has occurred wherever there was heavy fighting in Iraq to the point where women who lived through the fighting are advised not to have children. Neither America nor NATO have ever acknowledged the dangers of depleted uranium weaponry.