The film "Poison DUst" tells the story of three young men from New York who could not get answers for their mysterious ailments after their National Guard unit's 2003 tour of duty in Iraq. A mother reveals her fears about the extent of her child's birth defects and the growing disability of her young husband – a veteran.
Filmmaker Sue Harris skillfully weaves, through interviews, their journey from personal trauma, to "positive" test results for uranium poisoning, to learning the truth about radioactive Depleted Uranium weapons. Their frustrations in dealing with the Veterans Administration's silence becomes outrage as they realize that thousands of other GI's have the same symptoms. The film mixes interviews with soldiers with commentary by experts such as Dr. Helen Caldicott, Dr. Michio Kaku, and Dr. Rosalie Bertell explaining how DU contamination spreads and how residue from exploded DU shells radiates people.
"Poison Dust" will be shown, with an introduction by Harris, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m., at St. Stephen's Church (1525 Newton St. NW). The evening is sponsored by the International Action Center. For more information call 202/232-0057 or send an email to iacenterdc@yahoo.com.