A new study has provided further evidence of the damage to Iraqi public health caused by the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation. The Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology found “staggering increases” in Iraqi birth defects and miscarriages in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Fallujah, which both endured heavy U.S. bombing. Iraqi children were found to have elevated levels of mercury and lead, key elements in the manufacture of bullets and bombs. Overall, the study says U.S. bombings have left a “footprint of metal in the population,” causing a “public health crisis.” Next March will mark the Iraq War’s 10th anniversary.