[ RadSafe ] UN Report?

[Maury Siskel]

Hi Roger,
Do either of these help a little?
Cheers,
Maury&Dog    maurysis at ev1.net
=====================
TWO REPORTS FROM C.A.D.U. NEWS, ISSUE 13 -Spring 2003:
UNEP Identifies DU Risks in Bosnia-Herzegovina
A team of experts fielded by the United Nations Environment Programme 
(UNEP) has investigated 15 sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina targeted with 
weapons containing depleted uranium (DU) during the mid-1990s. The UNEP 
team used highly sensitive instruments to measure surface radioactivity 
at 14 sites (one they could not enter due to nearby mines) These 
measurements revealed the presence of radioactive "hot spots" and pieces 
of DU weapons at three sites - the Hadzici tank repair facility, the 
Hadzici ammunition storage area and the Han Pijesak barracks.
"Following a request by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, 
UNEP is carrying out this scientific assessment", said Klaus Toepfer, 
Executive Director of UNEP. "Seven years after the conflict, DU still 
remains an environmental concern and, therefore, it is vital that we 
have the scientific facts, based upon which we can give clear 
recommendations how to minimize any risk."
"We are concerned about the situation at the Hadzici tank repair 
facility and the Han Pijesak barracks", said Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of 
UNEP DU projects. "The UNEP team detected DU-related materials and DU 
dust inside buildings that are currently used by local businesses or, in 
the case of Han Pijesak, by troops as storage facilities."
"Before using any DU-targeted building there should always be proper 
clean-up. When people are working in buildings that have not been 
decontaminated, unnecessary risks are being taken, and, therefore, we 
will discuss with the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities the need for 
decontamination inside the buildings currently in use as a first 
precautionary step. Such a job should be carried out by experts", said 
Mr. Haavisto.

The UNEP team found that the general public is not aware of what DU 
ammunition looks like and the dangers it can pose. UNEP will discuss 
with the national civil protection authorities the possibility of 
offering de- mining personnel, other local authorities involved in DU 
work, and interested members of the public an easy-to-read flyer on the 
issue of DU ammunition in the environment.
The two recommended precautionary measures of decontaminating the 
targeted buildings and educating the public are consistent with those 
proposed in UNEP's earlier DU studies in Serbia & Montenegro and Kosovo.

A medical sub-team composed of the experts from WHO and the US Army 
Center (USACHPPM) visited three hospitals and examined medical data and 
statistics in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation and in the Republika 
Srpska.

The UNEP DU assessment is funded by the Governments of Italy and 
Switzerland. The final results will be published in a UNEP report in 
March 2003.
For more information, please contact: Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of UNEP 
DU Projects, pekka.haavisto at unep.ch, See also 
http://postconflict.unep.ch or http://www.unep.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kofi Annan addresses DU issue
In a message to the international community on the occasion of the 
International day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in 
War and Armed Conflict, (Nov 6th 2002) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan 
specifically referred to Depleted Uranium stating that it was damaging 
to the environment.
In his speech, Kofi Annan stated that "While environmental damage is a 
common consequence of war, it should never be a deliberate aim. Although 
international conventions govern nuclear, chemical and biological 
weapons, new technologies, such as depleted uranium ammunition, threaten 
the environment".
The UNEP statement in relation to the International Day, concludes: "The 
course for the future must be charted with a deeper respect for the 
environment. Member States must take stock of the guidelines drawn up to 
protect all victims of war. It is vital that maps be prepared and kept 
to facilitate clean-up activities when former belligerents come to the 
table to talk peace. The innocent should not be made to suffer long 
after theweapons of war have been silenced.
For more info contact: N Nuttall, UNEP email: nick.nuttall at unep.org


Roger Helbig wrote:

> Does anyone on the list know about this report or the individuals who 
> made it?
>
> Tuesday, November 12, 2002
>
> Other uranium hot spots
>
> SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- U.N. experts said yesterday they found 
> three radioactive hot spots in Bosnia resulting from ammunition 
> containing depleted uranium used during NATO air strikes in 1995.
>
> The tests found radiation at two sites in the Sarajevo suburb of 
> Hadzici and one in Han Pijesak, in the Bosnian Serb republic, 
> according to preliminary results released by the United Nations 
> Environmental Program.
>
> During its 1995 bombings of Serb positions around Sarajevo, NATO used 
> munitions containing depleted uranium, a slightly radioactive heavy 
> metal that is used to pierce armor. The Bosnian government said about 
> 10,800 rounds with the material were fired in its territory.
>
> Once lodged in the soil, the munitions can pollute the environment and 
> create an up to 100-fold increase in uranium levels in groundwater, 
> according to the U.N. Environmental Program.
>
> "We are concerned about the situation at the Hadzici tank repair 
> facility and the Han Pijesak barracks," said Pekka Haavisto, chairman 
> of the U.N. agency's task force.
>
> The areas where radiation is detected should not be used until the 
> sites are decontaminated, Haavisto said.
>
> The U.N. team advised Bosnia to start decontaminating the three sites 
> and educating people about potential hazards.
>
> A full report is to be published by the U.N. Environmental Program in 
> March 2003.
>
> -- The Associated Press
>