WHO finds no increase in Kosovo leukaemia - U.N.

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

WHO finds no increase in Kosovo leukaemia - U.N.

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, Jan 6 (Reuters) - World Health Organisation 
(WHO) officials said they had found no increase in leukaemia 
cases in Kosovo after talking to doctors about possible "Balkans 
syndrome," a U.N. spokeswoman said on Saturday. 

But WHO stressed the findings were not part of a scientific survey. 
Officials had simply asked doctors to provide information about 
leukaemia cases from 1997 to 2000, United Nations spokeswoman 
Susan Manuel told Reuters. 

"The initial survey showed the incidence of leukaemia in Kosovo 
has not increased, in fact there was a slight decrease in leukaemia 
in the year 2000 as compared with 1997 and 1998," a U.N. 
statement said. 

"After consultations with nuclear and health experts, international 
health professionals in Kosovo determined the potential public 
health hazards related to depleted uranium exposure were not high. 

"They decided to devote their major efforts to rebuilding the Kosovo 
health system, launching a vaccination programme and 
implementing other urgently-needed public health projects," it said. 

Manuel said the assessment would continue over the next week. 

NATO has come under increasing pressure from several European 
countries over claims depleted uranium used in its weapons had 
caused death or illness among Balkan peacekeepers -- the so-
called "Balkan Syndrome." 

The statement said the WHO and U.N Mission in Kosovo had been 
aware of depleted uranium in Kosovo since NATO's bombing 
campaign last year, aimed at halting the repression by Serbian 
security forces of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority. 

International peacekeepers were deployed in the province after 
Serbian forces withdrew. 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) says the 
ammunition, which it also used in bombing campaigns against 
Serb forces in Bosnia in 1994-5, posed a "negligible hazard." 

Several European countries and European Commission President 
Romano Prodi have demanded more details. 

Moderate Kosovo leader Ibrahim Rugova said on Friday he feared 
the row over alleged "Balkan Syndrome" could put pressure on 
international peacekeeping troops to withdraw from the province. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
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Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
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