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[Fwd: [downwinders] DU impacts]
Title:
FYI - re: your continued discussion of DU.
Peace,
Norm
-------- Original Message --------
Depleted Uranium Contaminates Bosnia-Herzegovina
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, March 25, 2003 (ENS) - For the first time,
a United Nations research team has confirmed that depleted uranium from
weapons used in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995 has contaminated
local supplies of drinking water, and can still be found in dust
particles suspended in the air. Depleted uranium is used in armour
penetrating military ordinance because of its high density, and also in
the manufacture of defensive armor plate.
A new report released here today by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) records the first instance of depleted uranium (DU)
contamination of groundwater, which was found at one site.
“The findings of this study stress again the importance of appropriate
cleanup and civil protection measures in a post-conflict situation,"
said Pekka Haavisto, chairman of the UNEP DU projects. "We hope that
this work will play a role in protecting human health and the
environment in the unfortunate event of future conflicts."
Sarajevo
View towards Sarajevo from a site being studied for depleted uranium
contamination. (Photo courtesy UNEP)
The new report is based on data collected by a team of experts on a
field mission conducted by an international team of experts from October
12-24, 2002. They investigated 15 sites that had been targeted with DU
weapons during the 1995 conflict, some within view of Sarajevo. The
sites were independently selected by UNEP on the basis of data provided
by NATO and local authorities.
The team used highly sensitive instruments to measure surface
radioactivity. These measurements revealed the presence of contamination
points and pieces of DU weapons at three sites - the Hadzici tank repair
facility, the Hadzici ammunition storage area and the Han Pijesak
barracks.
DU contamination of the air was found at two different sites, including
inside two buildings. Some of these buildings are currently in use, and
UNEP recommends a "precautionary decontamination" of the buildings in
order to avoid any unnecessary human exposure.
The report explains that the air contamination is due to the
re-suspension of DU particles from penetrators or other contamination
points due to wind or human actions.
Most nuclear power plants are fueled with uranium in which the 235
uranium content is enriched from its naturally occurring concentration.
The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched portion is called
depleted uranium.
vehicles
Han Pijesak barracks vehicle lot where contamination spots were found
(Photo courtesy UNEP)
The World Health Organization calls depleted uranium "weakly
radioactive" and says a radiation dose from it would be about 60 percent
of that from purified natural uranium with the same mass.
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the UNEP researchers found that ground
contamination occurs at DU penetrator impact points at low levels, and
is localized to areas typically limited within one to two meters (three
to six feet).
DU penetrators buried near the ground surface have corroded, losing 25
percent of their mass over seven years. The penetrators will corrode
completely within 25 to 35 years after impact, the report said.
The findings in Bosnia-Herzegovina are consistent with previous UNEP
studies in Kosovo in 2001, and in Serbia and Montenegro last year.
But previous UNEP assessments of depleted uranium in the Balkans were
made shortly after the end of conflict, while in Bosnia-Herzegovina the
seven years that have passed since the conflict have allowed the
corroding DU to penetrate the soil and contaminate the groundwater.
The report found that recorded contamination levels are very low and do
not present immediate radioactive or toxic risks for the environment or
human health.
In the health chapter of the report, the World Health Organization says
claims of an increase in the rates of adverse health effects stemming
from DU cannot be substantiated due to the lack of a proper cancer
registry and reporting system. The existing scientific data on uranium
and DU health effects indicate that it is "highly unlikely" that DU
could be associated with any of the reported health problems, the UN
health agency said.
fragment
UNEP team member holds a fragment of a corroded penetrator fragment at
the Hadzici Tank Repair facility. (Photo courtesy UNEP)
“These newest findings from UNEP’s ongoing post-conflict assessment work
must not be seen as a cause for alarm,” said UNEP Executive Director
Klaus Toepfer. “Nevertheless, we recommend that precautions be taken and
in particular, that ground and drinking water - at and near sites where
the presence of DU has been confirmed - be monitored regularly.”
When DU contamination is found, UNEP advises that people drink from
alternative water sources, and that water sampling and measurements
continue for several years.
The 17 member UNEP team included experts from UNEP, the Swedish
Radiation Protection Authority, Spiez Laboratory of Switzerland, Italy’s
Environmental Protection Agency and Technical Service, the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the World Health Organization, the Greek Atomic
Energy Commission, the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and
Preventive Medicine, the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy
of Sciences, and the UK's University of Bristol. The mission was funded
by the governments of Italy and Switzerland.
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