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[Fwd: [downwinders] DU impacts]



Title:
FYI - re: your continued discussion of DU.
Peace,
Norm

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [downwinders] DU impacts
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 09:02:10 -0700
From: Bruce Baizel <baizelb@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: downwinders@yahoogroups.com
To: downwinders@yahoogroups.com


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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