[ RadSafe ] Tsunami exposes Somalia toxic waste

[Falo, Gerald A Dr KADIX]

All,

For your consideration from the English version of Al-Jazeera.

Jerry

=======================================

Tsunami exposes Somalia toxic waste
by 
Friday 04 March 2005 1:02 PM GMT 

Toxic waste washed on to Somali's coastline by December's tsunami has
spawned diseases bearing symptoms of radioactive exposure in villagers
along the shore, the UNEP has said.

Citing initial reports, the UN Environment Programme spokesman Nick
Nuttall on Friday that "there are indications that hazardous waste,
radioactive waste, chemical waste and other substances [in containers]
which have been dumped on the Somali coastline, were damaged by the
tsunami". 

United Nations officials said the deadly tidal waves, which originated
off Indonesia on 26 December, possibly damaged the containers in
northern Somalia and spilled the waste, causing it to spread, leading to
diseases. 

Anarchy

Nuttall said UN agencies working in northern Somalia - a country that
has been wracked by anarchy since 1991 - reported symptoms of diseases. 

UN officials familiar with the situation say the diseases bear radiation
sickness symptoms.
 
"There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems
like mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and
breathing difficulties," Nuttall said. 

"UNEP is in discussions with [the Somali] government with a view to
sending a full assessment mission to the country so that we can work out
the magnitude of the problem," Nuttall said. 

Somali authorities reported that nearly 300 people - a figure the
humanitarian agencies dispute - were killed and thousands displaced by
the tsunami waves.

Along other Indian Ocean shorelines, up to 290,000 people were killed.

In the late 1980s, European companies dumped waste such as uranium,
lead, cadmium, mercury and other industrial toxins in northern Somalia,
but the trend picked up rapidly after the violent ouster of Somali
leader Muhammad Siad Barri in 1991, according to UN officials.

AFP
By 
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/97DF29AD-FE2B-4980-9580-F40409F56
EA2.htm 

=======================================
The statements and opinions expressed herein are my responsibility; no
one else (certainly not my employer) is responsible, but I still reserve
the right to make mistakes.
 
Check core temperature: yes./no? Yes! - Homer Simpson
 
Gerald A. Falo, Ph.D., CHP
Kadix Systems 
U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine - Health
Physics Program
jerry.falo at us.army.mil
410-436-4852
 
_______________________________________________
You are currently subscribed to the radsafe mailing list
radsafe at radlab.nl

For information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and other settings
visit: 
http://radlab.nl/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/radsafe