For old times' sake.
The Tuwaitha nuclear facility, 12 miles south of Baghdad, was left unguar=
ded=20
after Iraqi troops fled the area on the eve of the war. It is thought to =
have=20
contained hundreds of tons of natural uranium and nearly two tons of low-
enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons=20
U.S. troops didn't secure the area until April 7. By then, looters from=20
surrounding villages had stripped it of much of its contents, including u=
ranium=20
storage barrels they later used to hold drinking water.=20
People suffering from symptoms of radiation sickness started showing up a=
t the=20
hospital closest to the nuclear site as early as two months ago, two doct=
ors=20
interviewed by The Associated Press said Saturday. Their numbers have sin=
ce=20
grown considerably.=20
"Some 30 to 40 patients suffering from bloody diarrhea visit our hospital=
every=20
day, probably due to their exposure to nuclear radiation," said Bassim Ab=
bud, a=20
physician at the Mada'in General Hospital, about 9 miles from the Tuwaith=
a=20
nuclear facility.=20
The International Atomic Energy Agency sent a team to Iraq (news - web si=
tes)=20
earlier this month to see if any of the uranium was missing, fearing it h=
ad=20
been stolen in the chaos of the war. The experts found most of the uraniu=
m on=20
or near the site, diplomats said Friday.=20
Plastic bags containing the uranium were found on the ground where the lo=
oters=20
emptied out the barrels and some bags apparently spilled, the diplomats s=
aid=20
from Vienna,where the U.N. agency is based.=20
The mission =97 whose scope was restricted by the U.S.-led interim admini=
stration=20
of Iraq =97 was not allowed to give medical exams to Iraqis reported to h=
ave been=20
sickened by contact with the materials, the diplomats said.=20
But two doctors at the closest hospital to Tuwaitha said suspicions of=20
radiation poisoning were aroused as early as April 16, when 13-year-old I=
ltifat=20
Risan came to the hospital with a severely bleeding nose.=20
Dr. Jaafar Naseer said he diagnosed symptoms of radiation. He said Iltifa=
t had=20
used a blue plastic barrel that her brother had brought from the facility=
for=20
washing clothes.=20
"We gave her treatment for her symptoms," and sent her to a larger hospit=
al in=20
Baghdad for further treatment.=20
A week later, another patient, Hassan Oda, a 35-year-old electrician came=
to=20
the hospital with white spots on his skin after installing a generator wh=
ich he=20
had stolen from the Tuwaitha.=20
"If we had a medical survey in the whole region, we would have many simil=
ar=20
cases," Naseer said.=20
Abbud, who has been treating more recent cases, said the soaring temperat=
ures=20
of summer could explain some of the diarrhea complaints. But it was unlik=
ely to=20
be the cause this time, since the standard tests for parasites administer=
ed to=20
diarrhea patients proved negative.=20
"Some people were subjected to radiation after emptying the barrels," Abb=
ud=20
said, resulting in skin problems, respiratory ailments and bloody noses. =
"We=20
have no particular measures to take. We just diagnose them and send them =
to=20
Baghdad hospitals."=20
He said after people were warned against using the contaminated equipment=
, some=20
of the barrels were collected at a secondary girls school, where they rem=
ained=20
while the girls returned to school for their final exams. U.S. military e=
xperts=20
involved in the cleanup offered to buy back the barrels at $3 each.=20
"Symptoms may appear after months or years. Radiation can have genetic ef=
fects=20
and could result in cancer tumors," he said.=20
******
Greenpeace radiation experts have found abandoned uranium
yellowcake and radioactive sources scattered across the
community. Much of the material was looted from the facility by
villagers who used it for house building and water and food
storage. They did not realise the potential danger. In a week long
survey, as well as the yellow cake canister, Greenpeace
uncovered:
radioactivityin a series of houses, including one source
measuring 10,000 times above normal;
anothersource outside a 900 pupil primary school measuring
3,000 times above normal;
localswho are still storing radioactive barrels and lids in their
houses;
anothersmaller radioactive source abandoned in a nearby
field ;
consistentand repeated stories of unusual sickness after
coming into contact with material from the Tuwaitha plant;
several objects carrying radioactive symbols discarded in the
community.
http://tinyurl.com/d8r39