Iraqis Suffer From Radiation Symptoms

AP via Newsday ^ | June 22, 2003, 9:10 AM EDT | SABAH JERGES

[IoCaster]

Iraqis Suffer From Radiation Symptoms

By SABAH JERGES

Associated Press Writer

June 22, 2003, 9:10 AM EDT

AL-MADA'IN, Iraq -- Dozens of people are showing up every day at a hospital near a defunct Iraqi nuclear plant, suffering from rashes, bloody noses and other symptoms of radiation poisoning, doctors said Saturday.

The Tuwaitha nuclear facility, 12 miles south of Baghdad, was left unguarded after Iraqi troops fled the area on the eve of the war. It is thought to have contained hundreds of tons of natural uranium and nearly two tons of low-enriched uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons

U.S. troops didn't secure the area until April 7. By then, looters from surrounding villages had stripped it of much of its contents, including uranium storage barrels they later used to hold drinking water.

People suffering from symptoms of radiation sickness started showing up at the hospital closest to the nuclear site as early as two months ago, two doctors interviewed by The Associated Press said Saturday. Their numbers have since grown considerably.

"Some 30 to 40 patients suffering from bloody diarrhea visit our hospital every day, probably due to their exposure to nuclear radiation," said Bassim Abbud, a physician at the Mada'in General Hospital, about 9 miles from the Tuwaitha nuclear facility.

[coloradan]

Signs might have been appropriate:

Please do not loot the nuclear facility!

[donmeaker]

Didn't the Qu'ran teach that crime doesn't pay?

7-11 ought to look into ways of contaminating money so that thieves and robbers suffer radioactive poisoning.... Only the large bills, so that customers don't get damaged when you make change....

[IoCaster]

There's a possibility that there were some signs posted. It's a good bet that these people may have been illiterate. It's unfortunate that those poor dumb Iraqis just didn't know any better.

[Wonder Warthog]

More speculative bull**** about "radiation poisoning". NONE of the symptoms described in the article match any form of radiation poisoning I know of. The radiation level in raw uranium (even the low-level enriched stuff). Any "poisoning" is more likely a result of HEAVY-METAL poisoning than radiation effect(s).

[MichaelDammit]

Egggzactly.....someone from CNN must have told them they were supposed to be suffering from radiation poisoning...just because they were in close proximity to something NUCLEAR....facts be damned.

[yoe]

Thank you for the head's up - this is more like the "looting of the museum" propaganda, lazy reporting and sensationalizing at its worst! This sort of reporting is meant to make the Iraqi looter the victim and placing the blame on the conquers again.

[JasonC]

A boy - singular - with a bloody nose. Gee, must be new-clee-er raid-ee-ay-shun. Uh huh, sure. "If you surveyed" you might find more cases, a doctor (with a party card?) says. Meaning, he hasn't. Nobody has.

[Bogey78O]

That was uncalled for.

[cibco]

That you Saddam???

[joanil]

Soooo,
Saddamski was never a saint after all, even though the euro ween's tried to make him one.
Many terrible little 'secrets' will now become unveiled now that Saddamski and sons are on the run.
Just you wait........
The best is yet to come.
'W' was right.

I placed my faith in the 'W' at the very start.

[DannyTN]

Why did anyone let a country like Iraq that is setting on as "sea of oil", build a nuclear reactor. They don't need the energy. The only possible use would be to increase their technological knowledge in hopes of building a bomb.

[Mihalis]

If our troops are safe I couldn't care less about anybody else.

[Brad’s Gramma]

You stupid american bastards.

REAL nice! I just "love" all these new posters lately with their agendas. And that, everyone else, was said dripping with sarcasm.

[cibco]

BTTT

[Brad’s Gramma]

I'll be watching that dude. Man oh life.

[Poohbah]

More speculative bull**** about "radiation poisoning". NONE of the symptoms described in the article match any form of radiation poisoning I know of. The radiation level in raw uranium (even the low-level enriched stuff). Any "poisoning" is more likely a result of HEAVY-METAL poisoning than radiation effect(s).

First off, bloody diarrhea IS a symptom of radiation poisoning.

Second, if they stole enough enriched material, they could generate a criticality. My brother used to work in a nuclear fuel processing plant, and damn near had a heart attack when he saw some workers using fuel slugs as poker chips--one guy was winning bigtime, and he made a criticality big enough to give him his industry lifetime dose several times over.

[jwalsh07]

First off, bloody diarrhea IS a symptom of radiation poisoning.

Without a doubt.

[varon]

........and other symptoms of radiation poisoning, doctors said Saturday.

If that includes glowing in the dark then perhaps they can be posted on street corners at night until the power generating stations come online ;-)