1. NATO bombing of Yugoslav factories may have health and
environmental effects - with implications for Iraq, study says
[ In base ad uno studio, il bombardamento delle fabbriche jugoslave da
parte della NATO puo' avere effetti sulla salute e sull'ambiente. Le
implicazioni per l'Iraq ]
(Environmental News Network, 5/11/2002)
2. Yugoslavia Bombs May Harm Environment
[ Le bombe sulla Jugoslavia possono danneggiare l'ambiente ]
(AP 5/11/2002)
3. Ancora senza esito l'esposto della Uil Puglia sui militari italiani
impegnati nell'ex Jugoslavia
(Barisera 1 giugno 2002)
Altri articoli d'archivio sul DU sul sito dell' OSSERVATORIO MONOPOLI
4. Depleted Uranium: UN addresses issue
[ Uranio impoverito: l'ONU considera il problema ]
UNEP Team Terminates DU Inspection of Bosnia
[ Il team UNEP conclude le ispezioni sul D.U. in Bosnia ]
(PRAVDA.Ru 7/11/2002, 23/10/2002)
5. URAN-MUNITION GEFUNDEN
[ Trovate munizioni all'Uranio impoverito ]
(B92/SRNA 2/11/2002)


=== 1 ===


http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2002/11/11052002/ap_48881.asp

Environmental News Network


NATO bombing of Yugoslav factories may have health and
environmental effects - with implications for Iraq,
study says

Tuesday, November 05, 2002
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - The bombing of factories during the
1999 NATO air campaign in Yugoslavia may have
long-term environmental and health effects, a new
environmental report says, raising questions about
targets in possible future conflicts such as Iraq.
The report, obtained Monday by the Associated Press,
warns that precision bombing of industrial facilities
can lead to contamination that is very difficult to
clean up and may violate international humanitarian
law.
Civilians living near the targets may also be exposed
to greater health risks from contamination of the air,
water, and food products, said the report by the
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, a
nonprofit organization based near Washington that
investigates scientific issues.
"Precision targeting may be intended to minimize
civilian damage, but the choice of targets may still
violate the international laws of war, including the
Geneva Conventions," said Nicole Deller, a lawyer and
co-author of the study. "The deliberate targeting of
industrial facilities that hold little military value
yet can cause severe health and environmental damage
appear to violate these laws."
The study noted that "precision weapons have been used
in Afghanistan and are likely to be a major part of
the military strategy in any proposed war with Iraq if
it is carried out."
The institute expressed hope that legal, health, and
environmental issues raised by the study will be
applied to other armed conflicts. It said these issues
"should not be dismissed out of hand because countries
are ruled by ruthless dictators."
The institute studied the NATO bombings of the Zastava
car factory in Kragujevac, some 100 kilometers (60
miles) south of Belgrade, and a petrochemical plant, a
fertilizer plant, and an oil refinery in Pancevo,
about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of the
capital. The two sites were designated as
environmental "hot spots" by the U.N. Environment
Program Balkans Task Force as a result of the
bombings.
"There is no doubt that the bombings released large
quantities of contaminants such as mercury, but it is
impossible to precisely determine their effects
because of lack of data about pre-conflict pollution
levels," said Sriram Gopal, a scientist at the
institute who was the report's main author.
In Pancevo, the bombings resulted in major releases of
the toxic chemicals dichloroethane and mercury,
pollution created by bomb-related fires, and other
environmental damage, the report said. In Kragujevac,
bombed transformer stations at the car factory leaked
toxic PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls, which have
been linked to some cancers.
The institute said its investigation was hampered
because the U.S. Department of Defense rejected its
Freedom of Information Act request for the targeting
criteria used during the bombings, handing over 42
blank pages that were marked declassified. An analysis
of the Yugoslav bombing campaign carried out this year
by the U.S. General Accounting Office, the
investigative arm of Congress, also remains
classified, it said.
Despite these setbacks and the incomplete data, the
institute said the report shows the need to redefine
how targets are chosen and how collateral damage
caused by a bombing attack is evaluated. "Currently
collateral damage is measured in terms such as the
number of civilian casualties or the cost of replacing
property," Gopal said. "Long-term harm to the
environment can be much more difficult to quantify and
evaluate, despite its very significant costs."
In the case of the two Yugoslav sites, the study said,
the PCBs and mercury and some of the other pollutants
last for generations in the environment and can have
long-term effects on the health of civilians living
nearby.
"As modern warfare becomes more technologically
sophisticated and targeting more precise, it is
essential not to succumb to the idea that the damage
on the ground is also precise and limited," the
institute said. "As this study indicates, the health
and environmental consequences of precision bombing
can affect unborn generations far into the future,
even when the bombs are entirely successful in finding
their targets."


=== 2 ===


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021105/ap_on_re_eu/un_p=
recision_bombing_2

Yugoslavia Bombs May Harm Environment
Tue Nov 5, 5:18 PM ET
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The bombing of factories during the 1999 NATO
air campaign in Yugoslavia may have long-term effects on health,
raising questions about targets in possible future conflicts such as
Iraq, according to a new report by an environmental group.
Precision bombing of industrial plants can lead to contamination that
is difficult to remove and may violate international humanitarian law,
the report found.
Civilians living near the targets may also be exposed to greater
health risks from contamination of the air, water, and food, said the
report released this week by the Institute for Energy and
Environmental Research, a research organization based in Takoma Park,
Md.
Maj. Robert Ditchey, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command, said
Tuesday he could not comment on the report because the military had
not seen it. Ditchey referred questions to NATO, where a spokesman did
not return telephone messages Tuesday.
The study noted that "precision weapons have been used in Afghanistan
and are likely to be a major part of the military strategy in any
proposed war with Iraq."
It called on countries to consider the legal, health and environmental
issues raised by attacking industrial targets and the collateral
damage caused by bombing.
These issues "should not be dismissed out of hand because countries
are ruled by ruthless dictators," the study said.
"Currently collateral damage is measured in terms such as the number
of civilian casualties or the cost of replacing property," said Sriram
Gopal, the report's main author. "Long-term harm to the environment
can be much more difficult to quantify and evaluate, despite its very
significant costs."
Co-author Nicole Deller, a lawyer, said that "precision targeting may
be intended to minimize civilian damage, but the choice of targets may
still violate the international laws of war, including the Geneva
Conventions."
"The deliberate targeting of industrial facilities that hold little
military value yet can cause severe health and environmental damage
appear to violate these laws," she said.
The institute studied the NATO bombing of an industrial complex in
Pancevo which resulted in releases of the toxic chemicals
dichloroethane and mercury. It also studied the bombing of the Zastava
car factory in Kragujevac, 60 miles south of Belgrade, where a
transformer station leaked toxic PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls -
which have been linked to some cancers.
Gopal said it was impossible to precisely determine the effects of the
bombings because of a lack of data pollution in the area before the
conflict.
The institute said its investigation was hampered because the
Department of Defense rejected its Freedom of Information Act request
for targeting criteria used during the Yugoslav bombings. An analysis
of the Yugoslav bombing campaign by the General Accounting Office also
remains classified, it said.


=== 3 ===


http://www.osservatoriomonopoli.it/Curiosit%c3%a0/Curiosit%c3%a0_080602_uranio.htm

Ancora senza esito l'esposto della Uil Puglia sui militari italiani
impegnati nell'ex Jugoslavia

Uranio impoverito e dimenticato

Barisera 1 giugno 2002

La notizia secondo cui 200 militari italiani impegnati negli anni
scorsi in missioni nella ex Jugoslavia (e venuti a contatto con il
famigerato uranio impoverito contenuto negli ordigni Nato), siano
ammalati di tumore, riporta di attualità una vicenda che le autorità
istituzionali della Puglia hanno purtroppo sottovalutato.
Preoccupazione è stata espressa dalla Uil di Puglia che ha presentato
già a gennaio del 2000 un esposto alla Procura della Repubblica del
Tribunale di Bari, chiedendo che il Ministero della Difesa rispondesse
di lesioni personali e omicidio colposo in merito alla morte di alcuni
militari italiani che avevano prestato servizio per le missioni in
Bosnia ed in Kosovo e che sarebbero venuti a contatto con il micidiale
uranio impoverito.
"E' un esposto di cui ad oggi non si ha ancora alcuna risposta - dice
il segretario generale, Aldo Pugliese - eppure non soltanto si sono
registrate morti sospette tra i soldati di altri eserciti che hanno
prestato servizio nei Balcani, ma si registra anche la nascita di
sette bambini con malformazioni, figli di altrettanti militari
italiani di stanza in quella zona".
Nell'esposto è stata riportata la tesi del prof. Sandro Degetto,
dell'Istituto di Chimica e delle tecnologie inorganiche e dei
materiali avanzati, del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche di Padova,
secondo la quale "ci sono rischi per l'organismo umano, in particolare
per il rene, con effetti sui tessuti che possono provocare gravi casi
di insufficienza renale nonché la comparsa di proteine nelle urine".
Per la Uil, che ha dato incarico di procedere all'avv. Nicola
Putignano, esisteva, ed esiste, il pericolo che si aprissero scenari
delicatissimi per la salute pubblica e per la Puglia.
La Uil ha lanciato un appello alla Regione Puglia perché si attivi
sulla vicenda, anche in considerazione del fatto che durante la guerra
in Kosovo dalle basi pugliesi di Amendola e Gioia del Colle partivano
i jet della Nato su cui venivano caricate le bombe ad uranio
impoverito.
Non solo. "C'é la questione della bonifica del mare Adriatico -
puntualizza Pugliese - nel quale i velivoli hanno scaricato centinaia,
forse migliaia, di ordigni inesplosi che giacciono ancora sul fondo.
E' stata promessa una bonifica che non è mai stata attuata. L'erosione
del mare potrebbe provocare fuoriuscita di materiale che inquinerebbe
il mare stesso, con grave e conseguente danno per la salute di tutti,
visto che il pesce pescato in Adriatico è quello che finisce sulle
nostre tavole".


GLI ALTRI ARTICOLI SUL D.U. SUL SITO DELL'OSSERVATORIO MONOPOLI:

http://www.osservatoriomonopoli.it/Curiosit%c3%a0.htm

Il poligono della paura

In principio fu la sindrome del Golfo, con migliaia di veterani
statunitensi che rientravano dall'Iraq e si ammalavano. Poi vennero la
Somalia, la Bosnia, il Kosovo. E l'uranio impoverito cominciò a
spaventare anche i soldati italiani, inviati in missione di pace senza
sapere che il vero nemico poteva essere l'aria che respiravano. -
Panorama maggio 2002 - Francesca Folda

«Uranio, sono malati sette figli di soldati»

Denuncia a Rainews 24: i militari italiani erano stati in Bosnia e
Somalia Colpiti da leucemie e malformazioni neurologiche. Chiesto
l'intervento del ministro Martino - Corriere della sera 27 aprile
2002

Al sito: http://www.osservatoriomonopoli.it/Curiosit%c3%a0.htm


=== 4 ===


http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/07/39269.html

PRAVDA (RUSSIA)

16:49 2002-11-07

Depleted Uranium: UN addresses issue

In a message to the international community on the occasion of the
International day for Preventing the Exp+loitation of the Environment
in War and Armed Conflict, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
specifically referred to Depleted Uranium yesterday, stating that it
was damaging to the environment.
It will be remembered that US military aircraft deployed tonnes of
weapons coated or tipped with depleted uranium in southern Iraq and in
Yugoslavia during conflicts in the 1990s. Systematic claims by the
Iraqi Health Authorities, published in Pravda.Ru, were scorned or
ignored and constant complaints by the Yugoslav authorities concerning
alarmingly high clusters of cancerous diseases among civilians living
near areas in which DU weaponry was deployed, were investigated - but
met with systematic denial by the Pentagon and by NATO.
In his speech, Kofi Annan stated that "While environmental damage is a
common consequence of war, it should never be a deliberate
aim.although international conventions govern nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons, new technologies, such as depleted uranium
ammunition, threaten the environment".

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY
PRAVDA.Ru


http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/10/23/38596.html

20:06 2002-10-23

UNEP Team Terminates DU Inspection of Bosnia

UNEP terminates its inspection of sites suspected of being targeted by
Depleted uranium military ordnance during the conflict in
Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, according to UNEP sources.
Samples of water, soil, vegetation and air have been taken from six
sites identified by NATO as possibly having been targeted with DU,
while six other sites denounced by local residents as being
radioactive have also been inspected.
WHO experts are analysing data on increased rates of cancer in cluster
areas around where DU ordnance was supposedly deployed, namely in
Sarajevo and Banya Luka.
Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of the Depleted Uranium Assessment Team of
UNEP, stated that the purpose of the visit was to assess whether or
not DU ordnance posed a health risk to the local population "either
now or in the future".
Previous studies conducted in Kosovo and Southern Serbia led to
recommendations by UNEP that local populations should take
precautionary action "to avoid contact with the substance", described
by WHO sources as having "significant chemical toxicity".

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY
PRAVDA.Ru


=== 5 ===


TROVATI ALMENO 150 PROIETTILI AL DU DURANTE RICERCHE NEI PRESSI DI
BUJANOVAC

Balkan-Telegramm, 02. November 2002 - http://www.amselfeld.com

+++ URAN-MUNITION GEFUNDEN
BUJANOVAC. Im Dorf Bratoselce, Landkreis Bujanovac im Süden
Serbiens, wurden von Experten des Instituts für Nuklearphysik mehr
als 150 Projektile mit angereichertem Uran, welche während der
NATO-Aggression auf die BR Jugoslawien von der NATO benutzt
wurden, gefunden. NATO-Angaben zufolge, haben die Bomber der
nordatlantischen Allianz im Frühjahr 1999 1200 solcher Projektile
abgeworfen. B92 / SRNA +++