The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
By Chris Morris BBC correspondent in Tuwaitha http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3015244.stm Radiation sickness fear in Iraq Doctors in Iraq are becoming increasingly concerned about the extent of radiation sickness among people living near the country's largest nuclear facility, south of Baghdad. It is thought they were contaminated when barrels used to store uranium at Tuwaitha were looted in April. The uranium was tipped out, and the barrels were used to store water and wash clothes. New cases of suspected radiation sickness are being reported every day, at a hospital close to Tuwaitha. US test ban Doctors say about 20 people a day, many of them children are coming into hospital with bloody diarrhoea. Some have fallen sick because of parasites in the local water supply, but tests prove that others, as many as five a day, have no infection. The doctors believe they have been poisoned by radiation. Barrels containing low enriched uranium, also known as "yellow cake" were taken from the Tuwaitha facility in April and washed in a local river. Their contents were dumped on the ground. Now the number of people falling ill is steadily rising. A few patients known to have had close contact with looted materials show signs of acute radiation sickness: skin rashes, nose bleeds and vomiting. A team of UN experts has been at Tuwaitha trying to account for the missing nuclear material, but the United States as the occupying power is not allowing them to carry out any medical examinations on local people. Doctors say tens of thousands of Iraqis live in the area which may have been contaminated. _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk