BiH Parliament’s
Commission for Depleted Uranium: There are several places that might poison soil
and water
22 November 2005
“The final report of the BiH Parliament’s Commission for investigation
of consequences of contamination with depleted uranium (DU) will be completed
at the end of this month,” said Jelina Djurkovic, President of the Commission.
“In several public discussions it was established that there is a certain
danger from contamination of soil and water with radioactive uranium and heavy
metals at locations in Hadzici and Han-Pijesak, where DU ammunition was used,”
said Djurkovic. According to her, radioactive and toxic ammunition were removed
from the surface, but disintegration of those that went deeper into soil now pose
a threat to soil and underground waters. “Radioactive bullets disintegrate
over a period of 35 to 40 years and they are radioactive throughout this time.
It is necessary to keep removing them so as to prevent hazardous materials from
getting into rivers through underground waters,” said Djurkovic. The conclusions
of the Commission will be put forward to the BiH Parliament for adoption. “We
will give recommendations for removal of radioactive lightning rods and other
radioactive waste. There is an impression that the relevant authorities did not
show enough interest in the work of the Commission,” said Djurkovic. She
says that the Commission will demand a strong action by the relevant authorities
in the long-lasting process of decontamination of endangered locations.
Italian parliamentarians interested in consequences of depleted uranium
in BiH
23 November 2005
The BiH Parliamentary Assembly’s Investigating Commission has completed
its preliminary report on the extent of contamination with depleted uranium
and its consequences for BiH citizens. Jelina Djurkovic, President of the Commission,
said that the report had not yet been finalized because a group of Italian parliamentarians
announced that they would visit BiH on Monday, 28 November. “They intend
to meet with us to discuss the problem of radiation and the so-called Balkans
syndrome. We have not concluded the report because we hope to get some relevant
information about the results of the work of their commission,” said Djurkovic.
What was concluded on Monday was that it is necessary to form an agency for
nuclear safety at state level and adopt laws to regulate the domain of nuclear
energy and ensure development of standards, professional code and guidelines
to ensure nuclear safety and improved protection from radioactivity. The construction
of a system for detecting and informing of nuclear catastrophes was also recommended.
Djurkovic said that the Commission detected the highest concentration of DU
at the NATO-targeted locations in BiH, and that BiH was facing problems due
to the presence of heavy metals, and radioactive and hazardous materials.