US embassy cable - 05AMMAN5043

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005043 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, TBIO, MOPS, JO 
SUBJECT:  UNEP Supporting Study of Depleted Uranium in Iraq; 
Urges Clean-Up Despite Lack of Documented Problem 
 
1.  Summary:  The United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) 
organized a one-day training seminar on May 31 in Amman to 
review depleted uranium (DU) in Iraq.  Iraqi officials at 
the seminar said that DU presents serious health risks and 
is responsible for higher cancer rates in and around Basra. 
International experts said that DU presents negligible risks 
except in extreme circumstances.  UNEP Iraq Task Force 
Chairman Pekka Haavisto urged that the DU problem be studied 
further and that DU sites be cleaned up.  End summary. 
 
2.  Depleted uranium (DU) is a dense metal used in munitions 
for its penetrating ability and as a protective material in 
armored vehicles, and was used by UK and American forces in 
the Balkans and in the Gulf War. 
 
3.  In their presentations on May 31, both the Iraqi Deputy 
Minister of Health and the Deputy Minister of Environment 
expressed strong concern about depleted uranium and 
increasing cancer rates, especially in the southern city of 
Basra and the surrounding area.  They said Iraqi government 
studies found that the cancer risk there has increased by 
two to three times since the 1991 Gulf War.  (Note: These 
are local studies and have not been internationally 
verified.) 
 
4.  Pekka Haavisto, chairman of the U.N. Environment 
Program's Iraq Task Force, said that the UNEP would assist 
Iraq as much as possible with DU, especially to assess the 
situation.  He said UNEP's approach to DU in the Balkans 
called for marking and monitoring affected sites, and 
ultimately making efforts to clean them up.  The Balkans 
studies identified a number of uncertainties requiring 
further investigation, according to UNEP.  These include the 
extent to which depleted uranium on the ground can filter 
through the soil and eventually contaminate groundwater, and 
the possibility that depleted uranium dust could later be re- 
suspended in the air by wind or human activity, with the 
risk that it could be breathed in. 
 
Studies Show Effects on in Worst-Case Scenarios 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
5.  UNEP officials said UNEP conducted environmental 
measurements on DU sites in Kosovo in 2000, Serbia and 
Montenegro in 2001, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2002. 
UNEP was involved in the IAEA DU assessment in Kuwait in the 
spring of 2002.  All these studies confirm that DU has 
environmental impacts, according to UNEP.  Health risks 
primarily depend on the awareness of people coming into 
contact with DU.  Radiological and chemical effects of DU 
are likely to occur only under worst-case scenarios (such as 
breathing DU dust).  UNEP DU reports always recommend 
precautionary action such as measurement, signing, fencing, 
and clean up of the targeted sites to avoid possible health 
risks. 
 
Presentations and Discussion 
---------------------------- 
 
6.  U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Mark Melanson, a DU expert 
based in Washington D.C., gave a detailed presentation on 
the physical properties of DU and discussed how it is used 
in munitions by U.S. forces.  Dr. Carr from the World Health 
Organization (WHO) stated that the WHO is willing and ready 
to help Iraq but she said that there is a lack of data on 
the DU situation and its effects.  In his presentation on 
"The Use of DU in Munitions," Dr. David Smith from the UK 
Defense Ministry concluded that contamination from DU is 
localized and has no detectable health effects except in 
extreme circumstances. (NOTE: This would include inhalation 
of DU dust, which would normally be dispersed.  END NOTE.) 
 
7.  Following the May 31 seminar, UNEP organized a two-day 
workshop for 16 Iraqi participants, including two Deputy 
Ministers, from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of 
Environment.  Participants received an overview on DU field 
measurement techniques, and reconnaissance and sampling 
strategies.  UNEP donated beta and gamma radiation 
measurement equipment to the Iraqi Ministry of Environment 
and a second batch of equipment will be handed to the 
participants at a second workshop planned for Switzerland 
later in 2005. 
 
8.  Comment: UNEP's dogged focus on DU despite DU's well- 
documented lack of ill effects is drawing attention and 
resources away from much more serious environmental and 
health issues.  UNEP is intent on carrying out the depleted 
uranium project despite clear evidence from experts that 
DU presents minimal risk and despite the fact that Iraq has 
no shortage of real and pressing environmental issues. 
 
HALE