engleski

Assessment of soil contamination by depleted uranium in Croatia

In the aftermath of the 11 weeks of North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) airstrikes in Kosovo (Yugoslavia) in 1999, which seem to have caused considerable environmental damage, concerns were also raised in Croatia due to the possibility for wind-borne transboundary contamination. This, however, has caused less public concern than subsequent admittance that the alliance had used depleted uranium (DU) ammunition both in Kosovo and during the earlier military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reports in public media have often echoed anger and dismay regarding the use of DU, suggesting that depleted uranium ordnance contributed to the "Balkan syndrome". Concerns were raised by governments which had peace-keeping troops deployed in the Kosovo region after the airstrikes, since a substantial number of soldiers developed health problems which were allegedly linked to DU. Similarities were established with the "Gulf War Syndrome" – an array of chronic illnesses that have apparently affected tens of thousands of US soldiers. In contrast, government contractors and the army itself have issued a series of reports and studies suggesting that depleted uranium represents no real threat to health and safety. Subsequently, information was disclosed that during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia, but also afterwards, several foreign armies used certain military ground facilities in Croatia for the practice of theater operations including firing exercises. The principal facility was the shooting range &laquo ; Slunj&raquo ; , near the town of Slunj, operated by the Ministry of Defence and the Croatian Army. Due to the possibility that the ground and soil in this shooting range was contaminated by toxic heavy metals and depleted uranium (DU), an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study was done in 2002-2003. Results of the investigations undertaken did not indicate the presence of any elevated natural or depleted uranium concentrations in the analysed samples. Soil and sediment samples from other war-affected areas also showed no deviation from natural uranium background levels and natural isotopic composition.

depleted uranium; war-realted contamination; Croatia

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