Reverberations of Uranium Scandal in Montenegro
The War Remnants
Radioactive ammunition used during NATO intervention against FRY did not pass by Montenegro. Although there are no official data on victims of radiation in Montenegro, experts are advising caution.
AIM Podgorica, January 18, 2001
With some delay, the uranium fever has reached Montenegro, but only after the entire Europe revolted against the effects of uranium radiation.
Chief of Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Defence (ABH) of the Supreme Command of the Army of Yugoslavia (VJ), colonel Milan Zaric claims that only the island of Lustica around Azra fortress was shelled from 30 mm guns aboard "Thunderbolt" A-10 aircraft.
"Uranium 238 does not represent a classical nuclear weapon, but is a by-product of uranium fuel producing technology for nuclear reactors. Due to its great specific weight and hardness it is used for the manufacture of bullets used in anti-tank combat and for the demolition of fortifications and pillboxes", says the only Montenegrin nuclear medicine specialist, Dr Ranko Kadic. "As a heavy metal, it is toxic like lead and mercury, and also radioactive", adds Kadic. Then, what can be the effects of shelling by depleted uranium on the population of Montenegro?
"Uranium 238 is dangerous as a contaminant and not as radiation material, i.e. it is more dangerous in human body than when it acts as an external factor" says Dr Ivan Anicin, professor of nuclear physics and scientific counsellor in the Nuclear Science Institute "Vinca".
"In the atmosphere is most dangerous for humans because it can be simply inhaled or swallowed, while the biological span of this material is very long and lasts up to ten years", claims Dr Anicin.
In his statement for the "Pobjeda" Perko Vukotic, Chairman of the Expert Commission for the elaboration of a project for the elimination of consequences of contamination by depleted uranium in Montenegro, claims that some 30 kgs of this radioactive material has been dropped on the Montenegrin territory of 3,500 square meters, i.e. around cape Arza. On the other hand, colonel Zaric says that the contaminated area covers 8,000 square meters and that it is impossible to precisely determine the quantity of ammunition used.
Director of the Centre for Ecological-Toxicological Research of Montenegro (JUCETI), Ana Misurovic claims that in a highly confidential act of early May, 2000, the Federal Defence Ministry informed the Government of Montenegro on this case, although missiles were fired on cape Arza already on May 30, last year.
"NATO aircraft fired at cape Arza on a sunny day with a mild wind blowing at 0.8 m/per second from the sea, so that the particles of depleted uranium could not be dispersed over a wider territory. By the way, after the missile hits the target and uranium 238 burns, it is dispersed in the range of 7 to 8 meters", explains further Mrs.Misurovic.
But, what happened with uranium dust one year after the NATO intervention? "Theoretically, the wind could have blown uranium particles in the diameter of some ten kilometres. It is very important to determine which underground waters it could have possibly reached and precisely specify potential contaminated zone in order to identify all those persons who have possibly been nearby during or immediately after the bombing" warns Dr Ranko Kadic.
Luckily, cape Arza is a true never-never land, overgrown with brushwood, uninhabited. Mrs. Misurovic claims that no water table has been discovered in this zone and that uranium couldn't have spread by underground waters.
However, it is interesting that the public did not get the precise data whether adverse effects on human health have been registered in Montenegro, in other words: whether a number of cancer or leukemia patients has grown. People from the Institute of Oncology, from the Podgorica Medical-Hospital Centre, refused to disclose any data to the press saying that they would do that after the approval of the Health Ministry.
For some time now the Montenegrin public has feared that NATO aircraft have dumped a large number of unfired missiles into the Adriatic Sea. "If we set aside its low radioactive potential, the depleted uranium is practically harmless in the sea, naturally on condition that you are not near it", claims doctor Anicin. "Another fortunate thing is that these are unfired missiles so that uranium particles, that might have been carried by sea currents, did not explode" confirms doctor Kadic.
However, according to Kadic and Anicin there is no such thing as harmless radiation. "It is certain that the increased concentration of such contaminant can only have harmless effects on the health of the population" warns Dr Kadic. Director of the Institute for Health Protection, Dr Todor Bakovic, however, claims that the increase of malignant diseases in Montenegro is statistically negligible and cannot be linked to the "Balkans Syndrome", or even Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Expressing his disagreement with this statement, Dr Kadic warns that in the forthcoming period special attention should be devoted to leukemia patients, because this disease is the first consequence of uranium irradiation, as well as to lung cancer because uranium gets into body by inhalation and because of the way it is discharged from the body there is a possibility of increased incidence of kidney cancer.
According to Perko Vukotic, a ten-member team composed of JUCET experts and officers of the ABH unit of VJ, have already started preparations for the implementation of Project for the Decontamination of cape Arza, which should be completed by mid April this year. "Immediately after that, we shall establish constant monitoring of the air, precipitation, salt water, soil and bacteriological material on cape Arza" says Vukotic.
The answer to the question what was the reason for such a delay in addressing the problem of possible irradiation many are trying to find in the constant skirmishes between the Army of Yugoslavia and Montenegrin authorities. More precisely: everyday politics is much more important than the health of the people.
Petar KOMNENIC
(AIM)