[PEN-L:7704] (Fwd) Yugoslavia: War on the Environment

[phillp2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (ts99u-2.cc.umanitoba.ca [130.179.154.225]) by ; Fri, 4 Jun 1999 10:24:33 -0500 (CDT)]

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Date sent:      	Thu, 03 Jun 1999 14:48:44 -0700
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From:           	Sid Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>
Subject:        	Yugoslavia: War on the Environment

Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999
From: "Janet M. Eaton" <jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: ECOLOGICAL Catastrophe [4] NATO Bombings  [References]

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ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE & HEALTH HAZARDS OF THE
NATO BOMBINGS: AN ANNOTATED URL REFERENCED LIST
OF INTERNET ARTICLES,  NEWS, PRESS RELEASES. [ PART 4 ]
[Compiled by Dr. Janet M. Eaton, May 31,  1999 ]

Please add to the following earlier compilations:


ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE  [PART 3]
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11622


ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE  [PART 2]
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11281


ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE  [PART 1]
 http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11003


This compilation contains summaries and links to a
comprehensive paper on "Gulf War Veterans and Depleted Uranium"
prepared by Dr. Rosalie Bertell for the Hague Appeal for Peace [HAP]
Conference, a 30 page  "Overview of the Ecological Consequences of
NATO Bombing on Yugoslavia"  by Dr. Radoje Lausevic, University  of
Belgrade,  startling  photos of  a massive and dense toxic black
cloud from the burning of Pancevo Petrochemical Plant photographed 50
km away  several hours afterwards as well  a few resources and
several related news releases..

A) INDEX OF ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHES  ARTICLES
B) ANNOTATED LIST OF  ECOLOGICAL  CATASTROPHE ARTICLES

For your information and use.
Please distribute as you see fit !!

All the best,
Janet Eaton

Dr. Janet M. Eaton, PhD
Biologist, Educator, Researcher,
Public Policy Consultant,
Research Fellow, International Systems Institute,
Wolfville, N.S.
CANADA
jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx


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A) INDEX OF ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHES -INTERNET ARTICLES

1) Gulf War Veterans and Depleted Uranium
Prepared for the Hague Peace Appeal Conference, May 1999
By Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Ph.D., G.N.S.H.
http://www.pgs.ca/pages/nl/rb990504.htm


2) OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF
  NATO BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA SINCE MAY 20, 1999
By Dr. Radoje Lausevic
Posted by :Janet M. Eaton [Due to length of the report it was
posted in four sections]
Date : May 23rd
URL's
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11655
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11656
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11657
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11658.
Website:
Full report available as  a zip file containing a wordperfect
document:
http://www.BalkanPeaceNetwork.freeserve.co.uk/Environment.htm


3)  BLACK CLOUD OVER THE BALKANS -PHOTOS
From:  Janet M Eaton
Date: May 23, 1999
URL: http://www.BalkanPeaceNetwork.freeserve.co.uk/Environment.htm
[Network for Peace in the Balkans]


4)  The Use of Depleted Uranium bullets and bombs by
NATO forces in Yugoslavia.
By:  Coghill Research Laboratories Lower Race, Pontypool,
Gwent NP4 5UH
Date: April 8, 1999
URL:http://www.cogreslab.demon.co.uk

5) DU - Valid Information Sources re Health
Impacts !!
From:  jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx (Janet M. Eaton)
Date: 26 May 1999 16:34:58 -0400
URL:  http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11716


6)  Greek Greenpeace Grivas resigns - condemns NATO's
Ecological Disaster [ letter of resignation! ]
From:  Snezana Vitorovich <zana@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cross-posted to mai-not list serve by jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 26 May 1999 13:14:33 -0400
URL http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11711


7) Vegetables A Casualty Of NATO Air War?
From:Reuters Press
Date:  May 27, 1999.
http://webcrawler-news.excite.com/news/r/990527/09/odd-hailstorms


8)  ROMANIA BLAMES ACID RAIN ON NATO BOMBING
From: Reuters, (Planet Ark http://www.planetark.org/)
Date:  May 27, 1999
URL:  http://202.139.253.156/news/27059903.html


9) Fishermen up in arms over NATO  bombs
By: Michel Bôle-Richard in Rome
For: Le Monde
URL: http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11723


10) NATO BOMBING DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
[ links to ca 75 photofiles]
From:  Ian Goddard <Ian@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Receivd via: proposition1 news list May 25, 199
URL: http://www.erols.com/igoddard/yugo-war.htm

11) APPEAL FOR THE YUGOSLAV HERITAGE UNDER THE BOMBS
From:  The Institute for Protection of Nature of Serbia
Date Received: May 23, 1999
URL:   http://www.natureprotection.org.yu/apel.html


12 ) NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
By:   Department of Organic Chemical Technology and Polymers
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy Belgrade
University Belgrade, Yugoslavia
URL:  http://www.net4s.com/under/ecologicalcatastrophe.html

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B) ANNOTATED LIST OF  ECOLOGICAL  CATASTROPHE ARTICLES

1) Gulf War Veterans and Depleted Uranium
Prepared for the Hague Peace Appeal Conference, May 1999
By Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Ph.D., G.N.S.H.
http://www.pgs.ca/pages/nl/rb990504.htm

Headings and excerpt from Dr. Bertell's paper:
*Source of Exposure:
"There is no dispute of the fact that at least 320 tons of depleted
uranium (DU) was "lost" in the Gulf war, and that much of that was
converted at high temperature into an aerosol, that is, minute
insoluble particles of uranium oxide, UO2 or UO3 , in a mist or fog.
It would have been impossible for ground troops to identify this
exposure if or when it occurred in war, as this would require
specialized detection equipment. However, veterans can identify
situations in which they were likely to have been exposed to DU.
Civilians working at military bases where live ammunition exercises
are conducted may also have been exposed."  ---Dr. Rosalie Bertell

*Medical Testing for Depleted Uranium Contamination:

*Relating Depleted Uranium Contamination with Observed Health Effects
in Veterans:

 *Known Occupational Health Problems Related to Uranium
Exposure:

*Human and Animal Studies on Uranium Exposure:

*Health Effects which have been associated with inhalation of
uranium:
*Potential US Government administration of radio-protective
substances to combat military:

*Proposal for assisting the Gulf War veterans:

*Sampling strategy and sample size to be determined.

*Research Hypotheses to be tested: (to be written as a null
hypothesis)

*Preliminary work to be accomplished:

*Benefits for Participants:

*References:

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2):OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF
  NATO BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA SINCE MAY 20, 1999
By Dr. Radoje Lausevic
Posted by :Janet M. Eaton [Due to length of the report it was
posted in four sections]
Date : May 23rd
URL's
http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11655
Contents, References and Part 1- Background

http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11656
Part II - What was destroyed so far by NATO airstrikes?

http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11657
Part III  Which chemical substances /radiation / emitted so far?
Part IV - What can the consequences /health effects for people be?

http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11658.
Part V- Transboundary effects of this pollution and for which
countries.  Part VI- Are Effects Already There?

Full report available as  a zip file containing a
wordperfect document:
Network for Peace in the Balkans Website:
http://www.BalkanPeaceNetwork.freeserve.co.uk/Environment.htm

I.     BACKGROUND
A.     BASIC FACTS ON YUGOSLAVIA
B.     ENVIRONMENT
1.     Review of Protected Natural Features in Serbia
2.     Future Biosphere Reserve
C.     SOURCES OF INFORMATION

II.    WHAT WAS DESTROYED SO FAR BY NATO AIRSTRIKES ?

A.     INFRASTRUCTURE
1.     General
2.     Traffic (a)  Bridges, (b)Railways and railway stations
         (c)  Roads and transporters (d)  Airports

B.     INDUSTRY
1.     Factories, 2. Refineries and warehouses 3.Agriculture

C.     URBAN AND RURAL RESIDENTIAL AREAS
D.     PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS, SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES
E.     CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND MUSEUMS

III.   WHICH CHEMICALS/SUBSTANCES/RADIATION HAVE BEEN  EMITTED SO FAR?

A.     OIL, AND OIL PRODUCTS  ( B)  VINYL CHLORIDE MONOMER (VCM) -
CH2CHCL  (C)   PHOSGENE  ( D) ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE (EDC) -
CH2CLCH2CL  (E)   CHLORINE (CL2)  (F)   SOOT (G)  NITROGEN OXIDES
(H)   HYDROFLUORIC ACID (HF)  (I)   HEAVY METALS  (J)  PYRALENE -
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENOLS (PCB'S)  (K)   INITIAL FUEL OF CRUISING
MISSILES  (L)   RADIOACTIVITY (DU)

IV.    WHAT CAN THE CONSEQUENCES/HEALTH EFFECTS FOR
PEOPLE BE ?
(A).     VCM,  (B).  PHOSGENE (C). EDC  (D)  CHLORINE  (E). HF
(F)    PCB   (G)  DEPLETED URANIUM  (H)  FOOD

V.     WHAT CAN THE TRANSBOUNDARY EFFECTS BE OF THIS POLLUTION AND FOR
WHICH COUNTRIES ?

VI.    ARE EFFECTS ALREADY THERE ?

A.     HEALTH EFFECTS
1.     Civilian Casualties (a) Korisa (b)  Towns in Kosovo and
Metohija: (c) Belgrade (d)  Surdulica (e) Nis   (f) Kursumlija
(g)     Aleksinac  (h)    Murino near Rozaje
(2).     Children as victims  (3)  Refugees as Victims
(4.     Passengers in Vehicles of Public Transportation as Victims
(5)    Acute Health Effects
(6)    Chronic Health Effects

B.     ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
1.     Air  (2)  Water  (3)  Soil  (4)  Ecosystems/Biodiversity
(a)   Endangered Natural Assets of National and International
importance (b)   Endangered plant species (i)   Aristolochia
merxmuelleri Greuter & E. Mayer (ii)   Dianthus behriorum Bornm
(iii)    Gentiana nopcsae J v  (iv)   Tulipa serbica Tatic & Krivosej
(v)   Endangered animals

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3) BLACK CLOUD OVER THE BALKANS -PHOTOS
By: Janet M Eaton
DateL May 23, 1999
URL: http://www.BalkanPeaceNetwork.freeserve.co.uk/Environment.htm
[Network for Peace in the Balkans ]

The Attacks on Pancevo and their Consequences

This page is largely the work of Janet Eaton, a biologist and
researcher from Canada  - if you have scientific or technical queries
she will be more than happy to deal with them! She writes: On May
10th I received a communiqué  from one Sasha Milicevic saying that she
had read my Ecological Catastrophe List and thought that I might be
interested in the three photos which she attached to the e-mail. Her
e-mail stated: "The pictures taken by a friend of mine, from his car,
50 km away from my hometown (Pancevo) - morning after the
petrochemical complex (situated 4km from downtown area) was bombed.
(the pictures were NOT taken with black and white camera, and they are
not turned up side down). Needless to say, this is not just any smoke,
but rather toxic/carcinogenic smoke. Feel free to pass/post it
further."

I believe these photos offer testimony to the severity of the
ecological catastrophe.

Other evidence of the ecological and human health hazard is found in
the following news releases which describe the toxic cloud that
resulted from the bombing and subsequent burning of the Petrochemical
Complex at Pancevo, a suburb of Belgrade.

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4)  The Use of Depleted Uranium bullets and bombs by
NATO forces in Yugoslavia. HE
From: Coghill Research Laboratories Lower Race, Pontypool,
Gwent NP4 5UH
Date: April 8, 1999
URL:http://www.cogreslab.demon.co.uk

The public at large are unaware that these weapons are weapons of mass
destruction and have been requested to be placed, like cluster bombs,
on the Geneva Convention banned list.

It is said that the unprecedented use of Cruise missiles with DU
inserts in Yugoslavia will have the same effect as the Chernobyl and
Mile Island disaster. Again these calculations by eminent radiation
physicists are not being released to the media. In other words the
action of NATO not only in this respect but also, since they have no
UN mandate, are illegal, and likely to have a long term pernicious
effect not only on that part of Europe, but on their own ground troops
if deployed, and almost certainly on the refugees from the Kosovo
region. This may be partly why NATO is reluctant to engage ground
troops: You will see they are beginning already to wear submicron gas
masks on the CNN and other news program pictures.

The Yugoslav population however, together with aid workers and ethnic
Albanians are largely unprotected.

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5)  DU - Valid Information Sources re Health
Impacts !!
From:  jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx (Janet M. Eaton)
Date: 26 May 1999 16:34:58 -0400
URL:  http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11716

The first   item  contains several references mostly with Web
sites  on the subject which is followed by three  articles. The
main source of  references is  from Canadian, Dr.  Ross Wilcox
of the Physicians for Global Survival [PGS]  rwilcock@xxxxxx
http://www.pgs.ca/

He says re  deficiency of good scientific work to properly
demonstrate the pathology ....

" I can only view this overall neglect as a collective idiocy for
which everyone is responsible - enabling some people to perhaps take
advantage of probably dangerous ignorance and confusion. The writing
is on the wall. !"

FYI, janet

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6)  Greek Greenpeace Grivas resigns - condemns NATO's
 Ecological Disaster [ letter of resignation! ]
From:  Snezana Vitorovich <zana@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cross-posted to mai-not list serve by jeaton@xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: 26 May 1999 13:14:33 -0400
URL http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11711


"I resign from the Board of Directors of the Greek chapter of
Greenpeace,  because during the past 40 days it has failed to adopt a
unequivocal position, that would condemn, name and point a finger at
the perpetrators of the gangster-like aggression against Yugoslavia
by the "gang of 19", an aggression that began on March 24 and, under
the pretext of "preventing a humanitarian disaster" (by the Milosevic
regime), has provoked and is still provoking.
a) an immense human
tragedy, that affects both Serbs and Albanians
b) an immeasurable ecological disaster that affects the Balkans and
the whole of Europe, and
c) an (emergent) realignment of borders and geopolitical equilibria
that affects all Balkan countries, including, of course, Greece.."
        --Kleanthis Grivas, psychiatrist and former member of
the Board of Directors, Green peace Greece

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7) Vegetables A Casualty Of  NATO Air War?
From:Reuters Press
Date:  May 27, 1999.
http://webcrawler-news.excite.com/news/r/990527/09/odd-hailstorms

 SOFIA, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Bulgaria's valuable vegetable crop has
 become the latest casualty of NATO's air war against neighboring
 Yugoslavia.

 The Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday that hailstorms destroyed
 millions of dollars of crops this month because anti-hail radar
 systems were turned off to avoid attracting the hostile attention of
 NATO warplanes en route to Yugoslavia.

 "The anti-hail systems have been switched off because they use radar
 to detect hailstorm clouds and guide anti-hail missiles to destroy
 them," an official told Reuters....

 Hailstorms damaged 77,000 acres across Bulgaria by May 22, the
 ministry said. Some 40 percent of crops in those areas were
 considered lost, with damage estimated at $8.7 million.

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8)  ROMANIA BLAMES ACID RAIN ON NATO BOMBING
From: Reuters, (Planet Ark http://www.planetark.org/)
Date:  May 27, 1999
URL:  http://202.139.253.156/news/27059903.html

NATO's two-month-old bombing campaign against Yugoslavia has caused
acid rains in Romania and its authorities are concerned over the
possible long-term impact of pollution on the Danube and the Black
Sea.

Acid rains in May in areas on the Yugoslav border were "the direct
consequence of air pollution caused by fires following bombings"
against targets in Yugoslavia, the environment ministry said in a
report.

Environment Minister Romica Tomescu said ...
"It will take at least two years to size up the full impact,
especially on the Danube and the Black Sea fauna and flora. We fear
there may be long-term effects,"

Local officials report higher concentrations of heavy metals in the
Danube - which forms Romania's southern border with Yugoslavia and
Bulgaria over 1,075 km (670 miles), then forks into a delta before
flowing into the Black Sea.

"So far, we have no signals of an impact on the health of the
population," Tomescu said.

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9) Fishermen up in arms over NATO bombs
By: Michel Bôle-Richard in Rome
For: Le Monde
URL: http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/11723

THE fishermen of Chioggia, a port on an island at the southern end of
the Venetian lagoon, are furious. At a meeting on May 15, they decided
they would stop paying their taxes because they have been forced to
stop work and therefore have no income. They say it is all NATO's
fault: when its aircraft return from their missions over Serbia, they
drop their unused bombs into the Adriatic -- where they find their way
into the nets of local fishermen. On May 10, one such bomb exploded,
injuring three sailors on the Profeta, one of them seriously. The
bombs fished out of the sea with shellfish are almost all of the same
type: small yellow cylinders measuring 20cm by 6cm, hundreds of which
are released by the notorious cluster bombs just before they hit the
ground.

The Italian prime minister, ....... wanted to know if the Adriatic
had become "NATO's rubbish dump". ....They are de-activated bombs,"
NATO replied. "They have on some occasions been launched into
international waters, at predetermined spots... "There are five or
six zones that have been defined since the war in Bosnia in 1992,

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10) NATO BOMBING DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
[ links to ca 75 photofiles]
From:  Ian Goddard <Ian@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Receivd via: proposition1 news list May 25, 199
URL: http://www.erols.com/igoddard/yugo-war.htm

Links to approximately 75 photofiles of NATO bombing damage
including infrastructure, buildings,  blocks, convoy and
some disturbing scenes of civilians dead and injured - lying
variously  in the open,  in rubble and in hospital settings.  Links
indicate which cities or locations the bombing occurred in for
most of the photos.    --je

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11) APPEAL FOR THE YUGOSLAV HERITAGE UNDER THE BOMBS
From:  The Institute for Protection of Nature of Serbia
Date Received: May 23, 1999
URL:   http://www.natureprotection.org.yu/apel.html

"The rise of international co-operation and national mechanisms
towards the concept of sustainable development and harmonization of
all aspects of life have been the basic determinant of the Institute
for Protection of Nature of Serbia. This process has been violently
disrupted by disturbing the peace and survival of all life systems on
the territory of Yugoslavia, which is completely opposite to what we
are struggling for.

.....the imbalance in one part is a threat to survival of the entire
system and life on the Planet. Having this in mind, we call upon you
to support our appeal... and to take responsibility in preventing much
wider ecological and humanitarian catastrophe of tomorrow. "

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12) NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
By:   Department of Organic Chemical Technology and Polymers
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy Belgrade
University Belgrade, Yugoslavia
URL:  http://www.net4s.com/under/ecologicalcatastrophe.html

Until yesterday we could attempt to understand, although not accept,
NATO's  bombing of Yugoslavia in terms of their military,
strategic or logistic aims, even though some tragic  accidents
 had occurred. This changed dramatically in the night from Saturday
to Sunday (17 - 18th April,  1999) when NATO deliberately bombed the
poly(vinyl  chloride) (PVC) and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants
at Pancevo. Subsequently, increased atmospheric  concentrations
well above the allowed limits (an unconfirmed report spoke of more
than 10 000 times  higher values), were measured in the vicinity of
the VCM plant.
As the spreading of dangerous and toxic vapours cannot be hindered
hindered by international borders, this new development in the
strategy of NATO must be of concern not only to
neighbouring countries, but to the complete international
community. We would ask you to ensure, in any way available
that this new, extremely dangerous policy of NATO becomes
becomes known to the people of the world, in the hope that world
opinion can stop NATO's action before and ecological catastrophe
results.

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