Emerging disaster - Iraq

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The national treasures and ministries of Iraq were not the only things less important to guard than oil wells - toxic and nuclear waste sites were also left open to theft.

Along with the lasting effects of the tons of depleted uranium munitions the US has dumped on Iraq (DU effects from 1991 and DU weapons in 2003) we have the looting of a toxic chemical and nuclear waste site at al-Tuwaitha outside of Baghdad (Looters steal away with lethal bounty).

Why, some might wonder, would people steal barrels of toxic waste and uranium powder (also known as "yellow cake")? Well for the barrels of course. It is certain that those who took containers from the site had no idea what they were getting into.

The barrels have been emptied in the yards and streets of Baghdad and surrounding areas and are in use for water and food storage. People are already showing the effects of chemical and radiation poisoning. Obviously, our troops (and I imagine aid agencies) are totally unprepared for this kind of a disaster. Cleaning up the mess is highly unlikely, death and illness for decades to come is a virtual certainty.

Since no watch was apparently being kept on any such facilities in Iraq, it is likely that this is a scenario that has happened all over the country. When word of this started leaking out in early May (5/4/03 Gellman, Wa. Post, Iraqi nuclear site found looted posted also on Uncommon Thought News Site) the site was Kut, and the concern was that terrorists could have made off with the waste which could be used in "dirty bombs."

Given our concerns about terrorist organizations in Iraq (indeed, this was one of our purported reasons for invading) one might think we would have been guarding such dangerous sites rather closely. Apparently not.

Was this just simple oversight on US architects' plans? Or was this perhaps part of the plan? If "terrorists" got hold of nasty material then we could use that as justification for further "interventions" in other places. If ordinary civilians got them and died, well that's just "collateral damage."

Or maybe it is ethnocentrism. Who would steal barrels afterall? Certainly "Americans" wouldn't enter toxic waste sites just for barrels to store water and food right? So who would of guessed that Iraqi's would?

But now the horse is out of the barn and there is no calling her back. Those who pay for the price of our lack of attention and concern (for whatever reason) are half a world away from the US and the American public is likely to not be too concerned, if it even gets token coverage in the corporate press.

More dead children in some supposed third world nation is nothing new and apparently nothing to shout about.

I feel like cussing (and those who know me know that is not something I do very often).

Posted by rowan at May 15, 2003 07:43 PM | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |