Questo invece è uno studio sul rischio radioattivo legato ai residui del DU in Kuwait, svolto dall'IAEA tra il 2001 e il 2002 su richiesta delle autorità kuwaitiane.
Lo scopo dello studio, come possiamo leggere a pag. 4, riguarda lo studio del rischio radioattivo nel medio-lungo termine legato all'uso del DU nella guerra del Golfo e non considera gli effetti legati alla tossicità chimica dell'uranio.
Balzando direttamente alle conclusioni (pag. 30) ecco cosa leggiamo:SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study was limited to the assessment of the radiological consequences that could arise owing to the presence of residues of DU in Kuwait. No consideration was given to the presence of radioactive material other than DU in the environment, and the study did not consider the possible radiological consequences in the short term after DU munitions had been used. The assessment was confined to the possible radiological consequences of the presence of DU; the chemical toxicity of uranium was not considered. The investigation was limited to a number of locations that might be affected by the presence of residues of DU or that are considered important from the public reassurance point of view. The locations that merited investigation were proposed by the Government of Kuwait. It was agreed that 11 locations would be studied (shown in Fig. 1).
The original scope of the sampling campaign was limited to the corroboration of the measurements and information provided by Kuwait’s experts, together with the provision of supplementary data, to obtain reliable information to be used in the radiological assessment. During the mission in September 2001 the senior experts emphasized that, if problems were encountered with the reliability of the data already available, then a new sampling and measurement strategy would be developed. In the light of the findings of the evaluation exercise carried out at the Agency’s Laboratories at Seibersdorf, the scope of the sampling campaign did require widening.
OVERALL FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of the measurements carried out for the sites investigated during the study and summarized in this report, DU does not pose a radiological hazard to the population of Kuwait. Estimated annual radiation doses that could arise from exposure to DU residues are very low and of little radiological concern. Estimated annual radiation doses that could arise in the areas where residues do exist are of the order of a few microsieverts, well below the annual doses received by the population of Kuwait from natural sources of radiation in the environment and far below the action level of 10 mSv suggested by the ICRP as a criterion to establish whether remedial actions are necessary.
Complete DU penetrators or fragments can still be found at some locations where these weapons were used in the Gulf War, such as at the oilfields at Manageesh. Prolonged contact with these DU residues is the only possible exposure pathway that could result in exposures of radiological significance.
As long as access to the areas remains restricted, the likelihood that members of the public could pick up or otherwise come into contact with these residues is low.
The authorities of Kuwait have the competence and equipment to carry out the necessary monitoring and survey activities in relation to DU. The gamma spectrometry analysis technique used by the RPD is sufficient to determine whether concentrations of uranium in environmental samples give cause for radiological concern.