Iraq now of the world's most contaminated countries- Iraq war remnants cause cancer deaths [View All]

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Remnants from Iraq's three recent wars, the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the Gulf War in 1991 and the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, coupled with the absence of adequate government controls on emissions and industrial effluent, have turned Iraq into one of the world's most contaminated countries, say officials.

"There are a number of environmental challenges in Iraq," Environment Minister Narmin Othman told IRIN. "One of them is water, air and soil contamination caused mainly by emissions from cars and generators in crowded areas, unplanned use of chemical fertilizers, war remnants and bombing with depleted uranium."

She said her ministry had identified military vehicles and tanks contaminated with radioactive materials dating back to the wars of 1991 and 2003, but no action had been taken to get rid of them. There was a lack of government supervision of the waste being discharged into the country's two main rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates. This included waste from heavy industry, tanning and paint factories, as well as raw sewage and hospital waste, she said.

"The contamination levels are rising significantly in Iraq," she concluded.

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http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/10/14/88009.html