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The bombing of Yugoslavia has stopped but the resulting poisoning and long term killings go on. Dr Janet Easton, biologist, researcher for International Systems Institute, who had worked in Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, summarised information from 64 articles.
She warned of ecological catastrophe threatening the Balkans from the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
The final destruction of Pancevo Petrochemical Complex sent toxic black clouds across the Balkans. Over 2,000 tonnes of toxic material, including hydrogen Chloride and vinyl chloride monomer and 100 tonnes of mercury spilled into the Danube, the drinking water of 10 million people.
The bombing of an oil refinery in Novisad and petroleum storage sites in Nis, Sombor and other locations resulted in acid rains in Romania in April and May and in Bulgaria in May. Rain washed down vinyl chloride monomer, poisoning the soil, grain and fruit growing in it.
Branco Jovanovic, a leader of Yugoslavia New Green Party warned that the bombing endangered the entire environment of Europe. "I warn you that Serbia is one of the greatest sources of underground waters in Europe and that the contamination will be felt in the surrounding area all the way to the Black Sea."
Dr Momir Komatina, hydrogeologist, author of 12 books on subterranean waters warned that "once polluted they can hardly be recovered".
Uranium hazard
Pentagon spokesperson Chuck Wald admitted that depleted uranium (DU) shells, the tank killers, were used in Kosovo. DU is also used in noses of bombs to give them more penetration.
There has not been any statement of how many DU shells were used in Yugoslavia compared with the nearly one million in Iraq. They are still killing thousands of children and people and causing Gulf illness to 100,000 US troops and causing defects in babies.
DU was used in the Serb area of Bosnia in 1995 and already many there are suffering from Gulf War illness ó cancers, leukemia and still born babies.
NATO claimed their shells had wiped out the majority of Yugoslav tanks (mostly faked as it happened) in the months of attacks with uncounted tonnes of DU. The radioactive material will persist for thousands of years, poisoning the soil, the water, the air and the people and the food and the stock of Balkan countries.
International protests and actions are needed to prevent NATO contrived wars which will cause death and destruction and more ecological catastrophes in other countries.