سلام حسين عويد الهلالي
الحوار المتمدن-العدد: 3383 - 2011 / 6 / 1 - 07:54
المحور:
الطبيعة, التلوث , وحماية البيئة ونشاط حركات الخضر
رسالة إلى السادة الكرام وزراء البيئة, العلوم والتكنولوجيا, الصحة, التعليم العالي و لجنة البيئة والصحة في مجلس النواب العراقي الموقر.
سادتي الأفاضل لا يخفى على حضراتكم إن البيئة العراقية قد تعرضت لتلوث كبير جراء استعمال قذائف اليورانيوم المنضب في حربي عام 1991 و 2003 والتي يعتقد أنها سبب زيادة نسبة الإصابة بالسرطان في السنوات الأخيرة مما يهدد صحة ومستقبل أجيالنا المقبلة .
وعلى حد علمي لا توجد لحد ألان دراسة أكاديمية شاملة لمدى تعرض البيئة والمواطنين الساكنين في المناطق الملوثة كما أن العلاقة المباشرة بين المشاكل الصحية والتلوث باليورانيوم المنضب لا زالت غير واضحة لحد ألان رغم إن الدراسات الوبائية أثبتت ذلك.
سادتي الكرام , إن هناك رأيان علميان متقابلان في هذا الشأن , الأول يقول نعم أن اليورانيوم المنضب هو السبب ويؤيده باحثون وأطباء عراقيون وأجانب كثيرون , والرأي الأخر يقول لا علاقة له وهذا موضوع أختلقه النظام السابق لأسباب سياسية وان ما حدث عندنا من زيادة في الإحصائيات هو بسبب زيادة عدد السكان وتطور في وسائل التشخيص وأرقام الإصابات عندنا مشابهة لدول الجوار وأن اليورانيوم المنضب مخاطره قليلة وأمين لأنه يستعمل في صناعات كثيرة, وهناك من يقول إن أسلحة النظام السابق المدمرة وسوء الأوضاع المعايشة والصحية والخدمات هي السبب.
أما أصحاب الرأي الأخر من الباحثين والأطباء فيؤكدون أن لليورانيوم المنضب تأثيرات صحية كمعدن ثقيل أضافة ألى الأشعاع وأن ليس هناك حد ادنى أمين للأشعاع وهو ضار مهما كان تركيزه قليلا وألكمية المستنشقة من غباره مهما كانت قليلة تبقى كثيرا في الجسم وبسبب مجاورتها للخلايا تؤثر على كروموسوماتها وتسبب السرطان حتى للخلايا التي لم تتعرض مباشرة للأشعاع , كما ان طرق تحديد الخطورة المتبعة الان غير صالحة لانها مصممة لقياس الاشعاع الخارجي ومشتقة من التجارب على الفئران ومن المعلومات المتوفرة عن الناجين من تفجيرات هيروشيما وناجازاكي أما ما نتحدث عنه فهو اشعاع داخل الجسم.
ولحسم هذا الجدل والوصول الى الحقيقة لانقاذ ما يمكن انقاذه اقترح على حضراتكم وبكل تواضع أجراء دراسة علمية موسعة وشاملة لكل العراق يشارك فيها باحثون عراقيون وأجانب , لقد تشرفت وفي بداية شباط 2008 بتقديم مشروع بحث علمي لدراسة الموضوع إلى وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي وهو دراسة مقترحة من البروفسور
Randall R. Parrish مدير مؤسسة NIGL للأبحاث في لندن http://www.bgs.ac.uk/nigl/ الذي كان لي شرف الاتصال بت والاتفاق معه على إيصال اقتراحه إلى من يهم الأمر في العراق من وزارت وجامعات وباحثين وقد قمت بذلك قدر استطاعتي . وهذا العالم الكبير والمرشح إلى جائزة نوبل مهتم جدا بموضوع العراق
www.bgs.ac.uk/staff/docs/3997/RParrishPublicationlist.pdf
وقام بتطوير طريقةHigh Resolution Multi Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry
أي قياس الطيف الكتلي البلازمي المقرون بالحث لتصبح الأدق والأحدث في العالم في هذا المجال والموجودة تفاصيلها في هذا الملف:
hem.passagen.se/janbella/parrish_jun_14_03.pdf
وهو مستعد للمساعدة بما يستطيع وقد أرسل لي مسودة عمل للمشروع وقال أنها قابلة للنقاش والتحوير.
إن اقتراح البروفسور باريش وطريقته العلمية الحديثة ستحسم هذا الجدل فأما أن يكون اليورانيوم المنضب هو السبب أو إن هناك أسبابا أخرى يجب البحث عنها ودراستها , وطريقته العلمية بإمكانها تحديد كمية ونسب نظائر اليورانيوم المنضب التي استنشقها الإنسان والتي تفرز في إدراره وتمييزها عن اليورانيوم الطبيعي أو المخصب ثم معرفة الكمية التي دخلت الجسم أول مرة حتى بعد عشرين سنة أو أكثر باستعمال نماذج رياضية خاصة . كما يمكن بهذه الطريقة حساب تركيز اليورانيوم المنضب في التربة والمياه والنبات وهذه الطريقة استخدمها باحثون كثيرون وفي بلدان كثيرة .
أن التطويرات التي أجرتها مختبرات NIGL على طريقة طيف الكتلة المستعملة في علم الجيوفيزياء والجيوكيمياء جعلتها أحدث طريقة في هذا المجال باعتراف الأوساط العلمية العالمية The state of the art وهي أكثر حساسية ودقة من طريقة بلورة الجرمانيوم عالية النقاوة وطريقة مختبرات Spiezeفي سويسرا التابعة للوكالة الدولية للطاقة الذرية لأن الموضوع إشعاع داخلي وليس خارجي.
وليكن مشروعا وطنيا وأن يضم اختصاصات مختلفة في جامعة بغداد وغيرها وان يضم أطباء وباحثين من البصرة لأن لهم خبرة واسعة بالموضوع وأن يتم الاتصال والتفاهم مع البروفسور باريش ويناقش في كل تفاصيل خطته المقترحة ويتفق معه ويتعاون معه لانجاز هذه الدراسة التي ستكون قاعدة لبحوث مستقبلية لكل جوانب الموضوع كما انه تعهد بتدريب المحللين العراقيين في مؤسسته .
أن انجاز هذا المشروع سيكون ردا علميا شافيا على كل من يستغل الموضوع سياسيا إضافة إلى فوائده البيئية والصحية لذلك أرجو من حضرنكم الدعوة لهذا المشروع الوطني وحث الجهات المعنية على انجازه والتعاون مع صاحب الاقتراح.
ومع هذه الرسالة مسودة مشروع البحث المقترح.
ولكم مني جزيل الشكر والاحترام.
سلام حسين عويد الهلالي
مدرس مساعد في المعهد التقني/ الشطرة
ماجستير بيئة و دبلوم عالي هندسة وراثية من جامعة بغداد
[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_195429703832000¬if_t=group_activity
وهذه هي تفاصيل خطة البحث المقترح:
Proposed study of the extent and significance of contamination of the environment of Iraq and its potential implications to public health of the Iraqi population.
Objective and Plan:
1. To evaluate the extent of environmental contamination of surface soil and water by aerosol DU particulates in areas of known or suspected heavy DU munitions usage, by conducting a soil and water geochemical and in part isotope measurement survey of uranium
2. To establish the range of more intense contamination by using a threshold of approximately 0.5 parts per million of DU in the upper 10 cm of soil.
3. To test water supplies used for public water consumption for DU contamination.
4. If DU is found in extensive drinking water supplies, to evaluate the impact of this contamination on the interpretation of DU testing of urine.
5. To identify cohorts of the population representing ‘controls’ and ‘exposed’ groups, in one or more areas of Iraq. Criteria used to identify such cohorts would include duration of living in proximity to a mobile aerosol DU source of contamination, evidence of health issues suspected of being possibly related to DU exposure, age, sex, etc.
6. To collect 24hr urine samples of the cohorts under as careful conditions as possible to ensure no contamination of samples during collection. Pre-cleaned 2.5 litre plastic containers will be used.
7. To test cohorts, both control and exposed, for DU contamination by measurement of 24hour urine samples using advanced sensitive mass spectrometric methods.
8. In any DU-positive individuals, to evaluate the data and make model calculations of integrated contamination levels.
9. To write a comprehensive report on the work with a view to presenting this report for consideration to the Iraqi government, and to release the results of the work in a scientific paper(s) in the international environmental health literature.
10. To recommend any follow-up studies, either environmental or medical, that should be conducted as a result of the initial results of the study.
Agencies and Scientists involved:
The scientists and officials needed to design, plan, and execute the study need to be clearly identified to ensure that the study is credible and feasible. This group needs to include:
1. Iraqi medical or government officials that are in a position to approve the study
2. Iraqi medical experts familiar with health issues (i.e. in Basra or elsewhere) that have been potentially linked to DU exposure
3. Environmental scientists in Iraq that have experience in either conducting geochemical surveys of soil, soil sampling in rural and urban areas, analysis of uranium in soil or rock samples, and that would be qualified to execute the soil survey.
4. Medical officials qualified and able to plan and select the cohorts for health and DU screening and collect the urine samples
5. Analysis of the urine samples for DU – this is the NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory of the United Kingdom
6. Environmental health experts to interpret the geochemical and urine analyses (UK and Iraqi scientists)
I do know that the United Nations Environment Programme has been eager for many years to conduct a study similar to the one I am proposing, but for security and perhaps political reasons they have found it difficult to move forward with this. It may be that they would support the project with funds, allowing us to conduct it by proxy. I would be willing to travel to Geneva to discuss this with them. This might be fruitful.
I also personally know Dr Riyadh Lafta of the Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq (R. Lafta MD), and he and I already have a collaboration (as yet unfunded and not progressing very rapidly) to analysed teeth from various regions of Iraq for DU internal exposure. I am sure he would be a valuable addition to the study team as he has been involved in two notable studies published in the Lancet on mortality in Iraq related to the current conflict.
Obviously we need to involve medical officials from the Baghdad and Basra areas familiar with the rises of cancers in the last 15 years; the only published or available account of this I know of is: Al-Sadoon I, Hassan GG, Yacoub AA-H. Depleted uranium and health of people in Basrah: epidemiological evidence. Incidence
and pattern of congenital anomalies among births in Basrah during the period 1990–1998. Selected Research Works on the Effect of DU on Man & Environment in Iraq — Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research I; 2002.
http://idust.net/Docs/IQSRWrks/SelWks03.pdf. If there are other reports available I would appreciate knowing about them. I have heard this work presented at several conferences but as yet I do not think it is published in detail.
For the purposes of planning, we should identify a Study Planning Team (SPT) that will approve all steps of the study; the SPT will include Iraqi and UK scientists, and any others as necessary.
Logistical aspects:
Once a general plan is agreed, the following logistical aspects are recommended.
1. The selection of the areas of study and cohort groups will be by the SPT.
2. The collection of soil, water and urine samples will be conducted by Iraqi scientists and assistants using materials and methods agreed by the SPT
3. The geochemical analysis of soils and waters will be conducted ideally by splitting of samples into replicate and analysis split between UK and Iraqi laboratories with a degree of duplication of analysis to ensure and evaluate quality control.
4. All urine samples will be transported to and measured in the UK, and Iraqi analytical scientists will be invited to participate in this analysis. All samples of urine will have a closely monitored chain of custody from collection to analysis to protect their integrity.
Project Planning:
1. Planning will be conducted initially by email correspondence to identify the most appropriate medical, scientific, and government officials to be included in the SPT. This is referred to as PHASE 1.
2. Prior to initiation of the study, a meeting will be planned whereby all of the critical personnel for the project will meet and discuss in detail the study plan and timetable. The venue for this is suggested to be in the UK or a venue in the Middle East agreeable to all of the SPT. This is referred to as PHASE 2.
3. It is advised that the geochemical sampling and analysis of soils and water should precede the selection and planning of the urine study; this is recommended to make the study as cost efficient as possible. The soil and water environmental survey are referred to as PHASE 3.
4. The urine analysis study is referred to as PHASE 4.
5. The interpretation and synthesis of the study and its communication to the scientific community is referred to as PHASE 5.
Costs and Financing of the study.
The resourcing of this study is likely to be its principal obstacle and difficulty. In order to reduce costs, it is essential to enlist as much Iraqi involvement as possible in the planning, sampling and analysis. At the same time some of the analytical measurements will have to be conducted in the UK as facilities are simply not available in Iraq. At the same time, if geochemical analysis facilities (XRF, ICP-MS, ICP-OES) are available in Iraq then the project should use them, perhaps supplemented with additional training in the UK of Iraqi analysts could be arranged.
The costs of the study are likely to be in proportion to the amount of geochemical and isotope measurements made. There is a need for (1) soil geochemical analyses to include a bulk soil elemental composition and uranium, (2) selected uranium isotope measurements in soil suspected of having significant DU contamination, (3) isotope measurements on drinking and surface water supplies, and (4) urine isotope measurements for all uranium isotopes and uranium concentration.
As an example, one can consider the Basra area, an area known to have considerable DU munitions used within its boundaries in the 1991 conflict. A reconnaissance geochemical survey could be conducted initially with a 1km spacing to identify high-DU areas, followed by more detailed assessment of specific high-DU areas, if found. All of the common drinking water supplies, to include a selection of wells, should be undertaken. This Basra area might be surveyed (soil and water) with analysis of perhaps 200 samples for total uranium content, supplemented by perhaps 40-50 isotope analyses of soils and water.
The number of urine isotope analyses needed for both control and exposed cohorts could begin with perhaps 100 urine samples in an area such as Basra, though this may need to be increased.
Baghdad and perhaps other urban centres should also be a focus since they are the locations where most of the DU munitions used in 2003-2005 are likely to have been used.
As a way to proceed in estimating a budget, it would seem that something like 200 geochemical analyses and 100 soil-water-urine uranium isotope analysis would be a minimum for one urban area. Additional urban areas would multiply the size of the study. To better plan the whole study and make the study most efficient, one could collect soils samples on a less dense reconnaissance basis from all of the target urban areas and analyse a portion of these to understand the likely scope of the DU contamination prior to more detailed systematic sampling of urban areas.
The costs of the study are likely to include:
1. Planning costs to include initial meetings, travel, etc. and costs of the medical and environmental team in designing the study.
2. Costs of sampling and transport of geochemical and water samples
3. Analysis of uranium and other elemental composition of soils
4. Identification of cohorts appropriate for the study including evaluation of habitation and health circumstances of potential participants.
5. Transport of samples for isotope analysis to the UK
6. Isotope analysis of uranium of waters, selected soils and urine samples
7. Scientific meetings of study leaders during and at the conclusion of the study.
It is difficult for me to estimate costs of the study, but the analysis costs for ~100 urine and ~100 soil analyses, only a portion of that needed in the study, would be approximately £60,000, or $120,000.
If the study was done thoroughly and in up to three urban areas, it is possible that the cost of the study overall, including staff costs for all participants, might be as much as $300,000 - $500,000. However, it could be staged and completed in phases or in restricted geographic areas to reduce costs, and could be satisfactorily initiated with a commitment of perhaps $50,000-$100,000. You will appreciate that these costs are largely a guess since I cannot estimate the costs from the Iraqi side, which could be comparable to the UK analytical costs.
I hope this note on the project outline forms a basis for us proceeding with planning of the project – we will need to identify funding for the study as I cannot see how it can proceed without some commitment of resource.
I will look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Prof Randall Parrish
Head NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory
British Geological Survey
Keyworth, Notts, NG12 5GG
United Kingdom
44 (0)115 936 3427 telephone
44 (0)115 936 3302 fax
[email protected]
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/nigl
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