Toxic waste causing diseases in Somalia

March 05 2005 at 11:10AM

Nairobi - Toxic waste washed on to Somalia's coastline by last December's tsumani has spawned diseases bearing symptoms of radioactive exposure in villagers along the shorelines of the shattered African nation, a United Nations Environment Programme spokesperson said on Friday. <snip>

"There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems like mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties," Nuttall said. UN officials familiar with the situation say the diseases bear radiation sickness symptoms. <snip>

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=vn20050305102728371C785914


Somali MPs Call for Help to Clean Up Hazardous Waste
Sat Mar 5, 2005 08:48 AM ET

<snip> A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report released last month said the tsunami had dislodged hazardous materials in Somalia, which for years had been used as a dumping ground by other countries for their nuclear waste. <snip>

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7815816

NAIROBI, March 9 (AFP) - Somalia's government in exile on Wednesday demanded an urgent probe into reports that toxic waste washed onto the Somali coast by last year's tsunami is causing illnesses and widespread environmental damage.

Environment Minister Mohamed Osman Maye said experts should be sent to Somalia to look into reports that debris the tsunami washed ashore or stirred up from previously dumped waste containers is causing a wide range of unexplained medical problems among coastal villagers.

He said the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the international community "must intervene urgently to assist the very needy Somali population that is starving to death on a daily basis as a consquence of actions beyond its defense capability." <snip>

According to UNEP, villagers along Somalia's Indian Ocean coast are suffering from unexplained acute respiratory infections, dry heavy coughing, mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties. <snip>

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVIU-6ABGZL?OpenDocument