The Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Facility

Following the 1991 Gulf War, the IAEA removed all known Iraqi stocks of nuclear material suitable for weapons use, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 687. All other radioactive material, including uranium, was stored in sealed barrels at Tuwaitha and checked annually by the IAEA, under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The IAEA says that in December 2002, 500 tonnes of "yellowcake" and 1.8 tonnes of low-enriched uranium remained at Tuwaitha, and hundreds of other highly radioactive, industrial sources were still in the country.

The Problem

When the US took control of Iraq on 9 April 2003, Tuwaitha and other nuclear sites were not properly secured. Occupying forces also failed to conduct an inventory of materials at any of the sites.

Just one day later, the door of one storage area at Tuwaitha was found breached. The IAEA asked US forces to secure the storage facility sometime after April 11 but, by May 3 when US forces conducted a site survey, they were still letting scores of "workers" enter and take whatever they liked. Seven sites associated with Iraq's nuclear program have been visited by the Pentagon's special nuclear programs' teams since the war ended, and all showed signs of "looting".

Residents living near Tuwaitha reportedly took barrels of nuclear material, known as "yellowcake", and other containers because they needed them to store food, water, milk and yoghurt. They didn’t know the barrels were radioactive and toxic and that they were exposing themselves to severe risk. Witnesses report seeing people carrying containers and emptying low-level radioactive contents into the soil or local water supplies. Warning signs to the local community were limited and only written in English. Some of the looted material is now being returned to a nearby mosque for storage, but it has not been contained.

Local doctors are concerned that people are showing signs of radiation sickness. Dr. Jaafar Nasser Suhayb, who runs a nearby clinic, said that over a five-day period he treated about 20 patients from the neighbourhood near Tuwaitha for similar symptoms. Suhayb is worried that the residents are suffering from radiation poisoning because several of the symptoms are consistent with those of acute radiation syndrome: bleeding, vomiting, shortness of breath, nausea and itchy rashes

The Greenpeace expedition

We went to Iraq in June 2003 to examine the local environment and to assess the extent of any nuclear contamination. The team conducted on-site monitoring with specialist radiation detection equipment. While the extent of the Greenpeace radiological survey was not comprehensive, it did provide some idea of the true level of risk to the people of the area and to the environment.

Our radiation experts found an abandoned uranium "yellowcake" mixing cylinder and a host of radioactive sources scattered across the community. Much of the material was looted from the facility by villagers who used it for house building and water and food storage. They did not realise the potential danger. In a week long survey, as well as the "yellow cake" canister, Greenpeace uncovered:

•   radioactivity in a series of houses, including one source measuring 10,000 times above normal
  
•  another source outside a 900 pupil primary school measuring 3,000 times above normal
  
• locals who are still storing radioactive barrels and lids in their houses
  
• another smaller radioactive source abandoned in a nearby field         
  
• consistent and repeated stories of unusual sickness after coming into
  
• contact with material from the Tuwaitha plant
  
• several objects carrying radioactive symbols discarded in the community

Mike Townsley, leader of the Iraq team said at thetime: "How do you tell someone they can't stay in their own home anymore?How do you look someone in the eye when you know that what little they have andtell them they should abandon everything because it is radioactive, even thoughthey have nowhere else to go? We had to do that today. Another day looking fornightmares, another day finding them..."