What to do with 40,000 depleted uranium rounds scattered around Serbia?

Serbian Minister, UN representatives discuss depleted uranium http://inserbia.info/today/2014/03/serbias-minister-un-representatives-discuss-depleted-uranium-sites/sites BELGRADE – Serbia’s Minister without portfolio for Kosovo-Metohija Aleksandar Vulin has discussed with UN representatives in Belgrade the progress made in research on locations in Serbia where higher levels of depleted uranium have been detected. Vulin on Thursday met with Peter Due, the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office in Belgrade, and UN Resident Coordinator Irena Vojackova-Solorano, the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo-Metohija said in a statement.

Following field research in 1999 and 2002, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published reports on locations with higher levels of depleted uranium, the statement said.

During the 1999 bombing campaign, NATO forces used banned depleted uranium ammunition and Yugoslav Forces figures said that 30,000 to 50,000 rounds of depleted uranium ammunition were scattered on 112 locations across the country, but mostly in Kosovo-Metohija.

On the 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Vulin discussed with the UN representatives the progress made in research on locations with higher depleted uranium levels in the territory of central Serbia, but also in Kosovo-Metohija.

Such research is helpful not only to Serbia, but also to other countries, Minister Vulin said.

Vojackova-Solorano said that the reports were the first of their kind and that the time has come to monitor the situation again, especially if the Serbian government has evidence of an impact of the bombing campaign on the health of the population in Serbia, the statement said.

She said that the UN agency will strive to provide support to Serbia’s health care system in the coming years.

Due also inquired about the progress in the technical negotiations on establishing the community of Serb municipalities and organising judicial authorities in northern Kosovo-Metohija.

Minister Vulin reiterated that any armed force in Kosovo-Metohija other than Kfor – the force envisioned by UN Security Council Resolution 1244 – is absolutely unacceptable to Serbia.

March 29, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | depleted uranium, EUROPE, Uranium

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AR 700-48 Section 2–4. Handling of RCE
a. General.
(1) During peacetime or as soon as operational risk permits, the Corps/JTF/Division Commander’s RSO will
identify, segregate, isolate, secure, and label all RCE. Procedures to minimize the spread of radioactivity will be
implemented as soon as possible.
(2) Radiologically contaminated equipment does not prevent the use of a combat vehicle or equipment for a combat
mission.
(3) RSO must consider the operational situation, mission, level of contamination, and types of contaminate when
evaluating the need to utilize contaminated equipment.
(4) After the Corps Commander certifies the equipment is decontaminated IAW established OEG or peacetime
regulations, it may be reutilized.
(5) The equipment for release for unrestricted use must be decontaminated to comply with peacetime regulations
versus OEG.
(6) Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Units will render equipment safe prior to retrograde operations when
appropriate.
b. Use and cannibalization.
(1) The operation of RCE or cannibalization is prohibited unless the commander has determined that:
(a) The operational risk is comparable to that found in combat.
(b) The equipment is required for mission completion.
(c) Under no condition shall the following items be used or cannibalized if damaged: MC-1 Soil Moisture Density
Tester (Soil and Asphalt) (NSN 6635-01-030-6896), or commercially procured TROXLER Surface Moisture-Density
Gauge AN/UDM-2 RADIAC Calibrator Set (NSN 6665-00-179-9037), AN/UDM-6 RADIAC Calibrator Set (NSN
6665-00-767-7497).
(2) Under those circumstances in which the commander has waived prohibitive use (see para 2-4b(1)) and deter-mined
that the operational risk is comparable to combat, equipment may be decontaminated and used for a specified
mission. Once the circumstances are met, operational necessity is over, that waived contaminated equipment will be
handled IAW peacetime procedures.
c. Handling.
(1) The unit/team/individual responsible for the equipment, whether friendly or foreign, at the time of damage or
contamination is responsible for taking all action consistent with this regulation and DA PAM 700-48.
(2) The MACOM commander may designate a radioactive waste/commodity processing facility. The ACERT,
RADCON and RAMT Teams may be deployed to assist in the processing and management supervision of RCE.
(3) Maintenance forms, warning tags, and other forms of communication will be used to ensure that personnel
involved in the reclamation are aware of the contamination status.
(4) In peacetime, RCE will be transported to the command esignated location for receipt of radioactive material
where the extent of contamination can be assessed and remediated under controlled conditions.
(5) In peacetime, the Corps/JTF/Division Commander’s RSO monitor the separation of RCE from uncontaminated
equipment. The separation must be maintained throughout the entire handling process.
(6) All equipment, to include captured or combat RCE, will be surveyed, packaged, retrograded, decontaminated and
released IAW Technical Bulletin 9-1300-278, DA PAM 700-48 and other relevant guidance.
(7) Equipment will be decontaminated to the maximum extent as far forward in theater as possible, IAW the OEG.
Under all other conditions, decontamination in-theater will be performed only in accordance with guidance from the
ACERT/RADCON/Chemical Officer/NBC Staff.
d. Personal Safety. Personnel handling contaminated equipment need to follow the personal safety measures outlined
in DA PAM 700-48 and AR 40-5.
e. Disposal.
(1) In general, environmental impact must be considered prior to equipment retrograde. Retrograde operations must
minimize the spread of contamination preventing further harm to personnel and damage to equipment.
(2) Radioactive material and waste will not be locally disposed of through burial, submersion, incineration, destruction in place, or abandonment without approval from overall MACOM commander. If local disposal is approved, the
responsible MACOM commander must document the general nature of the disposed material and the exact location of
the disposal. As soon as possible the MACOM commander must forward all corresponding documentation to the Chief,
Health Physicist, AMCSF-P, HQAMC.
(3) Demilitarization in the field is authorized only as a means to ensure that the equipment will not fall into enemy
hands.
5 AR 700–48 • 16 September 2002

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