Research team tests Khiam soil samples for signs of radiation

Source: Daily Star staff, 2-11-2006
SIDON: A team from the National Organization for Nuclear Power, affiliated with the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR), surveyed the town of Khiam on Wednesday to follow up on an Environment and Development magazine report that showed high levels of radiation in samples taken from a bomb crater in the area.
The team said it used a DETA 5 receiver set to measure the emission of Alpha and Beta rays in a number of bomb craters, but detected no radiation.
The head of the research team, Professor Omar Abed al-Samad, said they had gone to Khiam "to extract samples from the soil and water, in order to have them thoroughly examined in our laboratories." The results of lab tests will be revealed within 10 days, he added.
Meanwhile, separate research teams from the expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon took samples from water sources in Khiam, but said lab tests showed water in the area was not at all potable or fit for irrigation.
NCSR president Mouin Hamzeh said Tuesday that Lebanon "was free of any signs of radiation, but that the NCSR has taken recent media reports claiming the presence of depleted uranium into consideration."
A previous assessments in the Khiam area, conducted by the Lebanese University directly after the August 14 cessation of hostilities, failed to detect any presence of radioactive substances in the area.
However, international experts and non-governmental organizations have urged the Lebanese to take precautionary measures in areas suspected to be contaminated with depleted uranium in order to avoid any potential complications.