Informations Administratives 06.04.2001	N° 35-2001 COMMISSION, TOUS LIEUX D'AFFECTATION
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Information for staff Brussels, 30 March 2001 ADMINB/LL D(2001) 12128 Subject: Risk of contamination from uranium in the Balkans You will probably have been following news reports late last year and early this year about what the press calls "Balkans syndrome" and the possibility that people present in the area during or after the NATO bombardments may have been contaminated by depleted uranium (DU) used in some munitions. As part of the action for reconstruction in the Balkans the Commission asked a group of independent experts to assess the risk to health of being in the area. The expert group delivered its report on 6 March 2001. Its findings were as follows: no evidence was found establishing a link between the health problems affecting certain military personnel who had returned from the Balkans and their exposure to uranium; the results available do not justify systematic individual monitoring but certain tests could be valuable for confirming those results or reassuring people who are concerned. The message overall is therefore reassuring. The Commission is also interested as an employer in how this matter develops. The Directorate-General for Personnel and Administration and the other Directorates-General concerned quickly made the arrangements necessary to cover all eventualities: drawing up lists of staff employed in the area, ensuring that the Medical Service was available to answer any questions from staff concerned, assessing the need for systematic individual monitoring, checking that, if necessary, our laboratories would be able to take on responsibility for screening tests. The report of the group of independent experts bears out the information that was available to the Medical Service, on the basis of which it considered that it would be counterproductive to undertake a systematic screening campaign. The approach that has been adopted to date will therefore continue to apply. This means that: the Medical Service will continue to pay particular attention to this matter and to the situation of staff posted to the Balkans; it will do all it can to allay the fears of the staff concerned and will be available to answer any questions they may wish to put. It will not propose systematic individual monitoring but will consider offering it, on a voluntary basis, to reassure those who ask for it; the Medical Service will invite staff posted to the area, on the occasion of their annual medical check-up, to undergo a full physical examination and to complete a questionnaire. On this basis it may be decided to carry out a screening test (urine test).                Horst Reichenbach

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Auteur : Personnel et Administration: Droits et obligations; dialogue social et politique sociale Editeur : Personnel et Administration Direction C : Ateliers de reproduction Page créée le 2/04/2001 12:35:07, dernière modification le 2/04/2001 12:46:31