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Radiation danger raises concern, controversy in Iraq

In light of an apparent increase in the amount and impact of radioactive contamination in some areas of Iraq, and the inability of the Iraqi government to deal with this matter, Iraq needs international financial and technical support to deal with pollution caused by the remnants of war.
A member of a counter-radiation team uses a Geiger counter to search for missing radioactive material in Basra, Iraq, February 21, 2016. Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, officials said on Sunday, ending speculation it could be acquired by Islamic State and used as a weapon. The officials told Reuters the material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, was undamaged and there were no concerns about
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Radiation levels in parts of Iraq — including the heavily populated capital — are an environmental disaster that must be investigated and remedied, parliament member Hassan Salem and his Iraqi National Alliance electoral coalition maintain.

The level of contamination actually rises at times as more radioactive remnants of war are uncovered. Children, unaware but fascinated, find and play with irradiated leftovers, such as abandoned vehicles and military equipment. ​Scrap metal dealers, some of whom are children, contribute to the spread of contamination, and unsuspecting factory workers actually burn contaminated bricks in furnaces for fuel.

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