Tsunami stirs up toxic waste on Somalia's shores (from ATSNN), page 1

Recently in Somalia lots of cases of unusual diseases have been reported. The United Nations spokeman said, that the tsunami that hit the coasts of Somalia last year, opened and scattered many containers of toxic waste material, that havebeen laid illegaly infront of Somalia's coast for years.

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Toxic waste has washed up on Somalia's shores almost two months after the devastating tsunami that struck countries bordering the Indian Ocean, according to a study by the United Nations Environment Programme presented on Tuesday in Nairobi.

The waste had been illegally sunk in the ocean years earlier, according to the report, which highlighted the dramatic consequences the tsunami has had on the environment.

According to the report: "The tsunami has washed up toxic waste on beaches. Many people in Somalia's impacted areas are complaining of unusual health problems including acute respiratory infections, mouth bleeds and skin conditions."

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There are reports from the villages of Somalia of wide range of medical problems, such as mouth bleedings, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties. UN officials say, that this syptoms are very similar to radiations sickness.
In front of Somalia's coast there have been many illegal toxic waste dump sites, mostly radioactive material, medical waste, and heavy metals. Experts say, that to dump a tonn of this kind of waste in front of African coast costs only about 2.50$, but to legally dump this kind of materials in Europe would cost about 250$.
Officials are also concerned about the fragile ecological systems such as coral reefs, mangroves and coastal vegetation, and that the waste could contaminate fresh water supplies as well as the soil.

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