Ninawa nuclear facility leaking

MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Officials in the northern Iraqi province of Ninawa expressed concern over the health effects from possible radiation leaks from an abandoned nuclear facility.

The Edayah nuclear facility was bombed in the Persian Gulf War and fell under the regime of U.N. weapons inspectors. The facility, about 22 miles west of the provincial capital, Mosul, was looted for scrap material in 2004.

Duraid Kashmola, the provincial governor, said health officials have raised a number of concerns that possible radiation leaks were affecting the local population, the United Nations' humanitarian news agency, IRIN, reported.

"The province's health authorities have registered a number of deformities among newborns as well as a number of cancers among adults," Kashmola said. "The health authorities suspect that a radiation leak and contamination from (Edayah) is the cause of the deformities and cancers."

Abdul Majid al-Nuaimi with the provincial health department said the contamination may be from looted materials and local water supplies, however.

"The villagers still have some of the plant's contaminated materials, such as barrels, utensils, basins, metal pipes, iron rods and sanitary appliances. We also fear rainwater could have exacerbated soil contamination," he said.

Provincial officials began closing off access to the facility and depositing suspected contaminated materials in late September.