Preparing for the risk of radioactive contamination - Dr Khalid Al-Saleh
Radioactive leaks represent a significant threat to both the environment and the communities surrounding the Arabian Gulf. It is therefore essential to take immediate and coordinated action to mitigate these risks. Regional and international cooperation must be strengthened to ensure the safety of our water sources and marine ecosystems, and to shield future generations from the consequences of radioactive contamination—particularly considering the ongoing Zionist entity-Iranian war.
The Arabian Gulf is among the world's most environmentally sensitive regions. It holds immense strategic and economic importance due to its vast oil and gas reserves and its heavy dependence on Gulf waters for drinking water through desalination. As such, environmental threats, whether from oil pollution or radioactive leaks, present increasing and urgent challenges.
Today, we are facing one of the most serious potential environmental challenges. In its attacks on Iran, the Zionist entity is targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure such as the Bushehr nuclear plant, which is in proximity to Gulf waters.
Radioactive pollution of Gulf waters would have severe ecological and public health consequences. A leak could disperse radioactive elements across marine environments, threatening not only aquatic life but also fish and desalinated water supplies. The immediate effects include the destruction of marine ecosystems, while long-term consequences involve elevated rates of radiation-related diseases, particularly cancers such as leukemia and thyroid cancer.
The economic repercussions of such contamination would also be considerable. The costs of cleanup, environmental rehabilitation, and healthcare could be devastating.
Fortunately, the Gulf countries, including Kuwait, maintain strong relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). I am confident that Kuwait's liaison officer to the IAEA, along with relevant experts, is actively monitoring the situation and cooperating to detect any potential radiation leakage that may arise from the conflict and in preparing public awareness and response plans, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Preparedness and preventive planning are essential, even if the likelihood of a leak remains low. The potential scale of damage is too great to ignore. We pray to Almighty Allah to protect our country and region from such dangers.
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