ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND HEALTH EFFECTS IN THE QUIRRA AREA, SARDINIA ISLAND (ITALY) AND THE DEPLETED URANIUM CASE

Quirra is a village located in the Italian Sardinia island, close to a big military polygon where ballistic missiles and weapons are tested. Recently, the zone has been driven to the attention of the media due to the so-called Quirra syndrome', an apparently off-normal incidence of illnesses in that zone. The media indicated in the military use of depleted uranium a possible cause of the above situation. The paper carries out the following: a statistical assessment, to verify if the 'Quirra syndrome' exists, simulations with an atmospheric dispersion and dose code (HOTSPOT) in order to evaluate health effects of the supposed depleted uranium airborne dispersion. The conclusion is that the 'Quirra syndrome' exists, however it is probably not entirely due to depleted uranium. Other possible causes are briefly accounted for.