Though a new report is due in March, it may be years before we fully understand the effects of DU on people in South Eastern Europe By Tom Popper Concerns that shrapnel from depleted-uranium-tipped weapons can cause leukemia or other lingering health problems among people in Kosovo, Southern Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina has stirred an international outcry. The problem is not new. As early as June 1999, a report prepared by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe pointed out the potential threat of depleted uranium (DU) shrapnel left behind in parts of South Eastern Europe. But the issue gained worldwide attention in the beginning of this year, with the announcement that six Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans have died from leukemia, and soldiers from several other countries have died or contracted illnesses that could be linked to radiation exposure, according to reports. The results of the most comprehensive study on the issue thus far, by a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Depleted Uranium Assessment Team, is expected to be published in March. But this study still may not spell out exactly what — if any — effects DU shells have on residents, soldiers and international workers in the region. Until there is certainty, it is important to "closely follow the state of health" of Balkan populations exposed to depleted uranium, because there could be a five- to 10-year delay in the onset of certain cancers, Pekka Haavisto, chairman of the UNEP assessment team, was quoted as saying on Feb. 12. According to Agence France Presse, Haavisto urged long-term epidemiological studies on the populace in the region, to help track any patterns that might implicate DU as a source of disease. DU weapons were used by NATO in the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia, and before that in Bosnia and Herzegovina. NATO officials have said that there is no proof that DU shells, which are used for their ability to pierce tanks and other armour, leave dangerous debris. Some of these sources have suggested that DU opponents are engaging in scare mongering, or have fallen victim to propaganda. There was some worrying news among the preliminary findings of the assessment team's November inspection of 11 out of 112 sites where NATO says DU weapons were used. According to a Feb. 16 UNEP press release, some of the shrapnel brought back contained small amounts of plutonium, which is known to be more dangerous than the treated uranium supposedly used in DU weapons. But, thus far, the plutonium quantities found appear to be insignificant. "According to an assessment by the Swiss AC-Laboratory Spiez, these newest findings about the composition of the depleted uranium only lead to a minor change in the overall radiological situation and should therefore not cause any immediate alarm," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer was quoted as saying in a UNEP press release. "UNEP’s recommendations on what steps should be taken next will be based on the full set of laboratory analyses, which are still ongoing, and will be presented in early March." The deaths of soldiers, and fear of further "Balkan syndrome" cases, led EU Commission President Romano Prodi and other leaders to demand an investigation, and to raise the idea of a moratorium on the use of DU weapons. DU-coated shells are primarily used by the American and British militaries, as anti-tank weapons. NATO forces said they fired about 10,000 rounds of DU ammunition in Bosnia and some 31,500 rounds during the NATO air campaign to push Serb forces out of Kosovo in 1999, according to Reuters.

Demonstrators in Lisbon protest against stationing Portugese soldiers in the Balkans.