Environmentalists and Serb opposition politicians claim that the government of Serbian Pres. Slobodan Milosevic is hiding the full extent of environmental damage caused by NATO’s bombing campaign, fearful that it would fuel opposition to Milosevic. Massive amounts of ammonium and ammonium-based substances have leaked into the Danube River, and potentially deadly mudflows containing heavy metals and mercury are seeping into numerous rivers, raising fears that the contamination could spread across Europe. Numerous oil tanks and industrial plants were destroyed by the bombing, causing serious air pollution problems. Pediatricians in the Belgrade area are reporting numerous new and unexplained allergies in kids.
