Three years after NATO’s 78-day air campaign against Yugoslavia, depleted uranium (DU) has been found at five of six sites investigated by scientists from the U.N. Environment Programme. The sites, in Serbia and Montenegro, had “widespread but low-level” contamination. Although the scientists did not report any current direct threat to humans or the environment, they expressed concern about the possibility of future groundwater contamination from corroding munitions. UNEP also cautioned civilians to avoid touching any remaining pieces of DU and warned against disturbing the sites, thereby releasing DU particles into the air. The agency has begun work to decontaminate the areas.
