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U.N. in Kosovo Takes Steps Against Depleted Uranium Effects
The United Nations has taken measures to protect Kosovars of Yugoslavia against any possible ill effects from the depleted uranium ammunition used by NATO during its air strikes in 1999, a U.N. agency said Thursday.
The U.N. Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo has begun posting signs at the sites known to have been targeted by shells containing the substance, and is identifying all possible locations where such ammunition was used, according to the mission.
The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) is sending three specialists to Kosovo, including a toxicologist, an authority on radiation and an environment expert, to assess the possible consequences of depleted uranium exposure, the mission added.
U.N. scientists visited 11 of 112 sites where depleted uranium ammunition was fired, the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP) announced Thursday.
Several European institutions are analyzing some 340 samples taken from the sites, with a full report expected in March.
The UNEP and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stressed the importance of taking precautionary measures at these sites and of informing the local authorities and civilians of possible risks.
The IAEA will continue to cooperate with other U.N. agencies to carry out a comprehensive assessment of possible ill effects of uranium, it said in a press release Thursday.
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