TAB D - United Nations Environment Programme Report on Depleted Uranium in Kosovo ^[79]

Summary. On March 13, 2001, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its final report on the environmental impact of depleted uranium ammunition used during the 1999 Kosovo conflict. The report builds on the UNEP October 1999 Desk Assessment Study of the potential effects of the use of DU during conflict.^[80] Although the radiological and chemical risks for all of the sample results were insignificant, the report recommended the recovery of surface DU penetrators and jackets at all sites, localized decontamination (as appropriate), and further groundwater monitoring. In a December 2000 journal article, the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute summarized the UNEP 1999 assessment and previewed the results of the UNEP 2001 report prior to its publication.^[81]

• There was no detectable widespread DU contamination of the ground surface.
• Detectable DU ground surface contamination was limited to areas within a few meters of DU penetrators and points of concentrated contamination caused by penetrator impacts. Most of the contamination points were only slightly contaminated. In many cases, the radioactivity was so low that it was hardly detectable.
• In terms of the possible contamination of air, water, or plants, there was no significant risk related to those contamination points. However, the report said that while the radiological risk from the intake of contaminated soil or from touching the penetrator would be insignificant, the toxicological risk could be somewhat higher than applicable health standards.
• UNEP found no DU-contaminated water, milk, objects, or buildings.
• Without explanation, the report states: "Heavy firing of DU in one area could increase the potential source of uranium contamination of groundwater by a factor of 10 to 100. While the radiation doses will be very low, the resulting uranium concentration might exceed WHO health standards for drinking water."
• UNEP detected very small quantities (parts per billion) of uranium-236 and plutonium when a DU penetrator was analyzed, posing no significant hazard.

UNEP Recommendations. Although the results of the analyses of the samples collected suggested that there is no immediate cause for concern regarding toxicity, UNEP calls for precaution citing major scientific uncertainties about the long-term environmental impacts of DU. The recommendations of the report have been guided by the precautionary approach with the objective of protecting the environment and human health. Their specific recommendations were:

• Appropriate authorities should undertake the marking of all DU-affected sites where and when appropriate, until the site is cleared.
• At all sites, penetrators and jackets on the surface should be collected and disposed of safely, as determined by responsible authorities.
• Contamination points should be decontaminated where feasible and justified, particularly where they are close to inhabited areas. Contaminated material should be disposed of safely. In some cases contaminated points could be covered over by concrete or other durable material.
• Within and adjacent to areas where DU has been used, groundwater used for drinking should be checked by appropriate authorities for possible DU contamination. The type and frequency of checks would depend on local conditions.
• When analyzing DU penetrators and samples, transuranic elements should also be taken into account.
• Information should be provided to the local population on the precautions to be taken on finding material containing DU.
• Further scientific work should be carried out to reduce the scientific uncertainties related to the assessment of the environmental impacts of DU.
• Scientific follow-up should be undertaken in Bosnia-Herzegovina where DU munitions have persisted in the environment for over five years, perhaps as part of an overall environmental assessment for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In addition, the report contained specific recommendations for each of the 11 sites visited and recommends that these recommendations be implemented as soon as the security situation allows.