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FORGET THE fate of the badger, the neglect of the bluebell woods. Never mind about our dirty beaches, our congested roads, our teetering waste mountains. Don't worry, just for the time being, about climate change and vanishing biodiversity.

Forget them all. Because something is happening in Europe today that is storing up trouble for future generations -- and it is something that is part of British Government policy.

The something is the use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions to attack targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Admittedly, NATO will not confirm that it is using DU weapons there. But it admits that they are part of the arsenal of several members of the Alliance (including the US and the UK). It is stretching credulity very far to suppose that NATO is not using DU in its Balkan war.

Does it matter ? Yes, it matters like hell. Depleted uranium is a waste product left over after uranium has been enriched for civil or military use. It is used for making weapons because it is remarkably dense -- it is 1.7 times as dense as lead.

This means that weapons contained in DU shells, or fitted with a DU tip, will punch their way through armour more effectively than conventional weapons. You get, not exactly more bang, but certainly a bigger thump for your buck.

That might not matter very much -- except that DU is toxic, carcinogenic and radioactive. And it lasts an awfully long time.

When a DU weapon hits its target, the uranium catches fire and produces an aerosol of tiny and very dangerous particles, which can spread over a wide area. Breathe in one of those particles, and your lungs will be dosed with damaging radiation indefinitely.

The material can also cause kidney damage because of its toxicity. It is a danger to anyone who comes in contact with it.

How do we know this ? There is evidence from an unimpeachable source.

"If a burned out vehicle must be entered, precautions must be taken to avoid inhaling or ingesting depleted uranium particles. Respirator or protective mask should be worn at minimum, along with gloves. Ideally, protective clothing should be worn as well. After exiting the vehicle, hands should be washed thoroughly. All dust should be discarded".

That is an extract from the recommendation issued by the US Army to troops at the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The advice was not given to them before the war began.

Not convinced ? Try this, then, from a US Army Environmental Policy Institute report in 1995:

"If depleted uranium enters the body, it has the potential to generate significant medical consequences. The risks associated with DU are both chemical and radiological".

DU was used in the Gulf War, and in southern Iraq now (the area where it was chiefly used) there are reports of much higher rates of cancer and birth defects.

Many of the service men and women who served there, and who now suffer from Gulf War Syndrome (not officially accepted to exist by the Ministry of Defence), believe DU is at least partly responsible.

They did not have the benefit of respirators or protective masks. Neither did the Iraqis. Nor do the people of Serbia and Kosovo.

You do not have to be a supporter of President Milosevic, or even vaguely unhappy about the Balkan war, to think that using depleted uranium is an odd way of trying to protect people.

Alex Kirby is the Environment Correspondent for BBC News Online

Links:
The Gulf War Syndrome - A Parallel to Chernobyl
Birth Deformities
Photographs of horrendous birth deformities that are being experienced in Iraq. be advised and please don't look if you are easily upset.
International Action Center
Environment News Service

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