Medical/Environmental Studies and Reports

Swedish Military Headquarters Medical Department Study, January 2003. "Questionnaires, analysis of uranium in the urine and matching with the cancer register at the National Board of Health and Welfare failed to reveal any link between service on the Balkans and cancer or any other illness." In fact, average urine uranium levels in two separate groups troops deployed for six months to the Balkans decreased by 75 percent and 90 percent during their deployment. The study attributed this decrease to the high natural uranium levels in Swedish drinking water supplies. (Report - HTML)

The United Nations Environmental Programme, Depleted Uranium in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment, was conducted in October 2002, and evaluated 14 sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A fifteenth site was inaccessible due the heavy presence of mines. (Report - PDF)

The Royal Society, The Health Hazards of Depleted Uranium Munitions, Part II (March, 2002) - This report focuses on the possible effects of the use of DU munitions on the kidney and considers whether the use of large amounts of DU in military conflicts will have long-term effects on the environment. (Report - PDF)

The United Nations Environment Programme, Depleted Uranium in Serbia and Montenegro (2002) - A follow-up report to "Depleted Uranium in Kosovo: Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment." This report covers five sites surveyed in Serbia, one site surveyed in Montenegro, and a targeted vehicle surveyed in late 2001. (Report - PDF)

The Royal Society, The Health Hazards of Depleted Uranium Munitions, Part I (May 2001) - This report deals with the amounts of DU to which soldiers could be exposed on the battlefield, the risks from radiation, and what is known from epidemiological studies. It considers past and potential future exposures, the most likely exposures, and the "worst-case" exposures. (Report - PDF)

Health Council of the Netherlands, Health Risks of Exposure to Depleted Uranium (May 2001) - A survey of the health risks of exposure to depleted uranium and appropriate precautions for people working or otherwise present in areas where depleted uranium has been released into the environment. (Report - PDF)

The World Health Organization, Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposure and Health Effects (April 2001) - This scientific review on depleted uranium is part of the WHO's ongoing process of assessment of possible health effects of exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents. Concerns about possible health consequences to populations residing in conflict areas where depleted uranium munitions were used have raised many important environmental health questions that are addressed in this monograph. (Report - PDF)

The European Parliament, Depleted Uranium: Environmental and Health Effects in the Gulf War, Bosnia, and Kosovo (April 2001) - This report describes DU's military use, and its long-term effects on human health and the environment. (Report - PDF)

The European Commission Directorate-General, Environment, Directorate C - Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection, Opinion of the Group of Experts Established According to Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty: "Depleted Uranium" (March 2001) - A scientific opinion of the on the potential radiological health effects of DU. (Report - PDF)

The World Health Organization, "Report of the World Health Organization Depleted Uranium Mission to Kosovo" (January 2001) - Report of Mission undertaken at the request of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). (Report - PDF)

The United Nations Environment Programme, Depleted Uranium in Kosovo: Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment (2001) - This report presents the findings of the first-ever international assessment of the environmental impact of depleted uranium when used in a real conflict situation. It has been carried out as part of the post-conflict assessments conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme in the Balkans. (Report - PDF)

The UK Ministry of Defence, Testing for the presence of Depleted Uranium in UK veterans of the Gulf Conflict: The Current Position (March, 1999) - This paper sets out the background to this issue and the policy of the Ministry of Defence as regards testing UK Gulf veterans for the presence of DU. (Report - HTML)

The United Nations Environment Programme, The Potential Effects on Human Health and the Environment Arising From Possible Use of Depleted Uranium During the 1999 Kosovo Conflict (October, 1999) - The task of the Technical Mission of the UNEP/Habitat Balkans Task Force was to "assess the potential health and environmental impact of depleted uranium used in the Kosovo conflict" and obtain a reliable baseline for deciding whether people can move back to abandoned areas, and to judge the need for special control and countermeasures. (Report - PDF)