But now we're starting to have a justified fear that things aren't that simple. No Coincidence Mr Amato's remarks come amid widespread media coverage in Italy about the links between the use of depleted uranium in the Balkans and the recent deaths of six peacekeepers. All of them died of leukaemia. The latest casualty died in November. He had served twice in Bosnia, but never in Kosovo.
Italian media suggest that the number of deaths is too high to be coincidental.
But NATO officials point to statements of medical experts in Italy, who claim that there is insufficient evidence to link the deaths to exposure to armour-piercing uranium bullets. The alliance's chief spokesman, Mark Latey, says NATO will meet Italy's request to provide information on the exact location of munitions used in Bosnia. Besides, it's often used to protect people from the harmful effects of x-rays and the International Committee on Radiation protection doesn't list DU as a health hazard. The other potential harm comes from the heavy metal toxic poisoning, which could be compared to lead poisoning, but again, you would have to get very heavy exposure to that for a very long time to get for instance kidney problems. Earlier, Belgium already urged European Union defence ministers to discuss the health problems suffered by peacekeepers in the Balkans.