DU is used in alloy form in shells to make them penetrate targets better. It is extremely dense, 1.7 times as dense as lead. As the shell hits its target, it burns and releases uranium oxide into the air. The poisonous and radioactive uranium is most dangerous when inhaled into the body, where it will release radiation during the life of the person who inhaled it. According to Robert Fisk of the Independent newspaper in London, there is evidence that the depleted uranium residue left in Iraq is responsible for a large increase in stillbirths, children born with defects, and childhood leukemia and other cancers in the area of southern Iraq near Basra, where most of these shells were fired.
Land mines are cheap, devastating and increasingly popular in today's regionalised conflicts.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, they kill or maim between 1000 and 2000 people every month. 100 million land mines now lie in wait around the world. Most victims are civilians in peace time. The Save the Children Fund has repeatedly stated that children are especially vulnerable to anti-personnel mines. Despite the bleak outlook, there are hopes that in the future the environmental consequences of war will be taken into account.