Since the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the incidence of cancer in Serbia, which received the brunt of the bombing, has at least doubled. Thousands of tons of bombs and missiles carrying depleted uranium were dropped on the country. The radioactive dust was inhaled not just by those nearby, but others unfortunate enough to be downwind. In addition, at least some of the deadly residue has seeped down to contaminate the water table in certain regions of Serbia.
Kosovo, whose Albanian population was supposed to be "saved" by the bombing, has become a DU dump. No one has the exact figures of the incidents of cancer among the majority Albanian population now. The United Nations, which is in charge of the civil administration of the province, is either not releasing figures, not conducting the necessary studies or not revealing what it knows. However, a number of NATO soldiers, especially from Italy, have gone home ill, some terminally.
Nearby, in Bosnia, during 1994-95, U.S. planes dropped DU ordnance on or near several population centers. In one of them, Hadzici near Sarajevo, cancer reached epidemic proportions by the late 1990s.
The thousands of overflights made by U.S. and other NATO planes on their bombing sorties heavily damaged the ozone layer above the Balkans. The thunder heard during storms for several weeks after the 78-day bombing was unnaturally loud, the lightening spectacular. On the other hand, the sun baked with a special vengeance that summer. The difference in its intensity was palpable; sunburn occurred in a matter of minutes.
All the above environmental havoc happened during the watch of Al Gore, the freshly anointed Nobel Peace Prize winner, while he served as vice president of the United States. No words of protest were heard coming from him at that time.
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