A military officer who in 1997 warned of the environmental dangers of ammunition made from depleted uranium says the "Balkan Syndrome" is a repeat of Gulf War illness, a predictable outcome of U.S. forces using bullets and bombs made from radioactive waste.

''It's happening again," said Doug Rokke, an Army Reserve major and former director of the U.S. military's Depleted Uranium Project. ''They don't listen."

Rokke was one of the military's leading authorities on the hazards of depleted uranium, a metal used by the U.S. forces in armor-piercing munitions for the first time during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

In 1997, while living in Alabama, Rokke broke ranks with the Pentagon's position that depleted uranium was virtually harmless. He said studies in the field showed that its debris was dangerously toxic and radioactive. He blamed it for many of the illnesses associated with the gulf war, and said U.S. troops were not properly trained in its hazards.

Now, there is growing concern about depleted uranium munitions used by U.S. forces during the bombing campaign in Yugoslavia in 1999 and in Bosnia during 1994 and 1995. Some European countries are reporting a ''Balkan Syndrome" and leukemia deaths among soldiers who fought in those conflicts.

''It's another toxic mess," said Rokke, who was based at Fort McClellan, taught at Jacksonville State University and now lives in Rantoul, Ill. ''We said don't use it. They used it. Lo and behold, it's happening again."

Depleted uranium, a waste produced by enriching uranium
for nuclear fuel, is used to make ''penetrators" for armor-piercing ammunition. The munitions are effective, but leave behind a fine oxide dust and radioactive shrapnel.

There are contradictory studies and statements about the environmental health risks. The Pentagon insists that it is safe. Fears have been rising in Europe since Italy began investigating soldiers who have become ill since serving in the Balkans. Twelve have cancer and five have died of leukemia.

In France, four soldiers are being treated for leukemia. One Portuguese soldier has been diagnosed with cancer since returning from Kosovo. Several other European countries have begun screening soldiers who served in the Balkans. Health experts say there has been no rise in leukemia rates among civilians.

Rokke worked with a team of Army transportation troops, primarily from Alabama and Illinois, during and after the 1991 Persian Gulf War cleaning up U.S. armored vehicles hit by ''friendly fire" involving depleted uranium munitions. He named six team members who have died of cancer since the war, and said many others are ill.

''It's a real mess," he said. ''It's a nightmare."

Rokke said the United States should take responsibility for using the toxic munitions.

''Clean up the mess and provide medical care for everyone exposed," he said.

Meanwhile, NATO's political committee and the European Union's political and security committee have scheduled talks for today on the possible health risks of depleted uranium ammunition used in the Balkans.

The German Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that in July 1999, NATO warned of possible dangers from depleted uranium ammunition in the Balkans and called for proper precautionary steps to be taken.

U.N. scientists recently visited 11 of 112 Kosovo sites identified by NATO as having been targeted with ordnance containing depleted uranium and found higher radiation levels at eight of them. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

© The Birmingham News. Used with permission.