The DU is an issue of great concern for the general public, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said in a press release issued in Nairobi, where the UNEP is headquartered.

"An early study in Iraq could either lay these fears to rest or confirm that there are indeed potential risks, which could then be addressed through immediate action," Toepfer said.

According to him, the UNEP stands ready to conduct the DU assessments in Iraq in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other partners.

"Given the overall environmental concerns during the conflict, and the fact that the environment of Iraq was already a cause for serious concern prior to the current war," Toepfer noted, "the UNEP believes early field studies should be carried out."

UNEP's Post-Conflict Assessment Unit has published assessments of DU impacts in Kosovo (2001), Serbia and Montenegro (2002) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2003).

The three studies concluded that, while radiation can be detected at DU sites, the levels are so low that they do not pose a threat to human health and the environment.

However, the studies identified a number of remaining scientific uncertainties that should be further explored.

These include the extent to which the DU on the ground can filter through the soil and eventually contaminate groundwater, and the possibility that the DU dust could later be re-suspended in the air by wind or human activity, with the risk that it could be breathed in.

By the end of April, the UNEP will publish a "desk study" on the Iraq environment including groundwater, surface water, drinking water sources, waste-management and other potential sources of toxic chemicals, as well as biodiversity.

The UNEP has recently published post-conflict assessments on Afghanistan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2003)