Regarding the Utah training range, Air Force officials reported that about 95 percent of the depleted uranium was recovered from the 2000 missile crash site. The remaining 5 percent of the projectile's depleted uranium is believed to have been scattered over land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.

Erickson said that even that amount raises some concern, despite the remote location.

"In the end, it would be nice if we didn't have these sorts of weapons in our arsenal," Erickson said. "It is part of the legacy of the militarization of the Great Basin."

In an April 4, 2000, Air Force memorandum, Hill Air Force Base's Alternate Base Radiation Protection Officer, Roger Warnes, said few individuals, if any, will ever pass through the site where the missile went awry.

"When they do, they will stay for just short periods," Warnes wrote. "In addition, the radiation levels at the crash site are low and do not pose a health hazard to the general public. There is very little possibility of excess radiation exposure to the general public from this incident."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com