Perhaps it is true that the depleted uranium left over from a missile that went awry on public land in Utah does not pose a risk to the public. The Air Force says so, and an environmental watchdog group basically agrees.

But it is disconcerting to think that a large part of the state is used for military training purposes and that the military apparently is not thoroughly picking up after itself. The long-term, accumulative effects are likely to render those lands unusable for many generations, even if circumstances one day lead the military to abandon its training range.

Also disconcerting is the fact that watchdog groups (in this case one called the Citizens Education Project) have to expend energy to find out about potential problems by scouring military documents. There is no reason why the military should not be more open and public about such things.

The leftover debris from the errant missile in question was reported in this newspaper this week. The missile missed its target during a test in 2000, landing on the side of a remote mountain in the far west desert. It contained depleted uranium, a high-density metal that is being used in munitions in Iraq and is raising some concerns over long-term health effects. The Air Force says it recovered about 95 percent of the depleted uranium from the crash, but the rest is believed to be spread over land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management.

That land is extremely remote. Also, health problems are not likely to occur except from long-term exposure to the metal. But the watchdog group says that military exercises have, over the past 17 years, spread more than 400 pounds of depleted uranium in Utah that has not been recovered. Most of this remains on military land.

The test and training range is, in many ways, an asset to Utah. People in this part of the country are generally happy to assist the government in allowing exercises that help to protect freedom. Also, military installations add jobs and money to the economy.

But Utah also has seen the dark side of military involvement in the state. Not the least of these was the above-ground radiation testing that contaminated much of Utah and Nevada during the middle of the last century. Many people still feel betrayed by false government assurances during those days.

The least people should demand is an open and public accounting of the environmental effects of military training, especially when they affect public land.