When uranium munitions hit a target, kinetic energy is transformed into thermal  energy. At over 3,000° Celsius, the actual material self-combusts and the entire target is reduced to ashes. The uranium is converted to a fine dust, which is then dispersed by the wind, contaminating the environment for centuries to come.

Uranium dust is harmful once it enters the human body. When uranium is inhaled
or ingested with foods and beverages, its full pathogenic and lethal effects unfold. On entering the body it is taken up by the blood, which transports it to the organs. It can reach an unborn child via the placenta.

How does depleted uranium affect people's health?

Uranium causes damage to a person’s health in two ways. Firstly, it is a heavy metal, like lead or cadmium, and therefore toxic. Secondly, uranium emits alpha particles and is therefore radioactive. Its decay rate, however, is very slow. Uranium 238 has
a half-life – i. e. the time it takes until only half the original radioactive substance
is left – of 4.5 billion years. Radiation can damage or destroy cells, damage DNA or disrupt cellular processes. Despite the fact that only three to six cell layers (approx. 4 micrometer) are affected by alpha radiation, the damage to health can be immense. Moreover, the cells affected by alpha rays send messengers to hundreds of adjacent cells, initiating what is known as the “bystander effect.” The genetic information of those cells is changed. Cells damaged in this way can mutate to become cancerous.

Uranium‘s extremely long half-life means that not only do soldiers become the  victims of a conflict involving uranium munitions, but also – for centuries to come – the civilian population.

Objects, vehicles, weapons and buildings targeted by uranium munitions become
contaminated and remain a health hazard long after the end of a conflict. Children
play on destroyed tanks; utensils for use in daily life are made from the scrap
metal of irradiated vehicles; new homes are built from contaminated rubble.

On entering the body, depleted uranium has the potential to give rise to numerous diseases, e. g. fertility disorders, cancer of almost all organs, kidney failure, behavioural problems, and congenital malformations in offspring/future generations.

Some of these diseases are caused primarily by the chemical toxicity of DU, others
mainly by alpha radiation. Both effects are mutually reinforcing – a deadly combination.

Damaged genes
Laboratory tests have found chromosomal damage among soldiers and civilians who
had been exposed to uranium munitions. Such damage is considered to be a  precursor for cancer, as well as triggering congenital disorders.

Higher incidence of malformations
The incidence of deformities among newborn babies increases significantly if one
or both parents have come into contact with uranium munition.

There is a particularly high incidence of severe malformation of the brain, spine, heart, urinary tract, face and extremities among the children of veterans of Gulf War, during which uranium weapons were deployed. Physicians have also made identical observations among children in the Basrah und Fallujah regions of Iraq.

Reduced fertility
Tests on rats and mice have shown that depleted uranium in drinking water causes fertility disorders. If, however, the ova were fertilised, the resulting embryos were malformed. This is supported by surveys of Gulf war veterans: infertility among a group of 40,000 UK veterans who had come into contact with uranium munition was significantly higher than among soldiers who had not.

Cancer
In areas of Iraq and the Balkan States where uranium munitions were used, physicians have recorded an increased incidence of deformities among newborn
babies, as well as of cancer among children and adults.

Numerous veterans of the Gulf and Balkan Wars from several NATO states have suffered from leukaemia, lymphoma or other forms of cancer. Despite being quite young, many have died as a result.

Some DU particles are insoluble. If inhaled they can remain in the lung, increasing the risk of lung cancer even up to 20 years later. Soluble particles can lead to the deposition of depleted uranium in bone; tests on animals show that up to 60 % of the uranium released into the bloodstream can be stored in the skeleton. This increases the risk of bone tumours and leukaemia.

Kidney damage
Uranium is expelled from the body via the kidneys. Animal tests have shown that uranium causes a number of severe kidney diseases. A person absorbing a large amount of depleted uranium would die of kidney failure long before cancer has a chance to develop.

Evidence of behavioural disorders
Animal tests show that rats exposed to depleted uranium exhibit severe behavioural
disorders. Behavioural problems have been reported in some Gulf War veterans,
mainly as a result of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A possible additional
factor, however, could also be brain damage following contact with uranium munitions.

Picture above: Illustration of internal spread of DU particles in the body. Graphic: IPPNW