Depleted Uranium

What is it?

Depleted uranium (DU) – or Uranium238 – is a toxic heavy metal. It results from the enriching of natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. Natural uranium consists primarily of a mixture of two isotopes of uranium, fissile Uranium235 (0.7%) and Uranium238 (99.3%). Nuclear reactors require Uranium235 to produce energy and, as such, natural uranium has to be enriched to obtain Uranium235 by removing a large part of the Uranium238.¹

DU is used in weaponry because of its high density and pyrophoric qualities, causing it to burn spontaneously on impact. These properties make DU ideal for use in armour-piercing anti-tank weapons. According to one source, amounts of DU used in bullets, shells and bombs vary from 85 grammes to 4.7 kilograms,² although there is speculation that some missiles may contain larger quantities.³ DU is also used in tank armour and for radiation shielding, ballast in missiles and aircraft counterweights.

Equipment using DU

The Challenger 2 tank's 120mm DU-tipped (CHARM 3) shell, made by RO Defence, contains DU from Starmet Corporation procured from the US Department of Energy.⁴ The A10 Thunderbolt II 'Tankbuster' aircraft carries a GAU-8/A Avenger 30mm seven-barrel Gatling gun made by Martin Marrietta Armament Systems,⁵ now part of General Dynamics. The Avenger fires the DU-tipped PGU-14/B Armour Piercing Incendiary⁶ made by the Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems.⁷

The US Army's Abrams tank, made by General Dynamics Land Systems, incorporates steel encased DU armour.⁸ The M1A1 Abrams tank has a M256 120mm smoothbore cannon, developed by Rheinmetall GmbH of Germany, which deploys an M829 Armour-Piercing shell featuring a DU penetrator.⁹ There are two types of M829 DU anti-tank ammunition made by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems; the M829A1 'silver bullet', which is compatible with all standard NATO smooth bore 120mm tank cannons; the newer M829A2.¹⁰

The use of DU in Iraq

No conventions apply specifically to the use of DU shells so their use is covered by the same provisions of international law that apply to all weapons.¹¹ The total number of DU shells fired by US and UK forces in Iraq in 2003 is not known. What we do know is that, according to the UK MoD, Challenger tanks 'expended' 1.9 tonnes of DU during the Iraq 2003 conflict, approximately twice as much as in the 1990–1991 Gulf war.¹² One study estimates that '100 to 200 metric tons [of DU] was shot at tanks, trucks, buildings and people in largely densely populated areas' by US and UK forces during this year's Iraq conflict.¹³ (the study's author has since revised the estimate to between 100 and 150 tons.) The use of DU munitions in densely populated areas throughout Iraq has put large numbers of Iraqi civilians, as well as UK and US troops, at risk of exposure to DU, and has the potential to contaminate land, water and livestock.

Health Effects

DU is a toxic heavy metal with a radioactive half-life of four and a half billion years.¹⁴ While it is not as radioactive as Uranium235, it is an alpha radiation emitter, which, if inhaled or ingested in dust or particle form, can cause damage to human health. According to a 1998 report by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the inhalation of DU particles can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, lymphatic problems, bronchial complaints, weight loss and an unsteady gait.¹⁵ Though few studies have been carried out on humans, studies on rats indicate that the short-term effects of internal exposure to DU may include kidney damage while long-term effects may include cancer, central nervous system problems, immune system disorders and reproduction effects.¹⁶

DSEi

BAE Systems, the owner of RO Defence, will be exhibiting at DSEi, as will General Dynamics.

1 www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ munitions/du.htm, accessed 1.8.03
2 Communication with Dan Fahey, Communications Director at Greenbelt Alliance, 13.8.03
3 Guardian, 'Uranium hazard prompts cancer check on troops', 25.4.03
4 Hansard, 15.3.01, Col. 675W
5 www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ aircraft/systems/gau-8.htm, accessed 6.8.03
6 www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ munitions/pgu-14.htm, accessed 6.8.03
7 www.atk.com/productsPrecision/ descriptions/products/medium-cal-ammo/gau-8.htm, accessed 6.8.03
8 www.army-technology.com/projects/abrams/, accessed 6.8.03
9 www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ ground/m1a1.htm, accessed 1.8.03
10 www.gd-ots.com/TankOpe.html, accessed 6.8.03
11 Hansard, 8.4.03, Col. 139W
12 www.mod.uk/issues/depleted_uranium/ middle_east_2003.htm, accessed 1.8.03
13 Dan Fahey, 'The Use of Depleted Uranium in the 2003 Iraq War', 24.6.2003, (http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/pdf/duiq03.pdf)
14 Frida Berrigan, 'Weapons of Mass Deception', 20.6.03 (inthesetimes.com)
15 Frida Berrigan, 'Weapons of Mass Deception', 20.6.03 (inthesetimes.com)
16 Dan Fahey, 'Science or Science Fiction? Facts, Myths & Propaganda in the Debate over Uranium Weapons', 12.3.03