The Pentagon asserts that DU "is only mildly radioactive"
DU is depleted uranium - Uranium - element number 94 - heavy enough in compact projectile units to pierce armor. Half-life: 4.5 billion years. Radioactivity emitter - starts a decay cycle that ends generally up in lead.
Upon impact, DU munitions burn at 3000 to 6000 degrees Centigrade and combust into a radioactive gas of fine particles of uranium oxide dust, which remain suspended in the air and, once inhaled, become a chronic source of uranium heavy metal and contact radiation poisoning. Estimates vary on the total tonnage of DU used by the US and include: during the US bombing of Yugoslavia, 34 tons of DU; in Gulf War I, up to 375 tons; in Afghanistan in 2001, 1,000 tons; and in Gulf War II in 2003, up to 2,200 tons.
The release of radioactive and chemically toxic dust and uranium fragments causes serious medical problems. According to Leuren Moret, an independent scientist and international radiation specialist, depleted uranium is considered a factor in Gulf War syndrome.Just another chemical element, presented in shades of grey.
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