Most of the depleted uranium in its most harmful state (as microscpic particles of uranium oxide produced by the explosion of US artillery shells, anti-tank weaponry, bombs etc.)was released mostly in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and at US forces bombing and artllery test ranges etc in the US and abroad. In these places the DU was released as minute, easily respirable particles which means civilians and military personnel in the area could breath the DU deep into their lungs from where the tiny particles could remain to irradiate lung tissue or cross the lung/blood barrier and get carried by the blood to become lodged in body tissues and organs.
The internal body tissue is much more sensitive to the alpha particle radiation from the DU particles compared to the outer skin where a layer of dead skin cells and even ordinary clothing can provide protection against the (mostly) alpha radiation from the DU hitting the body from the outside. In addition, recent reports from the University of Northern Arizona have confirmed that DU as a heavy metal will cause DNA damage and mutations independent of the radiological effects.
From the website of the Uranium Medical Research Centre, founded by Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a former Head of Nuclear Medicine for a VA medical facility (where he treated US Army vets affected by DU poisoning) and a Professor of Nuclear Medicine at Georgetown University:
Modern warfare since the Gulf War in 1991 has employed weapons which make use of DU for its properties:
1. It is cheap and available to arms manufacturers free of charge.
2. It has a very high-density which makes it a superior armour piercing material.
3. It burns upon impact producing intense heat and easily cuts through steel.
4. It acts as a self-sharpening penetrator.
The danger posed by DU in weapons:
1. When DU weapons hit a target, a fine aerosol of uranium oxides is formed. The majority of particles (46 - 70%) are less than 10 microns.
2. The aerosol-like particles (dust) are easily inhaled into the lungs.
3. These fine particles can be spread by the wind and are readily re-suspended by modest breezes or vehicle and personnel movements. There is no existing study measuring the distance traveled by such particles. However, there is a documented instance were particles were physically captured 42 km from a test site. (Dietz 1999).
4. This only proves migration beyond the specific site but does not preclude the possibility that particles can travel a great many times more kilometers. Fluid dynamic studies report that particles fewer than 5 microns can remain almost permanently suspended in the atmosphere.
5. While some of the DU is soluble, the majority (in the form of other oxides) is insoluble and remains in the body for years. Once in the body, DU slowly spreads from the lungs, mainly into the lymph nodes and bone. Excretion from the body is very slow.
6. The uncontrolled use and spread of uranium goes against the scientifically established conventions for handling radioactive substances and contravenes international laws. See the case made by Karen Parker at the UN that DU weaponry is illegal under existing human rights and humanitarian (armed conflict) law
7. It is estimated that 300 - 800 metric tons of DU were deposited in the battlefield in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991. Dr. Doug Rokke (DU expert and former US army physicist) estimated that 120 to 480 million grams of DU would be aerosolized if 40% of the DU were burnt up.
8. These airborne and respirable sized particles will be radioactive for billions of years into the future.
http://www.umrc.net/uranium_and_weapons.aspxFrom a presentation on the effects of depleted uranium in Iraq by Thomas Fasy, MD PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology Mt. Sinai Medical School, NYC:
By the early 1900s, uranium was well recognized to be a kidney toxin. By the mid-1940s, uranium was known to be a neurotoxin. By the early 1970s, uranium was recognized to be a carcinogen based on mortality studies of uranium workers and on experiments with dogs and monkeys. The first evidence that uranyl ions bind to DNA was reported in 1949 and by the early 1990s, uranium was shown to be a mutagen. Also, in the early 1990s, uranium was shown to be a teratogen, that is, an inducer of birth defects. The toxic effects of uranium on the kidney and on the nervous system typically occur within days of exposure and radiation probably plays little or no role in mediating these effects. In contrast, the carcinogenic effects of uranium have a delayed onset. The teratogenic effects of uranium might be due to exposure of one parent prior to conception as well as to exposure of the mother to uranium early in pregnancy.
Now let us briefly consider the routes of exposure to uranium. In the context of the dust particles derived from depleted uranium weapons, this means exposure to uranium oxides. By far the most dangerous route of exposure to uranium oxides is the inhalational or respiratory route. Absorption of uranium oxides through the gastrointestinal tract, the skin and the conjunctivae is possible but quite limited.
SNIP
Soil particles contain uranium at very low concentrations, typically less than 5 parts per million; the vast majority of these soil particles, however, are too large to be inhaled deep into the lungs. In contrast, the dust particles derived from depleted uranium weapons contain very high concentrations of uranium, typically more than 500.000 parts per million; moreover, most of the D.U. dust particles are sufficiently small to be inhaled deep into the lungs. Thus, compared to the uranium naturally present in the environment, D.U. dust contains uranium in a form that is vastly more bio-available and more readily internalized.
Uranyl ions bind to DNA; they bind in the minor groove of DNA. While bound to DNA, uranyl ions are chemically reactive and can give rise to free radicals which may damage DNA. Chemically mediated DNA damage of this type may contribute to the ability of uranium to induce cancers.
Continued at:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4124449US Colonel Admits 500 Tons of DU Were Used In IraqThursday, 8 May 2003, 10:53 am
Article: Jay Shaft
U.S. Colonel Admits 500 Tons of D.U. Were Used in Iraq
By Jay Shaft
Coalition For Free Thought In Media
5 May 2003
SNIP
J.S.: What about the health risks that are associated with D.U.? Or do you deny there are any?
U.S.C.: You are determined to get me to make a statement about the health risks aren’t you?
J.S.: If you will, I want to see what the behind the scenes view of D.U. is in the Pentagon.
U.S.C.: Well…………… (long pause, followed by heavy profanity)…. Okay, I’ll give you some dirt if that’s what you’re looking for. The Pentagon knows there are huge health risks associated with D.U. They know from years of monitoring our own test ranges and manufacturing facilities.
There were parts of Iraq designated as high contamination areas before we ever placed any troops on the ground. The areas around Basra, Jalibah, Talil, most of the southern desert, and various other hot spots were all identified as contaminated before the war. Some of the areas in the southern desert region along the Kuwaiti border are especially radioactive on scans and tests.
One of our test ranges in Saudi Arabia shows over 1000 times the normal background level for radiation. We have test ranges in the U.S. that are extremely contaminated, hell they have been since the 80’s and nothing is ever said publicly. Don’t ask don’t tell is not only applied to gays, it is applied to this matter very heavily.
I know at one time the theory was developed that any soldier exposed to D.U. shells should have to wear full MOP gear (the chemical protective suit). But they realized that just wouldn’t be practical and it was never openly discussed again.
Continued at:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0305/S00050.htm 
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