Depleted Uranium

Radiation Facts

Depleted uranium is used for tank armor, armor-piercing bullets, and as weights to help balance aircrafts.
Depleted uranium is both a toxic chemical and radiation health hazard when inside the body.

Depleted uranium (DU) is the material left after most of the highly radioactive form of uranium (U-235) is removed from the natural uranium ore. DU has several common uses.

On this page:

About Depleted Uranium
What you can do
Where to learn more

About Depleted Uranium

Naturally occurring uranium ore is abundant in nature and contains several forms of uranium called isotopes. All uranium isotopes are radioactive; however, only one of these isotopes, Uranium-235 (U-235), provides the fuel used to produce both nuclear power and the powerful explosions used in nuclear weapons.

Depleted uranium is a component of tank armor.

In nature, U-235 only makes up a very small part of the uranium ore. Given its importance for nuclear power and nuclear weapons technology, U-235 is often removed from the natural uranium ore and concentrated through a process called uranium enrichment. DU is the material left behind after enrichment. Like the natural uranium ore, DU is radioactive. DU mainly emits alpha particle radiation. Alpha particles don't have enough energy to go through skin. As a result, exposure to the outside of the body is not considered a serious hazard. However, if DU is ingested or inhaled, it is a serious health hazard. Alpha particles directly affect living cells and can cause kidney damage.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) began making bullets and mortar shells out of DU given its high density. DU was also used to create armor for tanks and as weights to balance aircrafts. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was operating facilities that produced DU as a waste byproduct, making DU plentiful and inexpensive.

DU is still used to make bullets and mortar shells. DU contamination of spent shells and shell fragments is a hazard at some military firing ranges.

What you can do

Avoid facilities that use or process DU: DU is dangerous when it is inside your body.

Avoid internal exposure: If DU gets inside the body the hazards increase. Minimize your risk of internal exposure by limiting your proximity to uranium manufacturing plants and firing ranges that continue to use DU in ammunition.

Where to Learn More

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

The DOD monitors soldiers who have, or may have been exposed to DU. They provide DU education programs as part of soldier training. The DOD also cleans up many firing ranges where DU projectiles have been scattered.

Military Health System Information on Environmental Exposures to Depleted Uranium
Learn more about environmental exposure to depleted uranium, including health hazards to members of the military.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

The NRC regulates and oversees the civilian uses of nuclear materials in the United States by licensing facilities that possess, use, or dispose of nuclear materials; establishing standards; and inspecting licensed facilities. This includes uranium used at nuclear power plants. The NRC is responsible for implementing EPA established standards at the facilities they oversee.

Many states have signed formal agreements with NRC. These states are known as Agreement States. The radioactive materials license can be issued either by the NRC or an Agreement State.

Directory of Agreement State and Non-Agreement State Directors and State Liaison Officers
On this webpage, you can find out whether your state is an Agreement State.

Depleted Uranium at U.S. Army Sites
This fact sheet provides background information about depleted uranium as well as how depleted uranium is used at U.S. Army sites for training exercises.

Background Information on Depleted Uranium
This webpage provides background information about the uses, health effects, toxicological and radiological concerns, and current issues facing depleted uranium.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

The DOE has a depleted UF₆ (uranium hexafluoride) management program to ensure that its DU supply is handled in a way that protects workers, the public and the environment.

Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride
Learn more about how the DOE is converting depleted uranium hexafluoride into depleted uranium oxide, a more stable chemical form of depleted uranium.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

It is unlikely that the average person would come into contact with DU. However, the EPA has taken steps to protect people from exposure. The EPA sets Maximum Contamination Levels (MCLs) for uranium in drinking water. These MCLs apply to DU as well. The EPA also sets limits for exposure by inhalation of DU around production plants. The EPA provides cleanup managers with recommendations that help keep their workers safe during the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous materials, including radioactive materials. The EPA also collected a list of methods for testing soil and other samples for DU. This list helps people who clean up contaminated sites understand the special requirements for testing radioactive samples.

MCLs for Uranium in Drinking Water
This document provides MCLs set by the EPA for radionuclides, including uranium.

Depleted Uranium: Technical Brief
This document provides information about the chemical and radiological properties of depleted uranium. You also can read about its management. In addition, you can learn how it moves through the environment (fate and transport) and learn also how DU contamination is measured and how it is cleaned up.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The IAEA works with other organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to assess uses of DU.

Depleted Uranium
This site provides common questions and answers regarding uranium and depleted uranium.