Depleted Uranium - What's New

20/05/04 The Facts, Misconceptions, and Middle East Briefs have all been updated.

12/05/04 The OP TELIC Middle East DU brief and the Misconceptions brief have been updated.

07/12/03 The OP TELIC Middle East DU brief has been updated.

The UK military field two kinds of DU ammunition; 120 mm anti-tank rounds (CHARM 3), fired by the Army’s Challenger tanks and 20mm rounds used by the Royal Navy’s PHALANX Close-In Weapon System (a missile defence system). DU is a dense, heavy metal which makes it ideal for penetrating tanks, and the CHARM 3 acts like a self sharpening dart which pierces armour. This gives British forces a battle-winning capability and we will continue to use these munitions for the foreseeable future.No satisfactory alternative material exists to provide the level of penetration needed to defeat the most modern battle tanks. PHALANX DU ammunition is currently being phased out in favour of tungsten rounds which are better suited to this system and all rounds will have been replaced by the end of this year.

There have been innumerable claims about the effects of DU, many of which are groundless. MOD has compiled some common Facts and Misconceptions about DU as a quick reference guide. For further reading please refer to our documentation page.

DU - The Science

Independent reports on the health effects of using DU in battle, on the environmental effects of using DU in testing and in battle, have all supported MOD’s view that except under very extreme circumstances, DU does not pose a risk to health or the environment. These include the US RAND Corporation, the US Institute of Medicine, the Royal Society, the European Commission, the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Further details about this can be found in the documentation on this site. MOD accepts that there is more to learn, however, and announced its Research Programme on DU in 2002. We carry out environmental monitoring of the ranges in the UK where DU has been fired, and have also assessed sites in the Balkans. A preliminary report on the Kosovo survey carried out by Directorate of Safety Environment and Fire Policy (D SEF POL) is linked below. The full report on this survey will be placed on the web soon. Also to be published this year is the Bosnia survey.

DU research programme www.mod.uk/issues/depleted_uranium/du_research.htm (March 2002)

Kirkcudbright and Eskmeals Ranges - Comparison of Kirkcudbright and Eskmeals Environmental Monitoring Data with Generalised Derived Limits for Uranium (June 2002)

Preliminary report on Kosovo Survey - Report on the visit to Kosovo by members of the MOD Enhanced Environmental Monitoring Programme Team - January 19-23 2001 (January 2001)

DU - The Weapon

A description of use of DU during the Gulf war (90-91) can be found here. All soldiers in a theatre of war where DU munitions are used receive briefing on how to protect themselves sensibly from any hazard DU may present. MOD also has a biological monitoring policy to manage health monitoring of any soldier in a theatre of war where DU is used, which offers a test for DU exposure to all personnel. MOD has compiled a quick reference guide to the current deployment - DU in the Middle East.

For further information on health issues relating to Gulf service, refer to the Gulf Veterans’ Illnesses Homepage.

DU Documents     DU - The Facts    DU - The Misconceptions    DU Middle East    Gulf Veterans Illnesses

Last Updated: 20 May 04