The World Health Organization (WHO) today published Depleted Uranium: Sources, Exposure and Health Effects, a monograph containing a number of recommendations regarding depleted uranium (DU) and human health. The monograph is the product of a review of the best available scientific literature on uranium and depleted uranium. It provides a framework for identifying the likely consequences of public and occupational exposure to DU.

"DU has the potential to have chemical and radiological effects on health, but we found in the review that exposure to DU would have to be significant before any health effects are observed," said Dr Mike Repacholi, Coordinator, Occupational and Environmental Health, WHO.

In order to protect against significant exposure, WHO recommends that:

• exposure to DU of young children be monitored and preventive measures are taken, as children might be at particular risk of exposure because of the way they play;
• heavily affected DU munitions impact zones be cleaned up and treated in the same way as if any other heavy metal waste had contaminated the soil. Such sites should be cordoned off until clean-up takes place. Disposal of DU fragments should come under appropriate national or international recommendations for disposal of radioactive materials;
• drinking water and food, if contamination is suspected, be monitored and appropriate action is taken;
• individuals who believe they have been exposed to DU and are concerned see their medical practitioner. However, general screening of populations living in areas where DU munitions were used is not called for.

The greatest potential for DU exposure occurs after conflict when people living or working in affected areas could inhale dusts or consume contaminated food and drinking water.

A by-product of the process of uranium enrichment, DU has 60% of the radioactivity of natural uranium and significant chemical toxicity.

Measurements of environmental DU at selected sites in Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) indicate localized contamination (within a few tens of meters of impact sites) at the ground surface. This suggests that the likelihood of health consequences to the local population is very low unless people are active at the impact sites or the DU progresses in significant quantities to the food chain or ground water.

The monograph indicates that there are still important gaps in knowledge about the effects of DU on the human body and identifies areas for future research. For instance, further studies are needed to clarify the understanding of the extent of kidney damage and its possible reversibility. DU munitions were used in conflicts only relatively recently and the science has not yet thoroughly addressed this exposure situation.