What Is Du Who

http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/env/du/en/ Depleted Uranium Uranium (U) is used primarily as fuel material in nuclear power plants. However, most reactors require uranium in which the 235U content is enriched from its naturally occurring concentration. The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched fraction is referred to as depleted uranium (DU). DU is weakly radioactive and a radiation dose from it would be about 60% of that from purified natural uranium with the same mass. It is used in armour penetrating military ordinance because of its high density, and also in the manufacture of defensive armour plate. The WHO Guidance on Exposure to Depleted Uranium published in 2001 provides further information on the medical treatment of potential excessive DU exposure and advice for programme administrators sending personnel to DU contaminated areas. Sources exposure & health effect

Information on Depleted Uranium and its effects on health are given in a monograph published by WHO in 2001. The Executive Summary is available in seven languages. - Link to publications page Fact sheet : Depleted Uranium (DU) - DU fact sheet N° 257 - revised January 2003 - this information is also available in Japanese. WHO Guidance on Exposure to DU - For Medical Officers and Programme Administrators - WHO/SDE/PHE/01.12. Geneva, 2001 (English) [pdf 25kb] - this information is also available in Japanese.

Kosovo Mission

This mission was to assess if there were any Health Impacts of Depleted Uranium in Kosovo used during the recent conflict. The mission assessed the potential for : • • •

Human Exposure Contamination levels Change in disease frequency.

More information:

- Kosovo Mission Report [pdf 123kb] < Radon | Environmental Ionizing Radiation - Intro | Cosmic Radiation >