| Depleted Uranium is the by-product of natural uranium after U235 enrichment. It contains three uranium isotope: 238U(>99.7%),235U and 234U. Powder DU provided by uranium enrichment factory is turned into alloy after adding 0.75% titanium. DU has been widely used in civilian and military affairs. In fact, in the early 1970s, the U.S. Army began the research on the use of DU metal in penetrators, armor-piercing shells and the armors of tanks and helicopters because of its high density, hardness and penetrating power. DU bomb is the general name of all warheads and munitions produced by DU. DU bomb has good penetrating and breaking armor effect because of its self-sharpening and pyrophoricity. DU munitions were used on the battlefield for the first time during the Gulf War in 1991. The America Air Force fired 783,514 rounds of 30 mm DU ammunition, the 235 tons DU account 80% of the whole amount in Gulf war. DU ammunition has been extensively used in a number of conflicts in recent years commencing with the Gulf War in 1991. It was subsequently used in the Balkan conflicts, in Afghanistan and, most recently, in the Iraq War of 2003.The utilization of DU weapons in wars has caused personnel injuries and deaths as well as a large area natural environmental pollution. The hazard to health has drawn the attention of international society and scientific institutions. DU has the properties of both chemical and long half-life radiological toxicity. Post conflict, DU in weapon remaining can immigrate into the vicinal environment and enter human body through food chain, air and water. The exposure way to DU, external or internal, is critical to health. Internal exposure to DU can occur through three pathways: ingestion (food and water); inhalation (aerosol); and embedded fragments or contaminated wounds (mainly for soldiers). The result of health investigation in post-war Iraq showed that local resident has serious immune deficiency...
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