In an interview broadcast on Russian television, Vladimir Putin threatened to use depleted uranium shells if kyiv were to receive them from his supporters. But what exactly are we talking about? And what are the risks?
What are depleted uranium munitions?
Depleted uranium is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process. It is about 60% less radioactive than natural uranium. Uranium is an extremely dense metal: it is 1.7 times denser than lead. It is so hard that it does not deform when it comes into contact with its target. Depleted uranium is thus used in armour-piercing shells and bombs to make them more penetrating.
“It’s a common type of ammunition, used particularly for its armor-piercing ability,” John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said Wednesday, assuring that these shells “are not radioactive. and “don’t even come close” to the category of nuclear weapons. The use of such ammunition is not prohibited by international law.
Have they been used before?
Yes, these ammunition are in stock in many armies, especially American and Russian. They were used during the two Gulf wars of 1991 and 2003, as well as in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s. The Pentagon has also admitted to having used depleted uranium shells on two occasions in 2015 in operations against the Islamic State group in Syria.
The announcement by the United Kingdom of the forthcoming delivery of such ammunition to Ukraine has been denounced by Moscow, which claims that such a choice would constitute a “serious aggravation” of the conflict.
What are the health and environmental risks?
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), depleted uranium is a “heavy metal, chemically and radiologically polluting”. Armor piercing shells hitting their target produce uranium dust and metal fragments.
In terms of health, “the main risk is not radioactivity but chemical toxicity. Ingestion or inhalation of large amounts may affect kidney function. If a person inhales large amounts of small particles over a long period of time, the main health concern will be an increased risk of lung cancer,” the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission points out.
Depleted uranium munitions have been cited as one of the possible causes of the health problems of Gulf War veterans or the high number of cancers or congenital malformations in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. However, their role has not been scientifically proven.
Numerous studies have concluded that there is no evidence establishing the harmfulness of depleted uranium, but these results remain contested.
According to studies with which the International Atomic Energy Agency has been associated, “the radiological risk to which populations and the environment were exposed was not significant in cases where the presence of depleted uranium had caused localized contamination of the environment in the form of small particles released on impact”, underlines the office of disarmament affairs of the United Nations.
On the other hand, “when fragments of depleted uranium munitions or complete munitions of this type are discovered, people who come into direct contact with these objects could suffer the effects of radiation”, concludes the United Nations.
