Depleted Uranium. What is it about ?

After each major war involving western military forces, the question of the use of depleted uranium munitions make the headlines of newspapers because of reported negative impact on the health of soldiers and of the population living in the areas where fighting took place. Let us review what is the story here. First of all, what is Depleted uranium (DU as they call it): It is basically a by product left from the process of enrichment of Uranium to make it usable for nuclear reactors and weapons. DU is about 40 % less radioactive than Uranium. This means that it is very little radioactive. For example, scientists say that it is 3 million less radioactive than radium that was put in old luminous alarm clocks. Why is DU used for military purpose ? It is because its extreme density makes it very good for military use to penetrate thick tank armors or in reinforcing armor protection of military vehicles. Is DU a problem for human health? There are today diverging views amongst scientists on this matter. The scientists are still debating if the DU toxicity can be responsible for poisoning soldiers and population exposed to it in large quantities, and if it poses a threat to the environment with pollution of the water. The official position of military authorities but also of the World Health Organization is that apparently there is no credible link between DU exposure and increase in human cancers or other health or environmental problems. Other scientists disagree. There are still some public health studies on going on this subject and it is too early to conclude but with the massive use of Depleted uranium ammunitions in the new conflicts this could be potentially a big problem for a large population of soldiers that have been exposed and for populations living in zones where combat took place.