Four years following the victory of the first Gulf War, the acclaim of DU evolved into controversy as thousands of U.S. and coalition forces began suffering from an array of unexplained ailments, such as impaired cognition, fatigue, muscle ache, sleep disorders, and memory loss. Critics of DU attributed the mysterious symptoms, collectively known as the Gulf War Syndrome, to the radioactivity and chemical toxicity of depleted uranium.

PSR has long argued that DU should not be used by the military until sufficient health and environmental studies on the use of Depleted Uranium have been done to prove that it can be used safely by U.S. service personnel. We also call for clean-up of affected sites, both training ranges in the United States, and battlefields from Bosnia to Afghanistan, via Iraq, where DU has been used extensively.

Here PSR provides resources to learn about DU and its affects; to take action on pending legislation in Congress and to conduct follow-up research to learn about the issue in depth. PSR staff and physicians have worked to produce our new issue brief, an excellent summary of the issues surrounding the use of DU by the military, which you can read here.

Researcher Corner

Congressman Jim McDermott: “If Depleted Uranium is Safe, Let Them Prove It” - PSR worked with Congressman Jim McDermott to push for a study on the potential medical consequences of Depleted Uranium.

Congressional Legislation on Depleted Uranium: H R 2410 - Legislation that came as a result of work from PSR and our activists putting pressure for answers on Depleted Uranium

World Health Organization (WHO): Depleted Uranium 

Worchester Polytechnic Institute: Depleted Uranium Health Effects

Argonne National Laboratory for the DOE Office of Environmental Management: Depleted Uranium Effects

Activist Corner 

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Assessment of Depleted Uranium

Campaign Against Arms Trade: Depleted Uranium Report

Traprock Peace Center: Depleted Uranium