Uranium dust poisons the planet
A scientific research team, at Leicester University, have discovered that toxic, radioactive dust discharged from armour-piercing depleted uranium shells remains in the environment for many years, polluting land nearly 6km away from where it is used and lingering in soils for over 25 years.
This discovery has increased fears that communities inhabiting or returning to war zones might have no choice but to live on polluted ground, at risk of breathing in or consuming the substance in food or water.
British and American troops have been using depleted uranium rounds for a number of years now. Thousands have been used in the Balkans and in Iraq, leaving radioactive residue, which has been linked to medical conditions such as cancer, kidney damage and birth defects.
The particles of uranium have been found around a residential area in New York State, which was once home to a depleted uranium manufacturing plant, buried to a depth of 35cm. This shows that the particles do not wash away with rain but stay buried in the ground and become a long term problem as the particles can be re-suspended and inhaled.
