Depleted uranium (DU)
Heavy metalA dense metal used in armor-piercing rounds and tank armor — both radioactive and a heavy metal.
Where it comes from in service
Tank crews, vehicles struck by DU rounds, cleanup and recovery of damaged vehicles, and embedded fragments.
How it harms the body
DU is a chemical kidney toxin like other heavy metals, and it is weakly radioactive, so it carries both a chemical and a radiological concern.
Inhaled or embedded DU can keep releasing small amounts into the body over time.
How long it stays in you
Settles in the kidney and bone; embedded fragments can release uranium for years and are tracked long-term.
The VA runs a Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Program; DU is monitored for kidney effects and is part of the radiation/heavy-metal exposure picture.
Unmonitored kidney effects can progress; embedded fragments in particular warrant long-term follow-up.
What to ask your clinician about
- •VA Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Program (24-hour urine uranium)
- •Kidney function (eGFR, creatinine)
Bring this to your clinician and your VSO — they decide what testing and care, if any, is right for you. For general, whole-person ways to support your body, see Whole health.
Sources: ATSDR ToxFAQs: Uranium · VA Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Program. Drafted from the government's and science's own record — VA presumptive lists (PACT Act, 38 CFR, Camp Lejeune), ATSDR ToxFAQs, IARC, and NTP. Sources are cited on every page, and this library has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician or toxicologist. This is documentation to bring to your clinician and VSO — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a determination of service connection. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.