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Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Program
Depleted uranium (DU) is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process; it possesses less U-235 and about 50% of the radioactivity of natural uranium. During the Gulf War, uranium containing munitions were used on a large scale for the first time. It was used by the United States military in projectiles and armor for tanks. While thousands of military personnel had proximity to uranium munitions, either as they were stockpiled, transported or while riding in vehicles carrying these weapons, of most concern have been those individuals who were on or in vehicles when struck by depleted uranium projectiles. DU is a radiation hazard primarily if internalized, such as in shrapnel, contaminated wounds, and inhalation. In addition to its radioactivity, DU has some chemical toxicity related to being a heavy metal (similar to lead).
When the DU Program was established in 1993, only a limited number of US veterans were known to have been directly wounded by DU weapons. In 1997, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense became aware that a number of other service members beyond those first identified by DoD in 1993-1994, were also potentially exposed to DU. DoD's Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI) was tasked with investigating and locating a number of veterans potentially exposed to DU beyond the original participants in the program. VACO officials in the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards, OSAGWI and Baltimore program officials collaborated to initiate a program to assess potential DU exposure to service members, identify and inform those service members of the possibility of exposure to DU and advise them of the availability of testing to determine current urine uranium levels.
Program Director
Neil S. Otchin, M.D.
Publications and Forms
- VHA
Handbook 1303.1
Evaluation Protocol for Gulf War Veterans with Potential Exposure
to Depleted Uranium
- Depleted
Uranium - FAQ Sheet - prepared by the Depleted Uranium
Follow-up
Program, VA Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore Division, January 2000,
revised January 2002
- VHA
Directive 98-032
Evaluation Protocol for Gulf War Veterans with Potential Exposure to
Depleted Uranium (DU) - July 9, 1998
- VA Form 10-9009D
Depleted Uranium (DU) Questionnaire (Supplement to Gulf War Code Sheet,
VA Form 10-9009D(RS)
(See VHA Directive 98-032)
- VA Form 10-9009E
Depleted Uranium Program Checklist
24-Hour Urine Uranium Collection
Baltimore VA Medical Center
(See VHA Directive 98-032)
Reviewed/Updated: December 07, 2011
http://www.vethealth.cio.med.va.gov/DUProgram.htm
