Briner Wayne E
Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2006 Jun;3(2):129-35. doi: 10.3390/ijerph2006030016.
Depleted uranium (DU) is used in both civilian and military applications. Civilian uses are primarily limited to ballast and counterweights in ships and aircraft with limited risk of environmental release. The very nature of the military use of DU releases DU into the environment. DU released into the environment from military use takes the form of large fragments that are chemically unchanged and dust in the form of oxides. DU dust is nearly insoluble, respirable and shows little mobility in the soil. Exposure to DU occurs primarily from inhalation of dust and possible hand to mouth activity. Toxicity of DU is believed to be primarily chemical in nature with radiological activity being a lesser problem. DU has been shown to have a variety of behavioral and neurological effects in experimental animals. DU has been used the Balkans, Afghanistan, and both Iraq wars and there is a high probability of its use in future conflicts. Further, other nations are developing DU weaponry; some of these nations may use DU with a greater radiological risk than those currently in use. The toxicity of DU has been studied mostly as an issue of the health of military personnel. However, many tons of DU have been left in the former theater of war and indigenous populations continue to be exposed to DU, primarily in the form of dust. Little epidemiological data exists concerning the impact of DU on these groups. It may be possible to extrapolate what the effects of DU may be on indigenous groups by examining the data on similar metals. DU has many similarities to lead in its route of exposure, chemistry, metabolic fate, target organs, and effect of experimental animals. Studies should be conducted on indigenous groups using lead as a model when ascertaining if DU has an adverse effect.
贫铀（DU）用于民用和军事领域。民用主要限于船舶和飞机的压载物及配重，环境释放风险有限。贫铀的军事用途本身会将其释放到环境中。军事用途释放到环境中的贫铀呈化学性质未变的大碎片形式以及氧化物形式的粉尘。贫铀粉尘几乎不溶、可吸入且在土壤中流动性很小。接触贫铀主要通过吸入粉尘以及可能的手口接触活动。贫铀的毒性据信主要是化学性质的，放射性活性问题较小。贫铀已在巴尔干地区、阿富汗以及两次伊拉克战争中使用，未来冲突中很有可能继续使用。此外，其他国家正在研发贫铀武器；其中一些国家使用贫铀时可能比目前使用的国家面临更大的放射性风险。贫铀毒性大多作为军事人员健康问题进行研究。然而，大量贫铀留在了以前的战区，当地居民继续接触贫铀，主要是粉尘形式。关于贫铀对这些群体影响的流行病学数据很少。通过研究类似金属的数据，有可能推断贫铀对当地群体可能产生的影响。贫铀在接触途径、化学性质、代谢归宿、靶器官以及对实验动物的影响等方面与铅有许多相似之处。在确定贫铀是否有不良影响时，应以铅为模型对当地群体进行研究。
