![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/depleted-uranium-shells-why-are-they-used-and-are-they-harmful/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/129107371_duindex.png&description=Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The US used depleted uranium weapons during the 2003 Iraq War Russia has warned the UK not to provide depleted uranium shells as ammunition for the tanks it is sending to Ukraine, saying they contain a "nuclear component". Depleted uranium makes weapons more powerful, but it is feared those weapons could be a threat to people in areas where they are used. Depleted uranium is naturally-occurring uranium, which has been stripped of much - but not all - of its radioactive matter. It is a waste product from the process through which uranium is enriched for use in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. Uranium is a very dense metal, so depleted uranium can be used to reinforce the armour-plating on tanks. It can also be put on the tips of bullets, mortar rounds and tank shells, to penetrate conventional tank armour. Depleted uranium shells sharpen on impact, which further increases their ability to bore through armour, and they ignite after contact . The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) says depleted uranium missiles were developed by the US and UK in the 1970s. They were first used in the Gulf War in 1991, and then in Kosovo in 1999, and during the Iraq War in 2003. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Kosovo residents were warned of depleted uranium risks after the 1999 war The MoD says it will supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine's armed forces to use with the 14 Challenger 2 tanks it is sending to Kyiv . Image source, Getty Images Image caption, One of the Challenger 2 tanks, used during a military parade A White House official told the AP news agency that Russia also has stockpiles of depleted uranium weapons , although it is not known if it has used them in Ukraine. "Depleted uranium shells are not considered to be nuclear weapons," says Dr Marina Miron, from Kings College London. "They are not meant to poison people. They are used because of their capability to pierce armour." Depleted uranium is mildly radioactiv){kind=link}
Russia has warned the UK not to provide depleted uranium shells as ammunition for the tanks it is sending to Ukraine, saying they contain a “nuclear component”.
Depleted uranium makes weapons more powerful, but it is feared those weapons could be a threat to people in areas where they are used.
Depleted uranium is naturally-occurring uranium, which has been stripped of much – but not all – of its radioactive matter.
It is a waste product from the process through which uranium is enriched for use in nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons.
Uranium is a very dense metal, so depleted uranium can be used to reinforce the armour-plating on tanks.