The Depleted Uranium Program

The Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Depleted Uranium (DU) Follow-up Program at the Baltimore VA Medical Center is a clinical surveillance program for identifying, characterizing and following individuals exposed to DU during the Gulf War conflict.

The specific aims of the project are to provide ongoing clinical surveillance of Gulf War veterans with known or suspected imbedded DU fragments, DU-contaminated wounds or significant amounts of inhaled DU. This clinical surveillance is designed to detect health effects, if any, of DU-containing shrapnel or inhalation exposure, and provide recommendations for treatment to participating veterans and physicians caring for them.

Focused investigation into the toxicological and radiological effects of DU is intended to improve the scientific basis for advice about fragment removal; to better model uranium absorption, distribution in tissue and excretion; and to develop improved methods to assess uranium dose in vivo. In addition, the program hopes to improve methods of detection of toxic effects from low-dose uranium exposure.

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