I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2410

To require certain studies regarding the health effects of exposure to depleted 

uranium munitions, to require the cleanup and mitigation of depleted 

uranium contamination at sites of depleted uranium munition use and 

production in the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2005

Mr. MCDERMOTT (for himself, Mr. STARK, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. 

DEFAZIO, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 

SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. FARR, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. ANDREWS, 

Mr. FILNER, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 

BLUMENAUER, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. HONDA, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, 

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 

in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To require certain studies regarding the health effects of 

exposure to depleted uranium munitions, to require the 

cleanup and mitigation of depleted uranium contamination at sites of depleted uranium munition use and production in the United States, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Depleted Uranium Munitions Study Act’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

5 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Purposes. 

Sec. 4. Study of health effects of exposure to depleted uranium. 

Sec. 5. EPA studies of environmental contamination by depleted uranium. 

Sec. 6. Environmental mitigation and cleanup requirements for depleted uranium.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The highest regard should be given to the 

9 health and safety of the members of the United 

10 States Armed Forces. 

11 (2) Depleted uranium, a toxic, carcinogenic, 

12 and radioactive material with a half-life of 

13 4,500,000,000 years, is used as an ingredient in var14 ious munitions used by the United States Armed 

15 Forces. 

16 (3) Depleted uranium munitions have been used 

17 by the United States Armed Forces during Oper18 ation Iraqi Freedom, during the Persian Gulf War 

19 in 1991, and during the conflicts in the former Fed20 eral Republic of Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, 

21 and Montenegro), with approximately 150 metric 

22 tons of depleted uranium being used during Oper-
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1 ation Iraqi Freedom, approximately 300 metric tons 

2 of depleted uranium being used during the Persian 

3 Gulf War, and approximately 12 metric tons being 

4 used in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro. 

5 (4) Among the characteristics of depleted ura6 nium munitions are that—

7 (A) they are pyrophoric, resulting in the 

8 munition burning upon impact with a target; 

9 and 

10 (B) the impact of a depleted uranium mu11 nition on a target creates aerosol particles, 

12 which can be inhaled. 

13 (5) The United States has provided or sold de14 pleted uranium and depleted uranium munitions to 

15 allied nations, and the armed forces of the United 

16 Kingdom used depleted uranium munitions during 

17 the Persian Gulf War in 1991. 

18 (6) Depleted uranium munitions have been used 

19 at numerous United States military installations, 

20 proving grounds, and testing facilities. 

21 (7) No definitive cause has been established for 

22 the various illnesses (commonly referred to as Gulf 

23 War Syndrome) that affect approximately 130,000 

24 members and former members of the United States 
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1 Armed Forces who served in Southwest Asia during 

2 the Persian Gulf War in 1991. 

3 (8) The former Iraqi Government claimed that 

4 depleted uranium from depleted uranium munitions 

5 was adversely affecting the health of Iraqis, although 

6 such claims have not been independently verified. 

7 (9) The United States Navy and the British 

8 Royal Navy are phasing out use of depleted uranium 

9 munitions, and the Canadian Navy has ceased using 

10 depleted uranium munitions. 

11 (10) It has been reported that depleted ura12 nium munitions use has proliferated to more than 

13 20 nations. 

14 (11) The 1949 Geneva Convention specifically 

15 outlines the precautions warring nations must take 

16 to avoid harming civilian populations, and it would 

17 be a violation of the 1977 Protocol to that Conven18 tion to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suf19 fering to civilians, as depleted uranium munitions 

20 may cause. 

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

22 The purposes of this Act are—

23 (1) to provide for studies of—
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1 (A) the health effects resulting from expo2 sure to depleted uranium munitions by inhala3 tion, ingestion, or injection; and 

4 (B) environmental contamination caused 

5 by depleted uranium at sites where depleted 

6 uranium was used in conflict, development, test7 ing, or training and at sites where depleted ura8 nium and depleted uranium munitions were 

9 produced; and 

10 (2) to require the cleanup and mitigation of de11 pleted uranium contamination at sites of depleted 

12 uranium munition use and production in the United 

13 States. 

14 SEC. 4. STUDY OF HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO DE15 PLETED URANIUM. 

16 (a) STUDY.—The Director of the Agency for Toxic 

17 Substances and Disease Registry and the Director of the 

18 Center for Disease Control and Prevention shall jointly 

19 conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of ex20 posure to depleted uranium munitions on uranium-exposed 

21 veterans and on children of uranium-exposed veterans who 

22 were born after the exposure of the uranium-exposed vet23 erans to depleted uranium. 

24 (b) URANIUM-EXPOSED VETERANS.—In this section, 

25 the term ‘‘uranium-exposed veteran’’ means a member or 
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1 former member of the United States Armed Forces who 

2 handled, came in contact with, or had the likelihood of 

3 contact with depleted uranium munitions while on active 

4 duty, including members and former members who—

5 (1) were exposed to smoke from fires resulting 

6 from the burning of vehicles containing depleted ura7 nium munitions or fires at depots at which depleted 

8 uranium munitions were stored; 

9 (2) worked within environments containing de10 pleted uranium dust or residues from depleted ura11 nium munitions; 

12 (3) were within a structure or vehicle while it 

13 was struck by a depleted uranium munition; 

14 (4) climbed on or entered equipment or struc15 tures struck by a depleted uranium munition; or 

16 (5) were medical personnel who provided initial 

17 treatment to members of the Armed Forces de18 scribed in paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4). 

19 (c) PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT.—The Directors 

20 also shall jointly conduct a public health assessment of 

21 persons who are thought to have an epidemiological link—

22 (1) to any United States military installation or 

23 facility at which depleted uranium munitions have 

24 been, or currently are, used; and 
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1 (2) any production facility in the United States 

2 at which depleted uranium or depleted uranium mu3 nitions are currently, or have been, produced. 

4 (d) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act, the Directors shall submit 

6 to Congress a report on the results of the study under 

7 subsection (a) and the assessment under subsection (c). 

8 The Directors shall include in the report a list of diseases 

9 or conditions that are found to exist within the populations 

10 specified in subsection (a) and their rate of occurrence 

11 compared to the general population. 

12 SEC. 5. EPA STUDIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINA13 TION BY DEPLETED URANIUM. 

14 (a) LIST OF DEPLETED URANIUM SITES IN UNITED

15 STATES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the 

16 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall pro17 vide to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

18 Agency a list of all sites in the United States where de19 pleted uranium munitions have been used or produced and 

20 a site-specific map of each site. 

21 (b) EPA STUDIES.—After receipt of the list and 

22 maps under subsection (a), the Administrator shall con23 duct a comprehensive environmental study of each site 

24 specified on the list evaluating the possible contamination 
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1 of the soil, air, water, and vegetation by depleted uranium 

2 at that site. 

3 (c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub5 mit to the Secretary of Defense and the Committee on 

6 Armed Services and the Committee on Government Re7 form of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

8 on Armed Services and the Committee on Governmental 

9 Affairs of the Senate a report—

10 (1) describing the extent of contamination by 

11 depleted uranium at each site studied by the Admin12 istrator pursuant to subsection (b); 

13 (2) providing site-specific recommendations for 

14 the mitigation and cleanup of each such site; and 

15 (3) providing general recommendations regard16 ing the cleanup of sites where depleted uranium has 

17 been used on foreign lands. 

18 SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND CLEANUP RE19 QUIREMENTS FOR DEPLETED URANIUM. 

20 (a) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CLEANUP PLAN.—

21 Not later than one year after receiving the report required 

22 by section 5(c), the Secretary of Defense shall develop a 

23 plan for the mitigation and cleanup of depleted uranium 

24 at those sites covered by the report. The plan shall include 

25 a prioritized schedule for the mitigation and cleanup of 
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1 such sites. The Secretary shall submit a copy of the plan 

2 to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee 

3 on Government Reform of the House of Representatives 

4 and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee 

5 on Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 

6 (b) CLEANUP.—After filing the plan under subsection 

7 (a), the Secretary of Defense shall commence, directly or 

8 by contract, the mitigation and cleanup of depleted ura9 nium at each site covered by the report required by section 

10 5(c). The mitigation and cleanup shall be conducted in the 

11 manner and scope specified in the report. 

12 (c) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—The cleanup and 

13 mitigation required by subsection (b) shall be carried out 

14 in a manner consistent with the National Environmental 

15 Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), notwith16 standing any exemption to any of the provisions of that 

17 Act for the Department of Defense or any element thereof. 

18 (d) PROGRESS REPORTS.—The Secretary of Defense 

19 shall submit annual progress reports to the the Adminis20 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the 

21 congressional committees specified in subsection (a) until 

22 the mitigation and cleanup of depleted uranium at those 

23 sites covered by the report required by section 5(c) are 

24 complete.

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