The major health concerns about DU relate to its chemical properties as a heavy metal rather than to its radioactivity, which is very low. As with all chemicals, the hazard depends mainly upon the amount taken into the body.
Medical science recognizes that uranium at high doses can cause kidney damage.
However, those levels are far above levels soldiers would have encountered in the Gulf or the Balkans. Because depleted uranium emits primarily alpha radiation, it is not considered a serious external radiation hazard. The depleted uranium in armor and rounds is covered, further reducing the radiation dose. Despite this, no radiological health effects are expected because the radioactivity of uranium and depleted uranium are so low. No human cancer of any type has ever been seen as a result of exposure to natural or depleted uranium.