NATO aircraft rained more than 30,000 DU shells on Kosovo during the 11-week air campaign. The military likes the shells because, 1.7 times heavier than lead, they can punch through armored vehicles. They then erupt in a burning cloud of vapor, which settles as radioactive dust. About 10 tons of the debris were scattered across Kosovo. And we have not been able to find any connection between exposure to depleted uranium on the one hand and the constellation of illnesses or symptoms included in the Gulf War illness on the other hand.
Scientists generally agree.
No one has seen anything. There is just nothing you can ascribe to uranium exposure. As a heavy metal, though, it has a chemical toxicity that, as with lead, can cause poisoning in high doses. It is this toxicity, rather than radioactivity, that is considered DU's greatest potential hazard in battlefield conditions. DU emits mainly alpha particles, which are blocked by skin, while beta particles are blocked by military clothing and boots.