Our US Navy only recently admitted to firing DU in Vieques. In 1992, Ismael Guadalupe, one of the Vieques protest leaders, was an eye witness to the very distinct signature of depleted uranium projectiles that pierced through tanks littering the bombing range. His brother was a tank expert who worked on the range, and also saw the strange entry of DU bullets, which goes through metal like butter. They endure continuous bombing for days on end, year after year. Since 1942 Viequenses have been forced to live on one third of the island, in the center, with the bombing range to the east and storage of munitions in the west.
Trade winds blowing from the east to the west carry the contaminants over the populated area.
Each time bombing occurs, dust from that bomb and previous bombs is kicked up, raising toxins with it, including depleted uranium. Upon impact, DU explodes an aerosolates. DU is easily ingested into the lungs and it only takes one tiny particle to begin cancer growth. DU has a half life of 4,500 million years. The very tiny particles are able to fly away so easily, just like the water particles in clouds or the solid particles in smoke.