Depleted uranium routes

FIGURE 29.1. Routes of depleted uranium entry into the body and the corresponding target organs where DU has been shown to accumulate. 

The most important uptake route for uranium is ingestion of food and drinking water, as shown in Table 26.1-2 (see Chapter 26.1, Section 26.1.7). The daily dietary intake of U for Ukrainian males is estimated at 7.8 mBq (Shiraishik et al. 1997), with typical daily intake values being 0.16 Bq for 0.0005 Bq for U, and 0.16 Bq for U. Military use of depleted uranium led to inhalation during combat and to shrapnel contamination (Bleise... 

No evidence linking oral exposure to uranium to human cancer has been found. Although natural, depleted, or enriched uranium and uranium compounds have not been evaluated in rodent cancer bioassays by any route by the NTP (BEIR 1980, 1988, 1990 Hahn 1989 Sanders 1986 UNSCEAR 1982,1986,1988), there is potential for the carcinogenicity of uranium, since it emits primarily alpha radiation. Nevertheless, no evidence has been found to associate human exposure to uranium compounds and carcinogenesis. The National Academy of Sciences has determined that bone sarcoma is the most likely cancer from oral exposure to uranium however, their report noted that this cancer has not been observed in exposed humans and concluded that exposure to natural uranium may have no measurable effect (BEIR IV). 

---