There has been long-standing concern about the possible health
and environmental effects of depleted uranium (DU). In
particular, its use in munitions has given rise to claims that
it is implicated in various problems among both combatants and
civilian populations in affected areas. A number of expert
reviews have examined the data and found no conclusive evidence
of harm. However, these findings continue to be disputed by
others. The International Coalition to ban Uranium Weapons
contests the radiation exposure and dose estimation models used,
and argues that DU weapons are a new source of contamination
which requires additional scientific assessment. The European
parliament in 2008 called for the Commission and others to
support more scientific studies on depleted uranium and its
effects, and for an environmental inventory of DU. The
Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER),
which advises the Commission, was asked to review existing
reports and the scientific literature and offer an op