Depleted Uranium and other radioactive materials were used at Fort Ord

By Pat Elder
February 27, 2025

Graphic – Voice for Vets

A 1994 report by the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Industrial Radiation Historical Data Review, reveals the Army used and stored depleted uranium munitions at Fort Ord. The obscure document details the use of ten different types of radioactive materials on Fort Ord

We don’t know exactly how the Army used depleted uranium (DU) munitions at Fort Ord, but we have some idea.

The Army has used DU primarily for armor-piercing ammunition and vehicle armor since the late 1950’s with more intense development in the 1960s and 1970s.  The Army used DU for armor-piercing tank rounds.  DU was also incorporated into the armor of M1 Abrams tanks to improve resistance against enemy projectiles.

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Can you help us pay for environmental testing on the former Fort Ord? We want to verify the Army’s claim that there are no remaining nuclear, chemical, or biological threats to human health. We need your financial help to take our advocacy to the next level.

We have raised $1,650 so far, but we’ll need $20,000. Our scientific team will visit in early October, 2025 to take samples. See the Fort Ord Contamination website. https://www.fortordcontamination.org/ Please contact me if you would like to make a larger, tax deductible donation. Thank you, Pat Elder, pelder@militarypoisons.org

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A U.S. DU shell disabled an Iraqi tank and killed everyone in it.

The Army first used depleted uranium on a large scale in the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The Army is fond of depleted uranium because it is inexpensive.  DU is a waste byproduct of nuclear weapon uranium enrichment, so the Army has access to plenty of it.

Uranium-238 is the primary component of depleted uranium. It has a half-life of 14 billion years. We call per-and-poly fluoroalkyl substance “forever chemicals” but this comes close. It’s always reminiscent of Pandora’s box.

A depleted uranium (DU) round can contaminate the environment in several ways, primarily through aerosolization, soil contamination, and water pollution when it strikes a target or is otherwise dispersed.

When a DU round hits a hard target like tank armor it ignites and comes apart due to its high density and highly flammable properties. The impact creates a fine dust of uranium oxides (UO₂ and U₃O₈) that can be inhaled or settle on soil and water surfaces. These particles are radioactive and toxic if ingested or inhaled, posing potential health risks to humans, animals, and plants.

Rain can spread uranium dust, and chemical weathering can slowly dissolve uranium into the soil. Plants and microorganisms may absorb uranium, leading to bioaccumulation in the food chain.  DU particles can also leach into groundwater and surface water through rain and erosion. Drinking water sources may become contaminated.

DU dust can remain in soil and water for thousands of years.  DU causes increased rates of cancers, birth defects, and chronic illnesses. The radiation can damage cells and DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, especially in the lungs if inhaled.

Long-term exposure to uranium in drinking water has been linked to kidney disease and other organ damage. DU can also accumulate in bones, liver, and other tissues, potentially causing long-term organ damage.  DU has been linked to neurological issues, immune dysfunction, birth defects, and reproductive effects.

It’s  bad, it doesn’t go away, and the Army is still using it.

The EPA says, “DU is still used to make ammunition and weapons. DU contamination of spent shells and shell fragments is a hazard at some military firing ranges.” How could DU contamination NOT be a hazard at some military bases?

The EPA has ceded its authority to the DOD on this and just about everything else. It’s every woman and man for themselves.  And that’s because all of the states are asleep at the switch as well.

U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine – Industrial Radiation Historical Data Review No. 27-43-E2HU-1-94.  10 January  - 15 April 1994

The graphic to the left shows radiological commodities and devices and the radioactive element they contain.

Regarding radiological materials on base, the Army stated in 1994, “All data has been reviewed, and no health hazards or radiation risks exist. Therefore, it is recommended that the properties … be released for unrestricted use to the general public from the use of radiological material.”

Today, the Army says, “Current scientific knowledge indicates no environmental or radiological exposure concerns with DU.”

The Air Force and the Navy have also used depleted uranium on its bases. For instance, the 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB in Florida has littered the ground with depleted uranium. The Naval Research Laboratory’s Chesapeake Bay Detachment in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland used a large building near the cliffs of the Chesapeake Bay to test depleted uranium munitions, depositing potentially dangerous concentrations of the radioactive material just a few hundred feet from homes nearby.

There may be dangerous deposits of Uranium-238 at some locations on the former Fort Ord. We don’t know how they “disposed” of these radioactive materials and we don’t know if they were taken off the base. We do know it’ll be a great concern for our progeny. The graphic here shows the radionuclides the Army identified that were used and stored at Fort Ord.

Fort Ord is not a good place to raise a family.  

41 microcuries (µCi) of Thorium-232 was reported in building 510. The extent of danger depends on several factors, including how it is stored, its chemical form, and potential exposure pathways.

The graphic to the left shows part of one page of a  24-page spreadsheet of buildings and isotopes. Most were found in consumables like cameras and compasses, etc. but some were found in things we cannot readily identify.

See this list of radiological commodities and their locations on base.

The M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon was used at Fort Ord. It contains Prometheus 147.

The M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW) is radioactive due to the radio-luminescent paint used on its front sight markings, which typically contain Promethium-147, allowing for visibility in low-light conditions.  Although the radiation levels are minimal, users must dispose of the spent M72 properly to prevent potentially dangerous human exposure.  We don’t know if the Army practiced due diligence in this regard, but we doubt it, based on their careless record across the board.

There were at least 117 structures on Fort Ord that have used or stored radioactive commodities. A radioactive commodity is Army property composed of radioactive materials above a certain level set by federal law. A radioactive device, on the other hand, is a manufactured device like instruments, clocks, and tubes with radioactive materials. Disposal of some items may threaten human health a thousand generations from now. 

This is the last mention of radioactive materials contained within the Fort Ord record.  

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control says the Army conducted a radiological survey, but the study and its conclusions were never made public.  We’ve seen how the military is least transparent about radiation, dioxin, and PFAS. They’ve killed many people with these poisons.

The Army said it intended to survey the 117 buildings but there is no record of this having been done. An additional 230 buildings were added to this list that were suspected to have contained or stored radioactive commodities. The Army said it sampled 20% of these building and found no radiation. Based on the final survey results, and in consultation with the California state representatives, the Army concluded that all the properties can be released for unrestricted use.

The term “Depleted uranium” does not appear in a search of the Fort Ord record. The terms:  Uranium,  Thorium, Plutonium, Radium, Nickel, Americium, Krypton, Hydrogen, Promethium, and Strontium do not appear in a search of the Fort Ord  record.