WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $587,587 to the Center for Integrated and Applied Environmental Toxicology of the University of Southern Maine for its project on the possible link between lung cancer and exposure to depleted uranium. With matching funds from USM, the three-year grant will total $885,000.

The USM project studies the effect of depleted uranium particles on human lung tissue in laboratory conditions.

In announcing the grant, 1st District U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) said, “Soldiers and noncombatants in Iraq and Afghanistan are being exposed frequently and widely to [depleted uranium] particles. This research could reveal whether exposure to depleted uranium causes lung cancer.”

The three-year grant was made under the Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research program of the DOD. DEPSCoR broadens participation in defense-related DOD research funding by limiting participation to projects in 23 states, including Maine, that historically have received the least amount of DOD Research and Development investment.