The Biden administration will send munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine for the first time, according to a document seen by Reuters and in separate confirmations from two US officials, Reuters reports.

Shells that can help destroy Russian tanks are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine to be unveiled next week.

Ammunition can be launched by American Abrams tanks, which, according to a familiar source, should be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

One official said the upcoming aid package would be between $240 million and $375 million, depending on what it includes. Officials said that the cost and contents of the package are still being determined. The White House has not yet commented on the information.

Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this will be the first shipment of US munitions and is likely to spark controversy. This happened after the decision of the Biden administration to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns about the danger posed by such weapons to the civilian population, comments Reuters, according to News.ro.

The use of depleted uranium munitions is hotly debated, with opponents such as the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons arguing that consuming or inhaling dust from depleted uranium poses serious health risks, including the risk of cancer and birth defects.

A byproduct of uranium enrichment, depleted uranium, is used in munitions because its extreme density gives projectiles the ability to easily penetrate armor and ignite spontaneously.

The United States used depleted uranium munitions in massive quantities during the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars and during the 1999 NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia.