Re: Depleted Uranium

There is NO controversy at all about the toxicity of soluble uranium
salts: Uranium chemically (viz., all isotopes) is a heavy-metal
poison
metabolically -- and also almost certainly is carcinogenic (like lead
and
tungsten).

Uranium in soil: Toxicity depends on the degree of oxidation;
generally, it is insoluble and thus not harmful.

The radiation hazard has to be evaluated geometrically, not
just in terms of isotopic composition: Alpha is absorbed in the
volume of a particle and is not harmful except from the surface
of a particle. The huge surface area of a fine dust makes this
a hazard when inhaled.

Beta is also absorbed within any dirt particle. Thus, the danger in
soil is just apparent, if viewed by volume or mass content. Even the
byproduct gamma is mostly absorbed except from soil very close
to the surface.

It would be nice if there were no U in soil -- but, it's just
something
we have to live with (with slightly shortened life expectancy).

Dirk Bruere at NeoPax wrote:
Kevin G. Rhoads wrote:

Most experts recognize uranium, depleted or not, as a significant
health risk when dispersed in the environment. Yet depleted-U
has been recently used by the US Military in munitions. The
claims are that health risks are minimal. VA have denied claims

Would there be all this fuss if DU was non-radioactive, but just as
toxic? Where are all the complaints about the vast amount of lead
dispersed into the envirnoment by conventional battlefield bullets? Not
to mention the carcinogenic combustion products of some conventional
explosives.

And not a whisper from the environmentalists about the possible
non-radioactive replacement of DU with something that is, by comparison,
insanely carcinogenic.

As for "Gulf War Syndrome" it now appears that much of it was not caused
by DU but by Saddams ammunition dumps, which contained large amounts of
nerve gas, being blown up ie dispersed into the environment.

Is this really just kneejerk fear being exploited in Joe Public when
they hear "Uranium" and "radiation" like in 'nucular' (sic) bombs?

--
Dirk

http://www.onetribe.me.uk - The UK's only occult talk show
Presented by Dirk Bruere and Marc Power

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: WHICH SCIENCE OR SCIENTISTS CAN YOU TRUST?
    ... >>IIRC it's about 2ppm of soil, and I think it was per sq mile, not sq ... an abundance of 12 parts per million in the Earth's crust. ... Three isotopes of uranium are found in nature. ...
    (sci.chem)
  • Re: The DU disaster now a danger to the UK
    ... vegetation grown in that very same soil. ... Of course these sources exist and they cause cancer too. ... and the significance of the added uranium is reduced further still. ... It is in fact a fissile material used in nuclear weapons. ...
    (uk.politics.misc)
  • Re: The DU disaster now a danger to the UK
    ... vegetation grown in that very same soil. ... Because when it boils down we are considering risk. ... Ingested uranium is mostly excreted and under ordinary circumstances very ... Perhaps you should calculate how long it will take to safely inhale ...
    (uk.politics.misc)
  • Depleted Uranium - Relative Radioactivity, Toxicity and Teratogenicity
    ... Uranium and being unsure of being ... radioactivity, to toxicity of Uranium Oxides, Uranium Dioxide, Uranium ... ceases to be a metal munition and becomes an oxide. ... It is as toxic as other heavy metals. ...
    (rec.aviation.military)
  • Re: What is Depleted Uranium?
    ... > There are several reports in the news about the implied toxicity of depleted ... > uranium used for projectiles and shielding material in modern warfare. ... Depleted uranium is only very weakly ... > It deposits at bone surfaces and remains in the bone matrix with a half time ...
    (sci.geo.geology)