Depleted Uranium

stoned

interesting piece about depleted uranium;
http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News//19news02.htm

chroot

Depleted uranium is less radioactive than common dirt. The article is nothing more than fear-mongering crap. C'mon, it quotes an undergraduate student's research paper written for a lower-division geology class as if it's a credible primary source. It also makes very bold statements, such as "ludicrously high leukemia rates" in connection with DU, that have absolutely no supporting evidence.

Sure, DU is a heavy metal, and, like lead, I don't prefer that it wind up in groundwater, but DU is much, much, MUCH less a threat than the media would like you to believe.

- Warren

stoned

You saying that DU is like a lead then propably DU is quite dangerous esspecially to kids.

russ_watters

Oh goodie, more DU fearmongering. I love DU fearmongering. Its very entertaining. Uh, yeah, but we aren't going to be making pipes or silverware out of it...

loseyourname

I thought depleted uranium is lead. Isn't that what it degrades to?

Pengwuino

Undergrad research paper for lower-division classes? You mean like a HOMEWORK assignment????

loseyourname

You should take a look at it. The girl put together a very long paper. What I wonder is how a newspaper journalist managed to even find some Santa Clara University student's engineering homework.

Pengwuino

Maybe the student sent the journalist the homework paper and... i dunno... ignorance begot ignorance?

russ_watters

Lead is the eventual product of radioactive decay. Depleted uranium is still uranium (U-238?). It has an extremely long half life, which means it is only slightly radioactive and therefore not a radiological threat.

Pengwuino

What did the article mean when it said "Depleted Uranium only becomes more radioactive as time passes"

mrjeffy321

"and increases in radioactivity as it decays"

The author was probably intending to say that as it decays it gives off radiation, the longer the time has passes, the more radiation it has given off.

chroot

The immediate products of U-238 decay are, in fact, more radioactive than U-238 itself, but they are short-lived.

- Warren

Huckleberry

There has been a study done on the effects of DU ammunition. The UNEP report concluded in 2001 and found that the hazards are minimal. The most significant hazard seems to be that someone will pick up a round and keep it in close proximity of their person for an extended period of time. Having spent some time on a naval carrier DU rounds were used for the 'seawhiz' automated defense system, and we were always warned not to touch the orange traingular sabots. Someone in Kosovo might not know if a round is radioactive or not. That is the only significant radioactive risk stated in the report.

There are many other sites that disagree and some claim that the tables in the UNEP report are being interpreted incorrectly, and the radioactive risks are being downplayed. Cases of cancer and leukemia are reported in soldiers and citizens that were in areas where DU rounds were used.

Here is more than you will probably want to read about DU ammunition.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Featu...inalreport.pdf

edit- And here is a site that attempts to debunk the UNEP report
http://www.llrc.org/du/subtopic/uneprept.htm
and the BBC news story for any interested.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/...um/default.stm

stoned

Ha ha ha ! very funny.
When US military was spraying thousands of hectares of Vietnam with Agent Orange which contained Dioxines they also reasured soldies and later civilian population that there is absolutelly no health side effects( birth deformations,miscariages and so on)

Pengwuino

Well ill be the first to say bring up facts showing DU is a serious health hazard and then you can be taken seriously instead of just going "ha, the US is always wrong because they lie so they must be wrong about this too"

fourier jr

here's a paper that's "slightly" more serious:
http://www.deploymentlink.osd.mil/du...AEPI-0038a.pdf

Pengwuino

Well ill save all the formalities and such and get to where id probably end up going with "Why would you believe hte Army if the people who cry about DU say the government is a bunch of liars and they shouldnt be trusted".