Re: [Way off topic] depleted uranium

[Wim De Smet <kromagg@gmail.com>]

On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 15:37:17 -0600, Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> wrote:
> On Mon, 2005-01-03 at 10:13 -0500, Christopher Judd wrote:
> > On 29 Dec, dorn hetzel wrote:
> > > On Wed, Dec 29, 2004 at 09:48:56AM -0800, bandito wrote:
> > >> i think they'd be used more as an environmental contaminant than
> > >> something intended to actually cause death... setting off a big one in a
> > >> city wouldnt kill THAT many people, but it'd keep them out of the
> > >> contaminated area until the radioactive material was cleaned up (or a
> > >> few millions years passes, whichever comes first).
> > >> in that respect, i think the result is a bit similar
> > >>
> > > DU as a contaminant isn't really much more or less problematic than
> > > say lead or mercury.  Well, in some respects it's easier to clean up
> > > because it's very easy to separate from the environment because of
> > > it's radically heavier weight.
> > >
> > > DU's unique property that gets it used in so many weapons systems
> > > is its rather amazing density, pretty much the best transmitter of
> > > energy in the kinetic form that there ever was.  Not saying that
> > > justifies it's use, just that it explains it...
> > >
> > > -Dorn
> >
> >      Not exactly.  In addition to its high density (~3 times that of
> > lead), uranium is autopyrophorric.  What that means is that when the
> > shell hits a hard object, it ignites and burns.  Good for killing people
> > in tanks, but not for the environment.  When a DU shell burns, the
> > uranium oxides formed rapidly undergo gas to particle conversion.  About
> > 65 % of the particles formed are less than 5 microns in diameter.
> > Particles in this size range can be transported for thousands of
> > kilometers, and are respirable, depositing in the lung tissue.  In
> > addition, they can be resuspended from the ground by wind.  The extent
> > to which this occurs depends on the soil type, and is greatest in dry,
> > sandy soils, which unfortunately are the places where most DU has been
> > used.
> 
> And what is it about depleted UO2 that is bad for people: chemical
> toxicity, or radioactivity?

Actually more the physical caracteristics. As noted above it deposits
in the lung tissue. From what I heard this has an effect similar to
"black lung" that miners have. The particles get absorbed by the
cells, which they kill, after which they get absorbed by other cells,
etc, etc. Which can slowly kill you.

greets,
Wim