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? -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ron Johnson, Jr. Jefferson, LA USA PGP Key ID 8834C06B I prefer encrypted mail. "Being Politically Correct means always having to say you're sorry." Charles Osgood
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