On Fri, 2003-07-25 at 13:36, Leonard den Ottolander wrote: > Hello Timothy, > > > Finally, depleted uranium ammunition is *not* a "weapon of mass > > destruction." It is quite a conventional weapon, but made of > > unconventional, if imaginative, material. > > Since it is nuclear waste it will cause numerous deaths during the > millions of years it and its daughters stay radioactive and in the > environment. That is unacceptable and possibly illegal collateral > damage.
I'm sorry, but that is simply, and provably, untrue. Just how radioactive is DU? Less than my watch, and less than your smoke detector. Oh the horror of it all! Everyone who's been around depleted uranium raise your hand. Mine is up. How many of you with your hands up have personally measured it's radioactivity? Mine us still up. But hey, don;t take my word for it, try some professionals: "DU does not add significantly to the normal background radiation that people encounter ever day. It is weakly radioactive. For example, DU is 3 million times less radioactive than radium still found in many old luminous watches and 10 million times less radioactive than what is used in fire detectors." International Atomic Energy Agency Indeed, US troops that have DU shrapnel embedded in their bodies that can not be removed have developed zero adverse conditions or abnormality. Indeed, of the Uranium left (we all know what *depleted* means, right?), 70% is excreted by the body in 24 hours, and over 90% in a matter of a few days. What is left after exposure to DU is pretty much immeasurable due to it's extremely minor amount, it is insignificant compared to natural exposure rates. Also, the real issues with Uranium is *not* it's radioactivity, but it's chemical toxicity. """ Recently, there has been much concern expressed in the media and among the general public with respect to the hazardous nature of depleted uranium, including allegations of leukemias, cancers, and other deaths caused by this material. While it is in fact true that depleted uranium is weakly radioactive, it is also a heavy metal and, except in certain very unusual situations, it is the chemical toxicity and not the radioactivity that is of concern. And, from a chemical toxicity standpoint, uranium is on the same order of toxicity as lead. Largely from work with animals, along with a few instances in which humans inhaled very large amounts of uranium, the chemical toxicity of uranium is known to produce minor effects on the kidney, which in humans who have suffered large acute exposures have been transitory and wholly reversible. Because depleted and natural uranium are only weakly radioactive, radiological effects from ingested or inhaled uranium have not been detected. Human experience with uranium has spanned more than 200 years. In the early part of the 20th century, uranium was used therapeutically as a treatment for diabetes, and persons so treated were administered relatively large amounts of uranium by mouth. Tens of thousands of persons have worked in the uranium industry over the past several decades and have been followed up and studied extensively, as have populations in Canada and elsewhere who have high levels of uranium in their drinking water. The types of illness apparently suffered by those exposed to depleted uranium from weapons have never been observed in these groups. This is not surprising as the radiation dose from uranium is far overshadowed by its potential chemical toxicity, and intakes of uranium of sufficient magnitude to produce chemotoxic effects are unlikely in and of themselves. That notwithstanding, any such effects from ingestion or inhalation of uranium would likely manifest themselves first in the form of minor effects associated with the kidneys. That military personnel and others who may have had contact with depleted uranium from munitions are suffering from various illnesses is not in dispute. That their illnesses are attributable to their exposure to uranium is very, very unlikely. A truly enormous body of scientific data shows that it is virtually impossible for uranium to be the cause of their illnesses. """ -- Professor Ronald L. Kathren, past president of Health Physics Society and American Academy of Health Physics. Indeed, you consume uranium every year, naturally. More so than sitting on a DU round. """ External radiation exposures may occur when personnel are close to DU due to its beta and gamma radiation. Studies of external radiation measurements inside tanks show that the tank commander, gunner, and loader receive a radiation dose rate of 0.00001-0.00002 rem/hour, an amount which is somewhat less than the average natural background rate of about 0.00003 rem/hour. The tank driver may receive slightly higher dose rates of 0.00003 (gun pointed forward) to 0.00013 rem/hour (bustle fully loaded with DU ammunition pointed forward), when the driver’s hatch is open. This means the driver inside a fully loaded "heavy armor" tank (a model using DU armor panels) continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, would still receive a dose of less than 25% of the current, annual occupational limit of 5 rems. Studies have also shown that the maximum dose rate outside the tank approaches 0.0003 rem/hr at the front of a HA turret or over a fully loaded bustle. Continuous exposure at that level would produce an annual dose of about 2.6 rems or slightly more than one-half the occupational limit. Fortunately, these exposure scenarios represent very unlikely situations. Actual exposures based on realistic times spent in the tanks are likely to be less than 0.1 rem in a year.""" --Bernard Rostker Basically, you get far more uranium exposure sitting right where you are than you do form being in an area a DU shell or two, or three is. Heck, walk over and sit next to your smoke detector and you get *more* radiation than a DU round has. Further, Tungsten displays no sharpening capabilities on impact, making it *less* effective, not 'just as". In fact, Tungsten has more insoluble compounds when inhaled than does uranium. Thank you for playing "Name that FUD". I'm all for people having causes, just be smart about them. Cheers, Bill -- Bill Anderson RHCE #807302597505773 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- redhat-list mailing list unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list
