Depleted Uranium

[fgalkin]

Is it used in this war?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Montcalm]

Propably

[phongn]

Almost certainly, though knowing Iraqi armor they probably could use tungsten rounds (though I'm not sure if any W-based GAU-8 rounds exist, I do know that W-rod APFSDS rounds do).

[fgalkin]

Isn't it harmful to the soldiers?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Beowulf]

Isn't it harmful to the soldiers?

It's poisonous, but then, so is lead, or in fact any heavy metal. If you get shot by it, you have other things to worry about than it being poisonous.

[fgalkin]

Isn't it harmful to the soldiers?

It's poisonous, but then, so is lead, or in fact any heavy metal. If you get shot by it, you have other things to worry about than it being poisonous.

Iheard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Beowulf]

Isn't it harmful to the soldiers?

It's poisonous, but then, so is lead, or in fact any heavy metal. If you get shot by it, you have other things to worry about than it being poisonous.

Iheard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

Toxic, well, yes. It's just as toxic as lead or any other heavy metal. Plutonium is very toxic, but that's something else entirely. It's slightly radioactive, but not enough to be a bother to anything at all. If you get hit by a DU round, you have other things to worry about than the toxicity or radioactivity of the round.

[Pu-239]

Has to be ingested or inhaled or embedded in you to cause health problems. Though in the case of friendly fire (happens a lot) that would be a problem, assumming there are survivors.

[Montcalm]

Isn't it harmful to the soldiers?

It's poisonous, but then, so is lead, or in fact any heavy metal. If you get shot by it, you have other things to worry about than it being poisonous.

Iheard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Some veterants from 1991 said they got sick from it,but the government say its not true,so who`s right and who`s wrong

[Colonel Olrik]

I heard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

It is not radioactive. It's an heavy metal, so it's dangerous if you ingest it, or if you absorve it by other means. However, besides direct ingestion, you'll need to be exposed to large quantities of material in order to be affected. That's unlikely to happen in most situations, as the soldiers don't tend to hang out in the middle of the debries they blasted. In some situations, however, it's bound to happen.

[Pu-239]

I heard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

It is not radioactive. It's an heavy metal, so it's dangerous if you ingest it, or if you absorve it by other means. However, besides direct ingestion, you'll need to be exposed to large quantities of material in order to be affected. That's unlikely to happen in most situations, as the soldiers don't tend to hang out in the middle of the debries they blasted. In some situations, however, it's bound to happen.

It is radioactive. It produces alpha particles, though these are blocked by skin.

Still, not really a problem for our guys. However if civilians go poking around tank hulks that could be a problem, since DU burns and leaves particles of UO2 (I think).

Oh and they are thinking about making UO2 semiconductors. Wouldn't that screw up electronics? Catalysts and other stuff too.

http://web.ead.anl.gov/uranium/uses/index.cfm

[Darth Wong]

I heard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby. Is that true?

It is not radioactive. It's an heavy metal, so it's dangerous if you ingest it, or if you absorve it by other means.

It's not HIGHLY radioactive, but it does emit low-level particle radiation, hence it is a radiation hazard if ingested. Burning uranium (such as you would find from pyrophorism when a DU shell hits something) turns into uranium oxide powder in the air, which could be easily breathed in. Theoretically, DU shells could be quite dangerous as an environmental hazard, but it's a matter of concentration; it seems unlikely that such large amounts are being released that it's a significant hazard in comparison to the toxins released by burning oil wells and buildings.

[Beowulf]

I heard it was toxic and radioactive, and that one can be contaminated merely by being nearby.
Is that true?

It is not radioactive.

I beg to differ. It is radioactive. It does however have a half-life of 4.5 BILLION years. IOW not radioactive enough to matter, considering that C-14 has a much shorter half-life, and most people are regularly exposed to C-14.

[Colonel Olrik]

Hey, I learned the first time. Stop that already

I know it's not everyday you find me lacking at physics, but still.. enough is enough!


*Grumbles and decides on taking a job where he actually practices mechanical engineering, instead of programs and simulations*

[fgalkin]

Here's my concerns:

1) How will it affect our troops who regularly handle the DU shells?

2) How will it affect the Iraqi civilians?

P.S. I've found some stats on DU, but I'm not sure if the source can be trusted.

DU is also considered at least a contributing cause to the 130,000 reported cases of "Gulf War Syndrome." The chronic symptoms of this ailment range from sharp increases in cancers to memory loss, chronic pain, fatigue and birth defects in veterans' children

From http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/metal_leftbooks.htm

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Beowulf]

Hey, I learned the first time. Stop that already

Not my fault everyone posts so fast...

[Pu-239]

Here's my concerns:

1) How will it affect our troops who regularly handle the DU shells?

2) How will it affect the Iraqi civilians?

P.S. I've found some stats on DU, but I'm not sure if the source can be trusted.

DU is also considered at least a contributing cause to the 130,000 reported cases of "Gulf War Syndrome." The chronic symptoms of this ailment range from sharp increases in cancers to memory loss, chronic pain, fatigue and birth defects in veterans' children

From http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/metal_leftbooks.htm

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

I thought it was due to chemical weapons being blown up? How are DU particles supposed to float in the air that long?

[Darth Wong]

Here's my concerns:

1) How will it affect our troops who regularly handle the DU shells?

DU is fairly harmless as cold metal. It becomes more dangerous when it burns.

2) How will it affect the Iraqi civilians?

I doubt we'll see a lot of tank battles in cities, so there probably won't be a lot of civilian contamination.

P.S. I've found some stats on DU, but I'm not sure if the source can be trusted.

That source you cited is less credible than a WHMIS datasheet:

Emergency overview:

Special Hazard Precautions:
In some states of this material, it can be extremely flammable,
may be pyrophoric. It is radioactive.

Acute:
Kidney damage, arterial lesions and possible liver effects.
May irritate eyes and skin. Toxic if inhaled. Irritating to
lungs. May cause kidney damage. arterial lesions, and liver
effects.

Chronic:
Dermatitis. Possible carcinogen of lymphatic and blood-forming tissue.


Signal Word

Harmful!

Physical Health Hazards:
Harmful by inhalation, in contact with the skin and if swallowed.

Personal protection:
Wear approved protective clothing when working with this material
in order to avoid any contact with material at all. Long sleeves
and/or lab coat are recommended to protect against skin contact.
Approved chemical goggles are recommended to protect against eye
contact. Respiratory Protection: NIOSH/MSHA Approved high
efficiency particle respirator. Use rubber gloves for hand
protection.

Physical state:
Solid chunks or fines associated with the chunks

Color: Dark brown to black chips, with some associated "fines"

Odor: None

Odor threshold: No data available


Potential Health Effects:

Routes of exposure
Inhalation of the fine powder, skin, eye

Signs and Symptoms of Acute Exposure:

Ingestion:
May cause kidney damage and acute necrotic arterial lesions.
May also effect liver function.

Skin: May cause irritation

Eye: May cause irritation

Inhalation: Considered toxic by inhalation due to lung
irritation from inhaled fine particles from the
"dust" that is always present. May also cause
kidney damage and acute necrotic arterial lesions.
Liver effects might be present as well.


Chronic Health Effects Summary:

Skin: May cause dermatological problems.


Conditions Aggravated by Exposure:

None known.

Signs and Symptoms of Overexposure:

Precise health hazards are not known. But chronic radiation
effects are similar to those of ionizing radiation. It is
reported that carcinogenicity is related to dose and exposure
time. Uranium may cause cancer of lymphatic and blood-forming
tissues.

[fgalkin]

The US used depleted Uranium in aerial bombings during the Kosovo campaign. If it's true about this war, doesn't it mean that Baghdad and the other cities bombed by the coalition will be contaminated?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Beowulf]

The US used depleted Uranium in aerial bombings during the Kosovo campaign. If it's true about this war, doesn't it mean that Baghdad and the other cities bombed by the coalition will be contaminated?

Where the hell did you get that? DU is only used in tank busting ammo. IE, 120mm tank gun ammo and the 30mm A-10 ammo.

[phongn]

The US used depleted Uranium in aerial bombings during the Kosovo campaign. If it's true about this war, doesn't it mean that Baghdad and the other cities bombed by the coalition will be contaminated?

If by bombing you mean strafing attacks by A-10s? The US doesn't use DU for anything except AP rounds in tanks and on the GAU-8.

There could be some contamination though.