Re: Depleted Uranium: The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War
Fred
"Jei" <j...@horus.hut.fi> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.58.04...@horus.hut.fi...
> http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MOR407A.html
>
> Depleted Uranium: The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War
>
> by Leuren Moret
> Centre for Research on Globalisation
> Centre de recherche sur la mondialisation
>
> 8 July 2004
>
> Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.
> William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
>
> The use of depleted uranium weaponry by the United States, defying all
> international treaties, will slowly annihilate all species on earth
> including the human species, and yet this country continues to do so with
> full knowledge of its destructive potential.
>
> Since 1991, the United States has staged four wars using depleted uranium
> weaponry, illegal under all international treaties, conventions and
> agreements, as well as under the US military law. The continued use of
this
> illegal radioactive weaponry, which has already contaminated vast regions
> with low level radiation and will contaminate other parts of the world
over
If you're worried about radioactivity don't live over granite stone or the
radon will get you. Don't eat anything with potassium whatever you do.
FWIW potassium has an unstable isotope which we ingest and is probably the
largest source of radiation absorbed by the human body.
Depleted uranium is just that. Uranium 238 has a half life of 2.5 billion
years. How more stable do you need it to be?
I'd be far more worried about toxicity rather than it's radio-active
properties?
TB
> > Since 1991, the United States has staged four wars using depleted
uranium
> > weaponry, illegal under all international treaties, conventions and
> > agreements, as well as under the US military law. The continued use of
> this
> > illegal radioactive weaponry, which has already contaminated vast
regions
> > with low level radiation and will contaminate other parts of the world
> over
As you say, it's very low level stuff though and it is used for its density
not for its radioactivity. What is it's actual level> I guess you found out
before posting?
>
> If you're worried about radioactivity don't live over granite stone or the
> radon will get you. Don't eat anything with potassium whatever you do.
> FWIW potassium has an unstable isotope which we ingest and is probably the
> largest source of radiation absorbed by the human body.
No. It's minimal. The largest source of radiation is medical. Followed by
natuaral background radiation which has been elevated slightly by Chernobyl
and previously by nuclear weapons tests in the fifties. Radon will not get
you if your dwelling is properly ventilated as they usually are now.
Living in Cornwall will give you approximately 8 milliSieverts a year,
compared with about 2 mSv per year in London or East Anglia. Choose where
you live!
TonyB
M. J. Powell
<Fr...@n0spam.c0m> writes
Would you?
Mike
--
M.J.Powell
Fred
"TB" <Nor...@soxclara.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ccutlp$mfn$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
Don't agree with all you have said. The figures quoted by agencies tend to
vary but the link here shows that exposure from medical sources isn't far
different from that of food and drink which is mainly down to the potassium
isotope I mentioned.
Ingestion from radon in this and other articles shows this is significant
source of exposure. IIRC radon emits an alpha particle and is far more
damaging when this is inside the lungs.
Figures naturally are different for different areas and different countries
so any figures should only be used as a guide.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/103196/radiation1
Fred
"M. J. Powell" <mi...@DeLeTe.pickmere.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:Y96RElm9...@pickmere.demon.co.uk...
Yes. In these litigant days, if this wasn't the case do you think it would
be OK for soldiers to sleep along side these armour piercing shells? DU is
used because its 1.7 times the mass of lead. The shells are fine until they
hit their target but then they create uranium dust. It's this dust which is
causing all this fuss. There seems no consensus on how toxic this is. It
is generally agreed that it is at least as toxic as lead but some go further
and suggest it is a carcinogen and causes birth defects.
Kevin
"Fred" <Fr...@n0spam.c0m> wrote in message
news:40f2ea3a$0$7805$db0f...@news.zen.co.uk...
Have a little read of the following:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/95178_du12.shtml
>
Fred
"Kevin" <vort...@gmx.net> wrote in message
news:cd077p$s4f$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
I too read these sort of articles. The most informed articles suggest the
number of birth defects cannot be attributed entirely to the bodily
absorption of raduio-active particles. There seems another process involved
which has not been characterised. Until I know better I would put these
defects down as a toxic reaction.
This is not the first time genetic or cancerous abnormalities have been
initially attributed to radiation effects then discovered to be a toxic or
environmental response. Look at the clusters of leukemia in this country.
Just because there were hot spots around nuclear processing plants etc, it
was assumed there was a direct cause.
Plutonium is probably the most poisonous metal, probably exceeding
beryllium. Yet most go on about it's radioactive properties.
BTW this doesn't mean I condone the use of depleted uranium!
R. Mark Clayton
"Fred" <Fr...@n0spam.c0m> wrote in message news:40f3280e$0$7792
> Yes. In these litigant days, if this wasn't the case do you think it
would
> be OK for soldiers to sleep along side these armour piercing shells? DU
is
> used because its 1.7 times the mass of lead. The shells are fine until
they
> hit their target but then they create uranium dust. It's this dust which
is
> causing all this fuss. There seems no consensus on how toxic this is. It
> is generally agreed that it is at least as toxic as lead but some go
further
> and suggest it is a carcinogen and causes birth defects.
>
>
Uranium is a toxic heavy metal like lead (only more so), OK to sleep by, but
you want to avoid ingesting it, particularly finely divided or in any
soluble form.
Its main use is military projectiles, although its high density gives it
other uses - e.g. racing yacht keel ballast. It is quite hard, but brittle,
and can be used to pierce armour like tungsten.
Natural uranium is quite radioactive and it (or its daughter nuclei) emits
alpha, beta and gamma radiation and neutrons, but depleted uranium has had
the energetic nuclei removed for nuclear power or weapons, so the level of
activity is [very] low.
The impact energy with solid objects can cause fragmentation and oxidation
(burning). OTOH ricochets are less likely.
Fred
"R. Mark Clayton" <nospam...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cd1i9o$ckh$1...@sparta.btinternet.com...
Unfortunately the process of extracting the useful U235 isn't complete so DU
does have a somewhat higher level of radioactivity than pure U238.
Nevertheless it is still relatively low.