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Depleted Uranium

The element. BEST. WORST ?. Or. Depleted Uranium. What is it?. Bi-product of Uranium enrichment process Highly Radioactive Isotopes removed Separation of U 235 and U238 isotopes. Uses of Depleted Uranium. Military, arsenal shells, armored tanks Aircraft counterweights, Keels on yachts

samuel-hanson
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Depleted Uranium

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  1. The element BEST WORST ? • Or Depleted Uranium

  2. What is it? • Bi-product of Uranium enrichment process • Highly Radioactive Isotopes removed • Separation of U 235 and U238 isotopes

  3. Uses of Depleted Uranium • Military, arsenal shells, armored tanks • Aircraft counterweights, Keels on yachts • Radioactive Shielding ( X-rays ) • Drilling Machinery

  4. How DU is made DU is a product of the uranium enrichment process. It is produced through gaseous diffusion, where Uranium Hexaflouride is heated into a gaseous form and forced through a series of filters. Through this process, the uranium is separated into two steams having differing amounts of U-235 and U-238 isotopes. The stream having less concentration of U-235 is referred to as depleted UF6, which can then be processed into DU alloys.

  5. Physical Properties • Extremely dense • About 1.7 times denser than lead

  6. DU in military arsenal • Tip or core of projectile arsenal • Can penetrate armor as much as 25% deeper than standard shells • Upon impact, DU vaporizes and settles as dust, potentially hazardous

  7. Misconceptions • Is DU dangerous? • It depends who you ask • Radiation • 40% less radioactive than natural Uranium • Exterior contact with body • No apparent threat • Ingested into the body • Circumstantial evidence • Opposing view points

  8. Proposed Hazards • No proven evidence / topic of debate • Few published studies • Suggest no hazards inherent in DU • Classified • Reports of Birth Defects / Leukemia • Fragments • Inhalation • Vapour • Dust

  9. Conflicting Views • “A Serbian researcher said there is a public health disaster  in Kosovo waiting to happen. DU was first used there two  years ago. The people in the NATO-occupied territory have  been told nothing about the contamination of the water and  ground.” By Paddy Colligan; Brussels, Belgium • “The World Health Organization agrees that DU is not a great health risk. It’s 2003 facts sheet on the topic declares that ‘because DU is only weakly radioactive, very large amounts of dust (on the order of grams) would have to be inhaled for the additional risk of lung cancer to be detectable in an exposed group.” By Ronald Baily, writer for ‘Reason’ online magazine

  10. Soldiers climbing on a destroyed Iraqi tank. Projectiles with DU tips Fired DU tank round Soldier handling DU rounds

  11. Gaseous UF6 storage tank Depleted Uranium Storage Facilities

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