Depleted Uranium The element Or

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 Radioactive Shielding ( X-rays ) Drilling Machinery

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.

Physical Properties Extremely dense –About 1.7 times denser than lead

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

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

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

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

Fired DU tank roundSoldier handling DU rounds Soldiers climbing on a destroyed Iraqi tank. Projectiles with DU tips

Depleted Uranium Storage Facilities Gaseous UF6 storage tank