Facts and Fictions
There are a number of fictions about DU. UMRC would like to respond to a few.
Fiction: Uranium is ubiquitous in nature and therefore is no cause for concern.
Fiction: DU is not harmful; it is depleted in U235.
Fiction: Alpha particles can't penetrate clothes and skin.
Fiction: Governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) have tested for DU.
Fiction: Uranium usage levels is too low to be a concern or merit investigation.
Fiction: There are no serious effects from low-level exposure to Uranium.
Fiction: DU weapons dust soon dissipates and does not travel far from the explosion site.
Fiction: Uranium is ubiquitous in nature and we are exposed daily. There is no cause for concern.
Fact: Uranium is present in nature in trace amounts, about 3 parts per million (ppm) by weight. It takes about 5 tonnes of dry soil or rock to produce 1 teaspoon of what is called ?natural uranium?. It is ?natural? in that is has the isotopic proportions that exist in nature. However, what is ?unnatural? is when uranium is presented in concentrated quantities. In these concentrations of radioactivity its effect on human health and the environment become dangerous.
When uranium is exposed to the natural chemical action of the environment it can become solublized and can then migrate into the water supply. Uncontained uranium waste is a problem when left in the open as it oxidizes. This is the case all over the world in nuclear waste repositories.
Uranium is most dangerous when it burns and is aerosolized as happens when it is used in weapons.
Fiction: DU is ?depleted? in the amount of U235 and is therefore less radioactive than the uranium in our natural environment.
Fact: The term ?depleted uranium" is a misnomer. DU is ?depleted? only in the isotopes U234 and U235 which constitute less that 1% of the total uranium. The fact is that both ?depleted? uranium and ?natural? Uranium are over 99% composed of uranium-238. Depleted uranium is almost as highly concentrated as pure uranium and may contain plutonium in trace amounts.
Fiction: Alpha particles can't penetrate clothes and skin.
Fact: This statement ignores the most prevalent and dangerous pathway for uranium to get into the human body.
Inhaled uranium can remain in the lungs and bones for years where it continues to emit alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Each alpha particle can traverse up to several hundred cells causing somatic and genetic alterations. Multiply this by billions of such particles and a huge amount of cellular damage becomes possible. The majority (50-70%) of the airborne DU particles sampled during the testing of 105 mm DU projectiles were in the respirable range and capable of reaching the non-ciliated bronchial tree. Studies also indicate that the half-time in the lungs is up to 5 years.
Soluble DU compounds have rapid access to the bloodstream with consequent toxic effects on the target organs and the bone where it is incorporated. Mass spectrometry results of deceased Canadian veteran, Captain Terry Riordon, confirmed that depleted uranium was present in his bone. From there it can compromise the immune system and affect the stem cells that travel throughout the body thereby affecting many other organs. Soldiers inside a tank or armoured vehicle can inhale tens of milligrams of DU after the shell goes through the tank. Compare this to the maximum allowable yearly dose in the U.S. for inhaled uranium is 1.2 milligrams per year.
Fiction: Governments in Canada, the US, the UK, and the World Health Organisation have carried out DU testing on individuals exposed to inhalational DU.
Fact: Although tests have been conducted, they did not employ the proper methodology and equipment to quantify inhalational exposure to DU. They tested individuals for total uranium.
DU is always mixed with a natural uranium background so you have to measure the DU in the presence of natural uranium. That requires an isotopic analysis of U235, U238 at least and preferably also of U236 which does not exist in natural uranium. The U238/U235 ratio of 137.9 indicates natural uranium; ratios above 140 provide unequivocal evidence of the presence of depleted uranium. It is essential to determine whether the uranium is depleted, enriched, or natural uranium in order to determine how long it has been in the body. If DU or enriched uranium is found in the body, we can postulate that it has been internally irradiating the victims since their exposure.
The total uranium measurement by itself is not important, most people have uranium which they take in and eliminate on a daily basis though water or food. The US DU testing program tested shrapnel victims; they have not tested for inhalational exposures.
The WHO study did not test human samples. The Canadian and Belgian studies used equipment that could not measure U235.
Fiction: Uranium usage and levels are too low to be a concern or merit investigation.
Fact: It is estimated that 300 - 800 metric tons of DU were deposited in the battlefield in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991. Dr. Doug Rokke (DU expert and former US army physicist) estimated that 120 to 480 million grams of DU would be aerosolized if 40% of the DU were burnt up.
Compare these numbers to the allowable limits for radiation releases in the US. The National Lead Industry Plant in Colonie, NY was closed down for violating a New York state court order which limited the amount of radiation released to 387 gram of DU metal per month. The plant closed down in February of 1980 for exceeding this limit and closed permanently in 1983. The area has been decontaminated. The engineering report states that the soil from 53 of the 56 nearby properties was beyond the radiation limits and had to be removed to a low-level radiation storage site. The cost was over 100 million USD. The cleanup cost was 1000 USD per cubic meter.
DU in the US must be processed in a facility that is licensed to handle radioactive material. The military has rules to handle radioactive emissions when they store or handle radioactive rounds. However, there are no controls whatsoever and no rules for cleaning up after a cannon round is fired and the danger is far greater when the Uranium becomes aerosolized.
More than 100,000 DU shells were fired during the Gulf War. More than 30,000 rounds were fired by NATO forces during the 1999 Kosovo conflict, most of them by US tank-busting A10 ground support crafts. Around 10,000 rounds were fired in operations around Sarajevo, in the latter stages of allied operations in Bosnia.
Fiction: There are no serious effects from low-level exposure to Uranium
Fact: The effects of internal contamination with Uranium have been well documented. For a review of 200 years of scientific literature on the medical effects of internal contamination with Uranium see Dr. Durakovic's review paper "Medical Effects of Internal Contamination with Uranium" CMJ 1999, Vol 40, No 1.
Serious long-term effects include: Compromised immune system, metabolic, respiratory and renal diseases, tumours, leukemia, and cancer.
A 1998 study conducted by Dr. Livengood showed that DU contamination transforms normal bone cells into tumorous ones.
Fiction: DU weapons dust soon dissipates and does not travel far from the explosion site
Fact: The smaller the particles of DU, the greater the danger. Particles less than 5 microns can be inhaled and deposited in the lungs where they can remain for years. A study found DU particles 42 km away from the source. However, there is reason to suspect that DU particles can travel many times that distance (see L. Dietz: "Contamination of Persian Gulf War Veterans and others by Depleted Uranium").
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I still cannot see how some of you can claim that DU is perfectly safe. Looks like wishful thinking to me.
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