What is Depleted Uranium?
Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the industrial processes that produce enriched uranium, which is used in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Natural uranium consists of three isotopes or forms of the uranium atom: uranium 234 (U-234), uranium 235 (U-235), and uranium 238 (U-238). More than 99 percent by mass of natural uranium consists of U-238, and only 0.7 percent is U-235. However, U-235 is the isotope that is fissile, which means that atoms can split into fragments (fission), releasing a great deal of energy. This energy is the source of power in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Most reactors require uranium in which the concentration of U-235 is higher than in natural uranium, about 3 percent by mass, while nuclear weapons and some reactors require uranium with more than 90 percent U-235. Uranium that contains a higher concentration of U-235 than is found in natural uranium is termed “enriched,” and uranium with a lower concentration of U-235 is termed “depleted.
Depleted uranium, or DU, is the substance left behind after the enriched fraction of uranium 235 has been removed from natural uranium. When the potential of uranium for power generation and weapons was first realized, depleted uranium was treated as a byproduct of the manufacturing process. However, researchers discovered that since depleted uranium was very dense, it was ideally suited to use in armor and tank penetrating weapons. It also had potential applications as a form of ballast. As a result, depleted uranium began to be actively used, mostly by militaries. Uranium is a naturally occurring silvery white element with radioactive properties. It has numerous isotopes, including uranium 235 and uranium 238, the isotope which forms the largest fraction of depleted uranium. It is not as radioactive as plutonium, a related element, but it can be enriched by extracting uranium 235 and used for nuclear weapons and power plants. Enriched uranium is strong enough to use in large scale we
A. Depleted uranium is what is left over when most of the highly radioactive types (isotopes) of uranium are removed for use as nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons. The depleted uranium used in armor-piercing munitions and in enhanced armor protection for some Abrams tanks is also used in civilian industry, primarily for radiation shielding and aircraft balance control.
Natural uranium ore from the mine goes through an enrichment process designed to separate uranium 235 (U-235), the isotope used for nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors, from uranium 238 (U-238), a low-level radioactive by-product. The highly radioactive isotope U-235 accounts for less than 1% of mined uranium; nearly all the rest is U-238. The vast quantity of highly toxic metal (U-238) generated by this process is called “depleted uranium” or “DU.” DU emits primarily alpha radiation, and its half-life is thought to be about the age of the Earth, or 4.5 billion years. DU is approximately 2.5 times denser than iron and 1.7 times denser than lead. This high specific gravity means that, as a projectile fired from a tank or aircraft, it carries enough kinetic energy to blast through the tough armor of a tank. Furthermore, the impact of this penetration generates extreme heat. DU is pyrophoric, meaning that it burns on impact and can set the target on fire. DU is easy to process and endles
READ METAL OF DISHONOR TO SEE WHAT IS BEHIND THE HEADLINES January 9, 2001– The breaking news in Europe of troops from Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal who served in the Balkans dying of leukemia has reawakened interest in the dangers posed by depleted-uranium weapons. In April 1999, the International Action Center published the second edition of a book of essays and lectures on depleted uranium. Its title is Metal of Dishonor: Depleted Uranium. The first edition had been published in 1997. The Peoples Video Network, in collaboration with the IAC, produced a 50-minute-long video with the same title, Metal of Dishonor, that was favorably reviewed at film festivals in Italy. Both the book and the video can be ordered online at: http://www.leftbooks.com/online-store/scstore/c-Depleted_Uranium.html In addition to exposing the deadly duplicity of the Department of Defense, the book documents the genocide of Native Americans and Iraqis by military radiation, the connection between deplete
