[ RadSafe ] Whoa

[Dale Boyce]

Whoa.  Tungsten is typically less dense than DU.  It is a very useful 
element for day to day use (light bulbs, etc.).

Folks, a heavy metal is a heavy metal, though not created equal.  The 
radioactivity is THE RED HERRING.  Chemical toxicity is usually the limiting 
factor.

Tungsten is very difficult to use in a mass manufacturing process if maximum 
denisty is a concern.  Machinable tungsten is usually sintered or at least 
alloyed to far below the theoretical density.

Tungsten "bullets" are  not a good solution to anything that has a health 
impact.

A Plea:  The original charter of the RADSAFE email list was to answer 
question about the SCIENCE of questions posted to the list.  It has been 
hijacked into a nearly useless political forum.

As a consequence, many of the names I recognize as authorities on science 
based health physics have left, or at least rarely join in.

To paraphrase Melissa who gave up two generations ago as administrator of 
the list, "Sigh".

Dale



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Aitken" <jdaitken at sugar-land.oilfield.slb.com>
To: "Robert J. Gunter" <rjgunter at chpconsultants.com>; "'radsafelist'" 
<radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 7:01 PM
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Doyle and Ryan Gulf war reproductive health paper


> At 07:58 PM 2/8/2007, Robert J. Gunter wrote:
>>"The fact that the DoE is trying so hard to come up with tungsten
>>replacements, and issuing press releases about it, should be proof enough
>>that there is a reason to do so."
>>
>>James, we can agree on this.  There is a "reason".  Sometimes things are
>>done simply for PR (public relations).  This should not be a surprise to
>>anyone living in the US of A.
>
> Well: To this layman, there is a little more than public relations in 
> this.......
>
> And as for James Salsman's "Proof" (hoping that this neat red herring will 
> strengthen the case against DU armaments) is a nice example of twisting 
> logic.......
>
> The reason for not using Tungsten, until now, has been that it mushrooms 
> on contact with armour. DU, in spite of being slightly lighter, has the 
> wonderful characteristic of "self-sharpening" as it penetrates the armour, 
> due to its ability to shear locally.
>
> The latest efforts are to mix Tungsten with other materials that will 
> change the overall crystalline structure to promote localized shear and 
> therefore sharpening, rather than mushrooming on contact with the target.
>
> Doug Aitken                     Office Phone 281 285-7966
> QHSE Advisor                    Home Phone 713 797-0919
> D&M Operations Support  Cell Phone    713 562-8585
> Schlumberger Technology Corporation
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