[ RadSafe ] [DU-WATCH] Re:U-238 spontaneous fission= birth defects, cancers

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

The "59.5 neutrons/g/hr" rate (I neither confirm nor dispute its
validity) translates into about half a neutron/year/micro-gram; a
micro-gram being a much more likely unit for inhalation (It you've
inhaled a full gram of metallic uranium, you should live so long as to
have spontaneous fission be your biggest health concern.) 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Roger Helbig
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:04 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] [DU-WATCH] Re:U-238 spontaneous fission= birth
defects,cancers

Elaine Hunter and Cathy Garger's latest speculation - now, they are
concerned that spontaneous fission is the cause of the birth defects - I
appreciated being advised by a sharp eyed RASAFer that the British
Medical Journal published one of the so-called DU victims with an
unknown skin disease and received a number of electronic replies telling
that it was not unkown and naming it.

Roger Helbig


--- On *Tue, 6/17/08, Cathy Garger <savorsuccesslady3 at yahoo.com>* wrote:

Dear Elaine,

This is superb - thank you! I would like to encourage you to consider
publishing this in article form!

Cathy Garger
www.mytown.ca/garger

From: Elaine Hunter <dutnkyoh at yahoo.com>
Subject: [DU-WATCH] U-238 spontaneous fission= birth defects, cancers
To: du-watch at yahoogroups.com, "du-list" <du-list at yahoogroups.com>

Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 6:50 AM

Look for the spontaneous fission products of U-238 to find an important
cause of increased rates of birth defects in Iraq [and other places] and
the cause of, for example the virulent, aggressive and deadly cancers of
deceased veteran Dustin Brim and others.
  Whoever claims that there are no fission products associated with the
use of concentrated "depleted" uranium has just plain not done their
homework.
I've read such claims.  They are WRONG.
  The case for fission products when DU munitions are used, especially
aerosolized, is exactly the same as the case for neuton emissions [and
really I'd hoped someone else would notice and write an email about it].
We must get beyond alpha and consider the whole radioactive/toxic
alphabet soup when DU munitions are used if we are to fully profile this
insidious, surreptitious serial killer.
  Here it is again:
  THE CASE FOR FISSION PRODUCTS FROM CONCENTRATED "DEPLETED" URANIUM
[you don't have to be a nuclear physicist, just have some reading
comprehension]

1.  Rate of Spontaneous Fission Neutrons From Uranium is 59.5
neutrons/g/hr [According to one reference [
iop.org/EJ/abstract/0370-1298/65/3/307 from Proc.
Phys. Soc., D.J. Littler, 1952: "A Determination of the Rate of Emission
of Spontaneous Fission Neutrons in Natural Uranium"] the rate of
emission of spontaneous fission neutrons from natural uranium is
computed to be 59.5 neutrons/g/hr of uranium.]

2.  Uranium-238 Undergoes Spontaneous Fission at a Rate 35X That of
Uranium-235 [According to another reference:
[www.mcgoodwin.net/pages/otherbooks/rr_darksun.html
], Uranium-238 undergoes
spontaneous fission at a rate 35 times that of Uranium-235.]
  ><>
   Though U-238 is not fissile, which means it does not sustain chain
reactions, it is indeed fissionable, spontaneously fissionable.

Now, if natural uranium [U238 + U235, +U234] undergoes spontaneous
fission at a certain rate, and U238 undergoes spontaneous fission at a
higher rate than U235 here's what happens:
  Concentrated  "depleted" uranium has had most of the U235 and U234
removed from the mix; gaseous diffusion sends the lighter isotopes and
heavier ones to two different streams in the process. [The Revenooers
don't mind this kind of still, they get their piece of the pie and if
they ain't no moonshine still within a couple of miles of home... but I
digress].  Anyway, the result is that the spontaneous fission rate of
what we call DU will not be less than natural uranium.  A tiny bit more,
in fact, but I'll spare you the math on that.
  Also, I'll spare you the math on how many tons of the stuff was
used--still under debate-- and go with the imprecise "a whoppin' lot."
So there's MUST be fission products.  On Wikipedia one can find listing
of fission products for U-235.  Those from U-238 are probably similar.
Some have long half-lives, some short.  ALL are radioactive.  Don't fool
yourselves, given the opportunity the ones with short half-lives will do
the most damage to health because of rapid rates of radiative decay.
  Here's an unknown consideration at least for me.  When a vehicle is
incinerated there is an intense thermodynamic event.  I do wonder if the
extremely high temperatures increase the rates of  fission product
emissions.
  In addition, the neutrons released will transmute some of the
materials involved into radioactive isotopes.
  Really the scenario is extremely complex.  Mind boggling.
  Elaine Hunter