DU - request for scientific (!) information

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@chello.at>]

After having read in a copied mail, that the ICRP is the most criminal
organisation ever, causing the death of hundreds of millions and trillions
(what is that????) people of the future generations we probably should not
worry about the effects of depleted uranium, because the earth will be empty
from human beings within a few years due to the ICRP's "criminal" actions.
But we have a saying in German, which reads "Live every day as if you had
hundred years ahead". Therefore I care to ask for some scientific
information.

I am a radiochemist and I have dealt for decades with all kind of
radionuclides, but all of them more or less soluble or in solution and I
have determined their concentration, not their chemical behaviour. I believe
to remember from the times long long ago, that metallic uranium is easily
oxidized and the resulting oxides are not readily soluble. Especially when
uranium is dispersed because of the impact on an armoured vehicle I would
have expected that the transfer of kinetic energy into heat would oxidize
uranium so efficiently that the "dust" would become totally insoluble. Of
course I am aware that the lung fluids are one of the most agressive ones
and that a large surface from finely dispersed uranium oxide would
relatively facilitate the dissolution. On the other hand uranium oxides are
extremely heavy and the question still is, what the size and weight
distribution of the particles could be and whether they can be easily
resuspended, once they are on the ground. It seems unlikely to me. As well I
know that sintered uranium oxide (and carbide) pellets have been used
extensively as nuclear fuel and I always have regarded this as an additional
safety feature to have the uranium in an extremely inert form.

This request is more or less out of curiosity - btw I am fed up with the
articles on DU and its danger in the news media, but the hystery is clearly
declining. Maybe because a cow born in Austria and having been exported to
Germany is suspected to be infected by BSE?!!!

Maybe Andrew McEwan knows more about the topic of my request - for plutonium
he has done a very good job!

Franz






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