Re: more on DU

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 12/18/02 8:25:32 AM Mountain Standard Time, motnivas@YAHOO.COM writes:


> Has anyone considered people who eat fruiys and
>
> vegetables grown in DU enriched soils?



As has been pointed out in this column, DU in weapons detritus is uranium oxide -- if the DU weapon has burned, the uranium will all have been oxidized -- and is not very soluble at usual soil pH.  The national U. S. average food transfer factor (Ci taken up/Ci deposited) is about 2E-4 for any particular area of crops.  Moreover, ingestion dose is a societal dose, in that the target population would be different from the target population for inhalation, groundshine, etc.  The soldiers who fought in Desert Storm would probably not have eaten whatever crops might have been grown in the area after Desert Storm ended.  


Ruth



Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com