[ RadSafe ] statements by Lockheed Martin Corporation's employee Don Mercado

[Paul Lavely]

>Don Mercado, who works for Lockheed Martin Corporation, which
>sells weapons systems that use PGU-14/B armor piercing incendiary
>30mm ordnance, proves that he is willing to suggest that uranium
>is not pyrophoric, and therefore that he is unfamiliar with the
>weapons that his employer manufactures.  He writes:


James,

So what? Do you a real point that you are trying to make here? What 
is it you are addressing? - Certainly it is not the text of Don's 
message. Don was stating a fact. Your clear ad hominem attack on Don 
because he does not comment on the range of DU related products his 
employer makes is simply diverting from the fact that he stated. His 
U powder has an MSDS that states X and his U powder does not burst 
into flames when exposed to air. 

I think that the "PGU-14/B armor piercing incendiary 30mm" round was 
made by Alliant Techsystems, Inc. Lockheed makes the gun that fires 
it. It is a LONG stretch to go from working for a BIG company that 
makes a gun to having knowledge of the bullets it fires and their 
composition.

Lockheed Martin Corporation has about 130,000 employees and engages 
in research, design, development, manufacture, integration, 
operation, and support of technology systems, products, and services 
in the United States and internationally. It operates in five 
segments: Aeronautics, Electronic Systems, Space Systems, Integrated 
Systems and Solutions (IS&S), and Information and Technology Services 
(I&TS) . . . .

Do you expect Don to know details of what all parts of LM are doing? 
Even if Don were working on the "PGU-14/B armor piercing incendiary 
30mm ordnance, " his comment related to an MSDS and experience.

By the way, the University of California operates two major DOE 
weapons facilities. I work for the UC system. I have no idea what 
these DOE labs know about or are doing with U, DU, H-3, etc. I 
believe that this is true for almost all of us who do not work at one 
of these labs and have a need to know. Therefore, I guess that I am 
just as unfamiliar as Don about my company's weapons systems. In 
fact, they seem to have intended to not share some of this 
information with me (or others).

Don's posting of 4/12 or thereabouts makes NO statement as to 
pyrophoric uranium, it is simply in the title " [ RadSafe ] Bob 
Cherry on pyrophoric uranium munitions."

Try and stay on topic and address the statement made rather than 
lowering yourself to slander per se commentary about  professionals.

By the way, why is it that the powered U product I have on my desk 
now is not bursting into flames? Could it be that it is not pure U? 
Could it be that it is nor fine enough? We all  know that if you 
reduce any metal to fine enough particles that it will burn. The only 
question seems to be about self ignition.

Paul Lavely, JD 



>>... since my U powder and DU doesn't burst into flames, I'd
>>trust  the MSDS first.
>
>The U.S. Department of Energy's technical standard handbook,
>"Primer on Spontaneous Heating and Pyrophoricity," states:
>
>"Uranium in finely divided form is readily ignitable, and uranium 
>scrap from machining operations is subject to spontaneous 
>ignition.... Grinding dust has been known to ignite even under 
>water, and fires have occurred spontaneously in drums of coarser 
>scrap after prolonged exposure to moist air.... The pyrophoric 
>characteristics of uranium are similar to those of plutonium except 
>that uranium forms do not ignite as easily as those of plutonium. 
>Both form pyrophoric oxides and hydrides."
>
>-- http://www.eh.doe.gov/techstds/standard/hdbk1081/hbk1081e.html
>
>Please see also:  http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/pgu-14.htm
>
>Does Mr. Mercado's unfamiliarity with his own company's weapons
>systems, along with his eagerness to suggest that uranium is not
>pyrophoric, even though that property has been established for
>more than a century, mean that he is also unqualified to be a
>health professional working with uranium hazards?
>
>Does it prove that Lockheed Martin Corporation employs health
>professional personnel who are willing to deceive others about
>Lockheed Martin Corporation's weapons systems in order to downplay
>their health risk?  I see no reason why that fact is not entirely
>proven by example.  I have other emails from Mr. Mercado, dated on
>or about 12 April 2005, claiming directly that uranium is not
>pyrophoric, and his response to my reply proving that it is.
>
>What have the standards of professionalism in the U.S. come to?
>
>Sincerely,
>James Salsman
>
>
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-- 


****
Paul Lavely
Radiation Safety Officer
Environment, Health & Safety
UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1150
Tel: (510) 643-7976
Fax: (510) 643-9495