Depleted Uranium Ordnance

["James G. Barnes" <mail15077@pop.net>]

Good Afternoon,

I was talking to a USMC officer who had served in the Gulf War, and when I 
told him that I was a health physicist, he brought up the issue of DU 
munitions.

One point that he mentioned that I hadn't really considered is that these 
munitions are quite pyrotechnic (if that's the right word), and they 
basically incinerate just about anything they hit.  So the DU has gone 
through a catastrophic impact, followed immediately by a high temperature 
burn, has basically vaporized, then has plated, deposited over an area near 
the target.

It leads me to suspect that they definitely create a significant 
contamination event, and I suspect the chemical form of the DU might be 
much different than that found in a uranium mine.  So I'm not sure that 
comparison of Gulf War Vets to Uranium Miners is really an apples to apples 
situation.

Also, am I correct in believing that the chemotoxicity of Uranium is 
similar to other heavy metals, i.e. there is a potential effect on the n  
ervous system similar to that encountered in lead ingestion?


Jim Barnes, CHP
Radiation Safety Officer
Rocketdyne / Boeing

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