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Re: Thanks Obama

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On 4/21/2016 11:34 AM, Peter Flass wrote:
> 3899jk <3899jk@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Peter Flass" <peter_flass@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1367209542.482440737.837290.peter_flass-yahoo.com@news.eternal-september.org...
>>> <mausg@mail.com> wrote:
>>>> On 2016-04-14, Alan Bowler <atbowler@thinkage.ca> wrote:
>>>>> On 2016-01-20 5:40 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Maybe the F-35 is an upgrade of the A-10, which fired slugs made of
>>>>>> depleted uranium.  It's the mass that counts...
>>>>>
>>>>> It is not just the high mass of the U-238 slugs,
>>>>> they ignite and burn when they hist things like tanks.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> AFAIK, it is forbidden to fire depleted uranium in the US.
>>>> Special ranges are used.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Uranium metal is poisonous (AFAIK).
>>
>> No more than lead.
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium#Human_exposure
>>
>>> I'm not sure how much radioactivity it has.
>>
>> Its only weakly radioactive
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium

If by "weakly" you mean, 60% the level of natural uranium.

> I thought there were some complaints the our use of depleted Uranium shells
> had littered Iraq with hazardous substances.  Of course, some people will
> complain about anything.
>
The Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq are the principal places where 
DU munitions (and armor, which is another application) have been 
extensively used.

Since it burns, that disseminates (with a very small particle size) it 
pretty well. How damaging it is depends on whether the compound is 
soluble or insoluble, and the mechanism of exposure. According to the 
WHO "insoluble inhaled uranium particles, 1-10 um in size, tend to be 
retained in the lung and may lead to irradiation damage of the lung 
and even lung cancer if a high enough radiation dose results over a 
prolonged period." So those at risk aren't so much soldiers, as the 
people who live in the area. I would think dusty desert areas would be 
the most conducive to inhalation.
http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/pub_meet/en/DU_Eng.pdf

Otherwise, some of the risk seems to be mostly from the heavy-metal 
effects. Soluble compounds ingested can lead to kidney damage. 
Exposure leads to higher rates of birth defects. In Basrah, birth 
defects increased from 3.04/1000 in 1990 to 13.49/1000 in 2000. 
Presumably this is mostly a chemical rather than radiation thing, and 
also due to exposure to lead and mercury (which are also constituents 
of munitions). Parents of children with birth defects in Fallugah had 
elevated levels of all three in hair samples.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492088/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3464374/

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Re: Thanks Obama Alan Bowler <atbowler@thinkage.ca> - 2016-04-14 17:39 -0400
  Re: Thanks Obama Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> - 2016-04-14 20:29 -0400
    Re: Thanks Obama Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> - 2016-04-14 18:55 -0700
    Re: Thanks Obama Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-04-15 09:23 -0400
    Re: Thanks Obama Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> - 2016-04-17 10:53 -0400
  Re: Thanks Obama mausg@mail.com - 2016-04-15 16:34 +0000
    Re: Thanks Obama Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-04-15 15:24 -0400
      Re: Thanks Obama "3899jk" <3899jk@gmail.com> - 2016-04-21 20:30 +1000
        Re: Thanks Obama Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-04-21 12:34 -0400
          Re: Thanks Obama Dean Worrell <Xworrelldk@XameritechX.net> - 2016-04-21 12:46 -0500
            Re: Thanks Obama Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> - 2016-04-22 11:13 -0400
          Re: Thanks Obama Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2016-04-21 13:59 -0500

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