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| - Depleted Uranium is slightly radioactive waste from nuclear fusion reactors. It is 70% denser (and therefore 70% heavier) than lead. It is used by the United States and Great Britain in shell casings to reduce drag and gain deeper penetration. However due to its slightly radioactive properties it is thought to be the most likely cause of Gulf War Syndrome (TXF: "E.B.E.").
- Depleted Uranium is a special material which is used frequently in war by the developed world and hence has several treaties banning its use. It is commonly loaded into tank shells, although a prototype flamethrower version is in development.
- Depleted uranium is uranium primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238 (U-238). Natural uranium is about 99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent U-235, and 0.0055 percent U-234. Because U-235 is used for fission in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, natural uranium is enriched in U-235 by separating the isotopes by mass. The byproduct of enrichment, called depleted uranium or DU, contains less than one third as much U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium, making it less radioactive due to the longer 4.5 billion year half-life of U-238. The external radiation dose from depleted uranium is about 60 percent of that from the same mass of natural uranium. Another less common source of depleted uranium is reprocessed spent nuclear reactor fuel, which can be distinguished from DU produced as a byprod
- Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium which contains mostly Uranium-238 and a reduced proportion of the isotope Uranium-235. It is a toxic byproduct of the enriching of natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. DU is what is left over when most of the fissile radioactive isotopes of uranium are removed. Due to its physical properties, it has seen extensive military use as a component of kinetic energy projectiles and armor plating, in addition to civilian applications.
- Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238 (U-238). Natural uranium is about 99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent U-235, and 0.0055 percent U-234. U-235 is used for fission in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Uranium is enriched in U-235 by separating the isotopes by mass. The byproduct of enrichment, called depleted uranium or DU, contains less than one third as much U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium. The external radiation dose from DU is about 60 percent of that from the same mass of natural uranium. DU is also found in reprocessed spent nuclear reactor fuel, but that kind can be distinguished from DU produced as a byproduct of uranium enrichment by the presence of U-236. In the past, DU has been called Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38.
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| abstract
| - Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium which contains mostly Uranium-238 and a reduced proportion of the isotope Uranium-235. It is a toxic byproduct of the enriching of natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. DU is what is left over when most of the fissile radioactive isotopes of uranium are removed. Due to its physical properties, it has seen extensive military use as a component of kinetic energy projectiles and armor plating, in addition to civilian applications. Depleted uranium is very dense; at 19050 kg/m³, it is 70% denser than lead. Thus a given weight of it has a smaller diameter than an equivalent lead projectile, with less aerodynamic drag and deeper penetration due to a higher pressure at point of impact. Because of this unique property, DU slugs are the ammunition of choice for a variety of modern rail guns and kinetic anti-armor weapons systems.
- Depleted uranium (DU) is uranium primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238 (U-238). Natural uranium is about 99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent U-235, and 0.0055 percent U-234. U-235 is used for fission in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Uranium is enriched in U-235 by separating the isotopes by mass. The byproduct of enrichment, called depleted uranium or DU, contains less than one third as much U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium. The external radiation dose from DU is about 60 percent of that from the same mass of natural uranium. DU is also found in reprocessed spent nuclear reactor fuel, but that kind can be distinguished from DU produced as a byproduct of uranium enrichment by the presence of U-236. In the past, DU has been called Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38. DU is useful because of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3. Civilian uses include counterweights in aircraft, radiation shielding in medical radiation therapy and industrial radiography equipment, and containers used to transport radioactive materials. Military uses include defensive armor plating and armor-piercing projectiles. The use of DU in munitions is controversial because of questions about potential long-term health effects. Normal functioning of the kidney, brain, liver, heart, and numerous other systems can be affected by uranium exposure, because in addition to being weakly radioactive, uranium is a toxic metal. It is weakly radioactive and remains so because of its long physical half-life (4.468 billion years for uranium-238), but has a considerably shorter biological half-life. The aerosol produced during impact and combustion of depleted uranium munitions can potentially contaminate wide areas around the impact sites or can be inhaled by civilians and military personnel. During a three week period of conflict in 2003 in Iraq, 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of DU munitions were used, mostly in cities. The actual acute and chronic toxicity of DU is also a point of medical controversy. Multiple studies using cultured cells and laboratory rodents suggest the possibility of leukemogenic, genetic, reproductive, and neurological effects from chronic exposure. A 2005 epidemiology review concluded: "In aggregate the human epidemiological evidence is consistent with increased risk of birth defects in offspring of persons exposed to DU." The World Health Organization states that no consistent risk of reproductive, developmental, or carcinogenic effects have been reported in humans. However, the objectivity of this report has been called into question.
- Depleted Uranium is slightly radioactive waste from nuclear fusion reactors. It is 70% denser (and therefore 70% heavier) than lead. It is used by the United States and Great Britain in shell casings to reduce drag and gain deeper penetration. However due to its slightly radioactive properties it is thought to be the most likely cause of Gulf War Syndrome (TXF: "E.B.E.").
- Depleted uranium is uranium primarily composed of the isotope uranium-238 (U-238). Natural uranium is about 99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent U-235, and 0.0055 percent U-234. Because U-235 is used for fission in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons, natural uranium is enriched in U-235 by separating the isotopes by mass. The byproduct of enrichment, called depleted uranium or DU, contains less than one third as much U-235 and U-234 as natural uranium, making it less radioactive due to the longer 4.5 billion year half-life of U-238. The external radiation dose from depleted uranium is about 60 percent of that from the same mass of natural uranium. Another less common source of depleted uranium is reprocessed spent nuclear reactor fuel, which can be distinguished from DU produced as a byproduct of uranium enrichment by the presence of U-236, produced in reactors. In the past, depleted uranium has been called Q-metal, depletalloy, and D-38, but those names are no longer used.
- Depleted Uranium is a special material which is used frequently in war by the developed world and hence has several treaties banning its use. It is commonly loaded into tank shells, although a prototype flamethrower version is in development.
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