The US will send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine – a health physicist explains their military, health and environmental effects
The US will send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine – a health physicist explains their military, health and environmental effects
Depleted uranium munitions are bad news for enemy tanks, but are not nuclear weapons, and studies have shown that they pose low risks of radiation or chemical exposure.
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My understanding is that DU is only a little more harmful than lead, which is a toxic metal that remains popular for ammunition all over the world for the same reason: its density.
Pretty much what the article says.
The alpha radiation that DU emits is not strong enough to penetrate human skin, so just being near depleted uranium is not a health risk. But it may become a health hazard if it is ingested or inhaled, or shrapnel fragments are retained in the body.
It's really just one more hazard a former battlefield can have. If I was in or around a former battlefield that had DU rounds used, I would be more concerned about unexploded high explosives.
I don't wanna inhale lead vapors either. Let's try to avoid having wars.