Depleted Uranium

It is now known that radium, shown in figure 4, is a potent carcinogen (a substance the cause’s cancer (Wilbraham, Staley, Marta, & Waterman, 2005)). It emits a form of ionizing radiation which “includes electromagnetic radiation (e.g., gamma rays and X-rays) as well as particles (e.g., alpha particles, beta particles, high-speed neutrons, high-speed electrons, high-speed protons, etc.)” (National Library of Medicine, n.d.). Acute studies have been done on the effects of radium exposure on the human body by organizations like the Geneva World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man. As a result of their findings, The National Library of Medicine states that sufficient evidence has been provided showing that prolonged exposure to Raduim-224, Radium-226,

The Navy’s testing included napalm, a mixture of a gelling agent and petroleum or a similar fuel for use as an incendiary device; and depleted uranium, a radioactive strain of uranium with a lower content of a fissile isotope U-235, substances which the Navy originally denied using. In 1999, the Navy admitted that it tested 14 napalm bombs on Vieques in 1993 and that depleted uranium (DU) tipped ammunition was first testing in Vieques 1980. Between 300 and 800 DU weapons were tested during the Gulf War. Because of high temperatures, uranium is released in a radioactive cloud. A single particle of DU can be lodged in the human lung, where it will give off eight hundred times the radiation considered safe by US regulations. 3 DU exposure includes: reactive airway disease, neurological abnormalities, kidney stones, chronic kidney pain, rashes, vision degeneration, leukemia, lymphoma, birth defects, and gastrointestinal

A 5-20 dose of rem causes possible damage to chromosomes possibly causing your children to have deformities. At 20-100 rems you will have a reduction of white bloods cells for an amount of time dependent on the rems. At 100-200 rems you will most likely get mild Radiation sickness in about 2 hours of exposure. Also in radiation sickness you will vomit, have diarrhea, fatigue, and will be much more susceptible to infection and other stuff. Around 200-300 rems you will get serious radiation sickness and hemorrhage. At about 400-1000 rads you will have acute illness and a quite early death. And finally from 1000-5000 you will also have acute illness and be dead in a matter of a couple of days or so depending on the

The modern use of chemical weapons has been used since World War I. By using poisonous gas to inflict suffering and significant casualties. For example, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas were used to inflict burns on the skin or as a choking agent. Since the time of World War I, chemical weapons have impacted more than a million deaths. But, there are weapons of mass destruction in place used by terrorists. Weapons of mass destruction include Nuclear, biological, radiological, and explosives. One weapon of mass destruction can destroy a whole city, killing millions and clearing all future generations by using a Nuclear weapon; the most dangerous weapon on earth. Even though, nuclear weapons have been only used twice in warfare of Hiroshima

Whether or not uranium exposure can cause cancer is a popular question in the media. Many studies show that there is carcinogenic potential, but others have also shown that it is possible that it doesn’t cause cancer. There are two doses of uranium. One of them is chronic low dose. This dose means that it is below being able to detect adverse health effects. This dose can enter your body through drinking water [5]. Low level exposure to uranium for extended time can cause a “subclinical’ illness. This can increase the rates of carcinogenesis. Not very many diseases have been discovered from low dose exposure. The second dose of uranium, high dose exposure, is when uranium can cause a big effect on your body. This is not very common, and may

One of the many deadly radioisotopes released includes Iodine-131. Iodine-131 has a half life of 8 days (the radioisotope functions for 8 days). Iodine-131 contaminates the water supply and the air (that we breathe). If one were to ingest this radioisotope, it would incorporate into the thyroid and damage the tissue with beta and gamma radiation. This will lead to the full decay of the thyroid gland and surrounding tissue. This causes thyroid cancer (increases chance of cancerous cells forming by more than 70 percent), especially in children (those who are still growing). Strontium-90 is also released during a nuclear meltdown. Strontium-90 is released into the atmosphere, water supply, and surrounding plants and animals. Strontium-90 has a half life of 28 years but has a biological

Uranium is most notably recognised for its radioactivity however, when compared with other radioactive elements, Uranium has quite slow rate of decay (Pappas, 2015). U-235, an isotope of Uranium, can be used in a fission bomb due to the fact that when its nucleus splits it releases substantial amounts of energy. The most infamous example of how uranium has been used in this way is the atomic uranium bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan by the U.S in 1945 (Atomic Heritage Foundation, n.d.). Furthermore, the same properties that allow uranium to be used in a bomb, are valued in the world of nuclear energy. Nuclear power stations use energy from uranium to produce electricity and this production accounts for approximately 11 percent of the

Uranium was first discovered during the 18th century (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research). It’s a silver-white metal that is radioactive and has high density (Lenntech). However, scientists studied uranium as it has radioactive properties but have found that uranium is only harmful if you’re exposed to it more often than usual or the natural amount (which I’ll go over in the second paragraph) (Lenntech). Natural uranium has three isotopes (which are essentially different forms of the same element. While they have the same number of protons, they have a different number of neutrons): uranium-238, uranium-235, and uranium-234 (Lenntech). Uranium plays a major role in nuclear reactions and is essential when making nuclear weapons (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research). In fact, the first atomic bomb that was used during war was an uranium bomb (Lenntech). Depleted uranium (uranium

When uranium enters our body through inhalation, the uranium has the ability to dissolve within the lungs, which can lead the uranium to be transported by the blood to other parts of the body such as the spleen, brain, kidney, and other organs. Uranium can remain within the kidney and brain for a significant amount of time because of its high concentration, while remaining for a shorter period of time within the plasma. A previous study on the action of salt has lead researchers to discover that sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate can lessen the toxicity of uranium. Citric acid and citrate salts have the ability to protect the body from uranium toxicity with possible side effects such as diarrhea and nausea. While researchers have tried to develop different methods to reduce or remove uranium toxicity, not all chelating compounds can treat uranium effects [3]. These researchers have found that some metals have many biological functions in contrast to uranium which has limited biological activity. Considering that many researches focus on the biological aspect to find ways to remove heavy metals such as uranium, this has led to the detection of the uranyl species and treatment of radioactive waste. Because of this few bacteria have the ability to reduce the oxidation state of uranium in salts such as soluble +6 oxidation to

Several possible health effects are associated with human exposure to radiation from uranium. All uranium isotopes mainly emit alpha particle and so, they have little penetrating ability. Because of how little penetrating ability the have, the main radiation hazard from uranium I caused when uranium compounds are ingested or

We learned about the end World War 2 and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the atomic bomb but rarely do people talk about the affect effects of what happened after that to the people who were affected by the bombs. This scholarly journal titled: “Long-term Radiation-Related Health Effects in a Unique Human Population: Lessons Learned from the Atomic Bomb Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” by numerous authors: Evan B. Douple, PhD, Kiyohiko Mabuchi, MD, DrPH, Harry M. Cullings, PhD, Dale L. Preston, PhD, Kazunori Kodama, MD, PhD, Yukiko Shimizu, PhD, Saeko Fujiwara, MD, and Roy E. Shore, PhD, DrPH, writes about their study

Depleted uranium is used for military purposes because of its incredible density (HPS, 2010, p.1). The material is harder than steel and serves as an excellent armor piercing round. The material is not used for its radiation producing properties or to poison the target. It has been used around the world for military purposes since before the 1980s. Health risks to soldiers using the depleted uranium ammunitions are considered low because the round produces very low radiation which is not in excess of acceptable levels (HPS, 2010, p.2). However depleted uranium can be dangerous in two ways: if it is embedded in the body or material near the impact site is inhaled. Both ways require that the material enter the body. This means that residual radiation put off by an RDD explosion using depleted uranium would not be an issue, just the debris and dust created by the explosion. If a person inhales the dust or gets a piece of the depleted uranium lodged under the skin the radiation produced will, over time, lead to significant health effects, most

It is radioactive and poisonous and is so dense that when turned into a metal alloy, it can greatly increase the power of a shell to penetrate armor. When the DU shell hits metal armor, it starts to burn and releases tiny particles of the radioactive metal into the air. ( Catalinotto, n.d.). In high-temperature explosions, uranium combustion releases fine particles of uranium oxide, which is responsible for severely affecting respiratory organs of people within 300m of the explosion. Besides the effects of radiation, uranium is also highly toxic and a potent carcinogen and mutagen (PA, 2001). The particles from shell explosions are distributed by winds and settle on vegetation and

This is why uranium is so popular within the higher ups of countries, especially the military.

Not only does nuclear warfare directly affect humans but it also has a significant impact on the environment . The practice of nuclear warfare has polluted air and water since this tactic has begun. Many of the substances emmissioned, include plutonium, uranium, strontium, cesium, benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and cyanide, which are carcinogenic and/or mutagenic (“The Effects of Nuclear Weapons”). These pollutants remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years. However, the result of the release of these pollutants is not necessarily due to the eruption of a nuclear bomb but , perhaps even, from the testing and manufacturing of such weapons. Radioactivity released from nuclear testing includes plutonium, strontium, cesium, and carbon-14 (“The Effects of Nuclear Weapons”). Moreover, underground tests have contaminated soil and groundwater.