"robert arndt" wrote in message
m...
http://www.citizen-soldier.org/CS09-uranium.html

It's toxic, moron... and the Germans can do just as much damage with
their tungsten rounds
Believe me, the L55 main gun plus DM-53 ammo will ruin your day.
At least the Germany Army isn't poisoning its own troops by using
"partially-depleted (correct term)uranium"...

LOL....

How about instead of using a radical leftist anti-war site with a political
agenda as a source, we use a scientific one?

Ok then:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...nitions/du.htm

A few pertinant quotes, in case some people don't want to read the entire
article:
"The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) for the
Department of Health and Human Services estimates there are an average of 4
tons of uranium in the top foot of soil in every square mile of land. A
heavy metal similar to tungsten and lead, uranium occurs in soils in typical
concentrations of a few parts per million (equivalent to about half a
teaspoon of uranium in a typical 8-cubic yard dump truck-load of dirt)."

"The Department of Energy (DOE) recently reported that the DU it provided to
DoD for manufacturing armor plates and munitions may contain trace levels (a
few parts per billion ) of contaminants including neptunium, plutonium,
americium, technitium-99 and uranium-236. From a radiological perspective,
these contaminants in DU add less than one percent to the radioactivity of
DU itself."

"The major health concerns about DU relate to its chemical properties as a
heavy metal rather than to its radioactivity, which is very low. As with all
chemicals, the hazard depends mainly upon the amount taken into the body.
Medical science recognizes that uranium at high doses can cause kidney
damage. However, those levels are far above levels soldiers would have
encountered in the Gulf or the Balkans."

"Most soldiers and civilians will not be exposed to dangerous levels of
depleted uranium."

"...in certain circumstances the exposures may be high and there would be a
risk of heavy metal poisoning that could lead to long-term kidney damage for
a few soldiers, as well as the increased risk of lung cancer. A small number
of soldiers and civilians might suffer kidney damage from depleted uranium
if substantial amounts are breathed in, or swallowed in contaminated soil
and water."

"Because depleted uranium emits primarily alpha radiation, it is not
considered a serious external radiation hazard. The depleted uranium in
armor and rounds is covered, further reducing the radiation dose. When
breathed or eaten, small amounts of depleted uranium are carried in the
blood to body tissues and organs; much the same as the more radioactive
natural uranium. Despite this, no radiological health effects are expected
because the radioactivity of uranium and depleted uranium are so low."

Hmmm.... so it seems that the actual danger from DU is not due to it's
'radioactivity' as some hysterical critics would like us to believe, but
rather from it's properties as a heavy metal (which in and of itself is not
much more than any other heavy metal one might encounter on the battlefield,
including tungsten carbide), and then only by directly ingesting an
abnormally large amount of the stuff.

Perhaps we should make our tank rounds out of wood?

And one more quote:

"In military applications, when alloyed, Depleted Uranium is ideal for use
in armor penetrators. These solid metal projectiles have the speed, mass and
physical properties to perform exceptionally well against armored targets.
DU provides a substantial performance advantage, well above other competing
materials. This allows DU penetrators to defeat an armored target at a
significantly greater distance. Also, DU's density and physical properties
make it ideal for use as armor plate. DU has been used in weapon systems for
many years in both applications."

Apparantly, the Germans can do nowhere near the amount of damage with their
tungsten rounds. Oh and here's another good one:

"US forces also use DU to enhance their tanks' armor protection. In one
noteworthy incident, an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, its thick steel armor
reinforced by a layer of DU sandwiched between two layers of steel, rebuffed
a close-in attack by three of Iraq's T-72 tanks. After deflecting three hits
from Iraq's tanks, the Abrams' crew dispatched the T-72s with a single DU
round to each of the three Iraqi tanks."

Yep, I think that we'll keep our DU right where it is.