Saturday, August 15, 2015

An Overview Of Depleted Uranium

There is a chemical element that has the atomic number 92, one that is represented by the U, that most of us are familiar with today. It is called uranium, a chemical element that is silvery and white in appearance, possessing 92 electrons and protons. It is radioactive, but not too strong, primarily because it is an element that has unstable isotopes. You have probably heard of you rhenium, 238, one of the most abundant forms of uranium that can be found in nature. It is also an element that has the second-highest atomic weight. It has a density that is higher than lead, but just a little bit lower than gold, and can be found in a few parts per million in water, rock and soil. This article will address what depleted uranium actually means, and how this element can affect us in our everyday life.

Characteristics Of Uranium

There are many unique aspects of this element in comparison to all of the others on the periodic table. For instance, simple hydrochloric acid, and even nitric acids, and successfully dissolve uranium. Although it does not react well with noble gases, it does with almost every non-metal element. It can even interact with water, with the air, and in doing so, it will appear darker in color, leading to what is called uranium dioxide.

What Has Uranium Been Used for?

One of the most well-known uses for this particular element was in the construction of the atomic bomb. In fact, the initial nuclear bomb used uranium fission, different from the bombs that were dropped on Nagasaki, which were actually constructed with tutorial. As you can imagine, this element is used in many military sectors. It is very useful at penetrating high density enemy military complexes. There is one use for military equipment, specifically the hardening of tank or vehicle armor, which occurs when they use depleted uranium plates. Read more over here about Energy Solutions.

What Is Depleted Uranium?

This designation refers to the fact that it has less fissile isotope U 235. It is often created as the result of the production of enriched uranium, such as for the creation of nuclear reactors, and also the development of nuclear weapons. It is during this enrichment process where uranium will be made at a much higher than normal concentration with certain isotopes that can support a fission chain reaction. Also referred to as DU, it will not emit as much alpha radiation as uranium right out of the ground would do, making it very distinguishable when using a device like a Geiger counter. US munitions have at least 60% of the radioactivity that is normally found in regular uranium. It was not until it was discovered that this element could actually cause cancer that they decided to stop using it in areas where people were working or living.

How Toxic Is It?

This type of uranium can be very toxic, ranging from something. It is very chronic, to something that is acute. Since it has a half-life of an estimated 4 billion years for some of it, it is something that scientists and the military are very careful with because of its ability to harm human life. It can also cause of birth defects when someone is exposed, especially when they are carrying a child in the early trimesters, allowing it to develop in and in proper manner. It can also cause cancer, and a multitude of other problems, motivating many people to not work in fields of endeavor where uranium is being used. This has led to claims from thousands of people, those that have chemical toxicity, experienced radiological hazards, and may also be behind what happened in the Gulf War and soldiers that had what is called Gulf War syndrome.

The Military And DU

If you are ever exposed to depleted uranium, it may have been because you were in the military. It was used decades ago in tank armor, as well as in the creation of bullets, simply because it had such a high density that would easily penetrate armored vehicles. In fact, these bullets and weapons were used during the Gulf War, which is why many of the soldiers complained of illness, which was coined as the Gulf War syndrome. Today, soldiers can be screened for depleted uranium exposure, and treatments are now being honored because it has been shown to have produced detrimental and sometimes deadly effects.

Depleted uranium is a very novel substance, one that has been used for a multitude of applications. Whether it was used for military applications, or if it is used in the private sector to do certain types of experiments, it is still the most important byproduct of the creation of enriched uranium that is made today. If you were in the military, and you were exposed to this type of radiation, it is likely that you may actually have developed an illness because of the exposure. You simply have to go to your doctor, have them test you for this condition, and if you have something wrong with you that can be treated, they will make the proper recommendations. Although this material was used with the best intentions, due to its toxic nature, it has caused thousands of people problems and even led to their deaths. Hopefully modern science will find a way to fully utilize this form of uranium in much more positive ways without the risk of radioactive contamination.