Re: Depleted Uranium dangers

Posted by bobbapink on Dec 30, 2001 at 11:36
207-172-209-76.s76.tnt1.nrf.va.dialup.rcn.com (207.172.209.76)

Re: Depleted Uranium dangers (Amaranth Rose)

Radiation intensity is measured in Curies. And one millicurie of one hard beta emitter produces just as much radiation in a given time as one millicurie of another hard beta emitter, regardless of the half-lives of the materials involved.

That may be true with materials with a very long half lives emit less frequently, making exposure to them less risky.

Pleading innocence on the part of an isotope because it has a long half-life totally begs the question. When it comes to damage, one ionizing radiation particle at a particular speed has the potential to do the same intracellular and DNA damage as any other of the same type and speed, regardless of the particle's origin.

But exposure to materials with long half lives means less risk since the material is emitting less frequently. If the half life is long enough, such as it is with U238, then the risk is not even worth considering with the exposure levels being what they are in this situation...unless of course you have some hidden agenda...in which case, you should spin the situation as to seem like it's actually something worth worrying about. You could say something like: U238 actually gets MORE DANGEROUS as time goes by in that it decays into MORE ACTIVE isotopes. Then just neglect to mention the millions of years required for that decay to make any measureable difference.

Don't be misled. The gullible are easily betrayed.

Well, that's true.


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