Posted on 08/08/2007 1:30:54 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
Anti-depleted uranium activists have enlisted the assistance of all of Hawaii’s leftist alternative weeklies in a campaign against depleted uranium. The Hawaii Island Journal June 30 caries a front page cartoon skeleton in an aloha shirt and the headline “Radioactive us -- danger depleted uranium.” Articles on the alleged risks of depleted uranium appeared in quick succession in Honolulu Weekly, June 13, Maui Time, June 21, and Big Island Weekly, June 27 as well as the Journal.
Big Island Weekly points out that the latest anti-DU hype is based on observations in South Kona by an activist armed with a $399.00 “Gamma Scout,” Geiger counter. Allegedly the readings of “63 counts per minute” cited by Big Island Weekly indicate that “we might have a Gulf War in our backyards” and underlines “suspicion that DU is being used on Hawaii.”
As usual, the truth lies elsewhere.....
probably, but then there aren’t very many uses for Uranium, “depleted” or not. All I mean to say here is that U is toxic in the same way berrylium (sp?) is.....I happen to know that when berrylium parts etc are being deburred, the grinding wheel and the part must be underwater and the operator must wear a mask and gloves to prevent inhaling or absorbing the dust.
As for the “DU” rounds sometimes used by our military (most often against heavily armored stuff).....I doubt that it is very radioactive at all......if it were, it would set off all the sensors and alarms, falsely indicating a radiological release or attack. So in that way and for that reason, I’m satisfied with what DoD says about it.
I see that you’ve read some and probably a lot more than I have about it.
You, my good man, are exactly dead-on right.
The radiation level of DU is low. It is an alpha-particle emitter. Alpha radiation is the weakest kind and can be blocked by a sheet of paper or by your skin.
The worst case scenario is if you ingested or breathed in the DU. If you somehow snorted a whole kilogram of DU up your nose the total radiation dose would be about 1 millisievert, the equivalent of two chest X-rays.
Got any red Fiestaware from the 30's or 40's? They used uranium dioxide to give the glaze that color. The old plates will still get a counter buzzin'. :)
It makes excellent dart barrels, too. Easy to machine and very dense.
sometime in the distant past, I read about the Ladies who painted radium onto compasses, timepieces, and ship/aircraft instrument panel gauges so they would glow in the dark and be visible without lighting up our guys unnecessarily with lighting........the Ladies found that they could do a much nicer job if they wet the artists paintbrushes with spit to keep the tiny bristles in line as they became raggedy......the radium made nearly all of them very sick over time, and it was too late for a lot of them by the time this was learned.....these Ladies were some of the “Rosie the Riveter” type gals.......sad story.
Concerns circulating Hawaii County about possible depleted uranium at Pohakuloa Training Area on Mauna Kea are likely the reason Big Island residents have taken to purchasing radiation monitors, a Department of Health official says.
But a lack of training in how to use the monitors, as well as the use of older models and uncalibrated machines, is leading to weekly calls to the department and a false alarm, like one Sunday in the Kona District, said Noise, Radiation and Indoor Air Quality Branch Program Manager Russell Takata.
“It was an unnecessary alarm,” Takata said of the incident, which he learned of at about 2 p.m. Sunday.
A Kona resident,(read: anti-war moonbat hippy) using a radiation monitor, recorded high levels of background radiation and reported the incident to the Department of Health. Takata contacted the Fire Department, whose hazardous materials teams took their own readings. Those readings showed normal background radiation levels, well within the federal standards for radiation. Such calls originating on the Big Island are becoming more common, as more residents purchase radiation monitors but don’t have the scientific training to use or correctly interpret their findings, Takata said.
Those incidents, and requests from residents for basic training about radiation levels, radiation sources and how to use the monitors prompted Takata to offer an educational session last week in Hilo and on Saturday, Aug. 11, in Kailua-Kona.
“The first thing is understanding what constitutes radiation,” Takata said. “Apparently there’s a big fear that any high background might be depleted uranium from Pohakuloa Training Area. That’s not true.”
The training session, which is scheduled to last about six hours at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, will also present information about radiation, natural sources of radiation and how much radiation exposure people get daily from natural and medical sources, Takata said.
He also claimed that monitors might register higher radiation counts from land devoid of vegetation, like some areas off Saddle Road near the Army’s training area.
“It’s kind of wind-swept,” he said. “You get a lot of dust kicking up. You’ll get a little higher background reading.”
Because of space limitations, Saturday’s session, which is free, can accommodate about 25 people. Takata asked anyone planning to attend to e-mail him at Takata at russell.takata@doh.hawaii.gov or to call the Department of Health at (808) 586-4700. If more than 25 people are interested in the session, Takata said he would schedule another for a later date.
- but then there aren’t very many uses for Uranium -
I was TDY to Charleston Air Force Base back in the early 80s and was visiting the Chief of Safety who was a good friend of mine. He showed me some photos and such of a C-141 crash in the mountains nearby which had to be cleaned up because the counterweights on the elevators were made out of DU.
I have no idea if it is used in commercial aircraft or in any other DoD planes, but at least they had found a use for it other than for penetrating armor.
Lot’s of stories like that. Radium rods inserted in sinuses to “cure” adenoids, radium soppositories to shrink hemmoroids, and the ever cool fluorscopic shoe fitting machines.
I remember a Starliner going down in the States about then.
I got a very long ride in one once, we were facing east, but going west, with only one pitstop at Wake. A bus would have been as miserable, LOL. I was permanent party in a Pershing unit at Ft Sill for a few months in early 67 after AIT; most of which was actually spent near Blanding on Black and White mesas with a W German Army Pershing unit.....6 or 8 rounds total. I witnessed some awesome stuff, but my MOS was unrelated.....(noticed your tagline).....
True, but it can be used in breeder reactors to be bred into plutonium. I believe that some day we'll wish we hadn't treated it as a waste product, but had saved it for breeder reactors.
With a half-life of 4.5 billion years, I believe there will be some around, if not we can get it from the astroid belt.
I HATE Jimmy Carter.
Really, truly, hate, loathe, despise ... he was a worse President than X42.
Well the expended shells could be mined and recycled as DU.
Not until my DC tour was I able to visit overseas. Did some work at the policy level then and saw some nice countries while performing said functions.
I have another friend who was a 141 pilot and I was allowed to accompany him on a special night mission training flight consisting of three 141s and absolutely no lights inside or out. I got to stand near the back with the rear doors open while the crew chief extracted training “cargo” out the back at 800 ft AGL. Seeing two other aircraft illuminated by only the moon behind us only about 1000 ft apart was quite awesome.
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