posted on Mar, 2 2005 @ 12:19 PM
This really is nothing, compared to all the depleted uranium floating around thanks to our U.S. government.
See yesterday's article here:
www.atsnn.com...
Although this article didn't refer to the uranium found as "depleted", it sounds like that is what it is. "Depleted" uranium isn't as benign as
it sounds. (Until recently, I thought "depleted" meant that it was not radioactive.) In fact, "depeted" uranium is U238 - it is a byproduct of
processing to harvest the U234 and U235 isotopes in naturally-occuring uranium. The U234 and U235 are used in weapons and reactor fuel. What is left
is U238 and our government has to get rid of it. We get rid of it by making it into bullets, armor plating, etc. for the military, and it is also used
in a surprising array of civillian uses - including ballast in the construction of some civillian airplanes and in the keels of yachts! (Of course, it
is shielded in these applications - it is easily shielded and is completely safe, untill, of course, the shield is breeched, the plane or vessel is in
an accident, etc.)
So, I am struggling to understand why 20 ounces of this stuff found in the Ukraine is such a big deal when there are several POUNDS of it in certain
civillian aircraft? Not to mention laying around on battlefields (and in bodies) in Iraq, Afghanastan, and Serbia.
Since this was found near an airport, I wonder of the perpetrators realized they were carrying coals to Newcastle?
edit: Ah, I see on closer examination the article DOES apparently state that this is depleted uranium. It's a bit vague, near the end of the article.
It explains what depleted uranium is. But they failed to mention anywhere else in the article that depleted uranium = U238.
[edit on 2-3-2005 by Bay_Watcher]
[edit on 2-3-2005 by Bay_Watcher]