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Depleted Uranium: Its Effect Upon the Environment
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) depleted uranium is a form of enriched uranium used to produce fuel for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. The uranium is enriched with a U-235 isotope, the isotope that causes nuclear fission. "During the enrichment process the fraction of U-235 is increased from its natural level (0.72% by mass) to between 2% and 94% by mass. The by-product uranium mixture (after the enriched uranium is removed) has reduced concentrations of U-235 and U-234 by-product of the enrichment process is known as depleted uranium (DU)" ("Depleted Uranium," IAEA, 2007). "DU, consequently, is weakly radioactive and a radiation dose from it would be about 60% of that from purified natural uranium with the same mass" (Depleted Uranium," WHO, 2007).
The possible effects upon the environment have been an object of some scientific debate. The exact impact upon a particular area: "depends on the specific situation where DU ammunitions are used and the physical, chemical, and geological characteristics of the environment affected" ("Depleted Uranium," IAEA, 2007). Particles of depleted uranium can cause an inhalation hazard, until they settle into the ground and mix with other compounds. The particles can seep into the soil and groundwater, passing into the environment through plants, which are then ingested by animals. There have been reports of higher rates of birth defects in humans and animals living in areas with high concentrations of uranium in the drinking water and very young animals have been found to absorb more uranium into their blood than adult animals when they are fed uranium. But while "very high doses of uranium have caused a reduction in sperm counts in some experiments with laboratory animals, but the majority of studies have shown no effects" ("Depleted Uranium," IAEA, 2007).
Works Cited
Depleted Uranium." IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency. 2007.
24 Oct 2007. http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Features/DU/du_qaa.shtml#q3
Depleted Uranium." WHO: World Health Organization. 2007.
24 Oct 2007 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/
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