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(Depleted) Uranium is a pyrophoric material - it spontaneously ignites in the right conditions (e.g. when it's shot at a tank and penetrates it), making a bette
by gruturo 8y ago
(Depleted) Uranium is a pyrophoric material - it spontaneously ignites in the right conditions (e.g. when it's shot at a tank and penetrates it), making a better job of killing said tank's occupants. This causes it to vaporize, and can now be breathed in - the exact set of circumstances where its nature of alpha emitter is dangerous for health.
While this is horrific, and I hope it stops, please keep in mind that any other use case which doesn't involve burning it or aerosolizing it creates no health hazard - you can build glassware with a high U content and drink from it.
- yesenadam 8y agoany other use case which doesn't involve burning it or aerosolizing it creates no health hazard That doesn't sound quite right: "Normal functioning of the kidney, brain, liver, heart, and other systems can be affected by uranium exposure, because, besides being weakly radioactive, uranium is a toxic metal. Uranium is also a reproductive toxicant. ...Uranium metal is commonly handled with gloves..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium#Human_exposure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium#Human_exposure