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Uranium ore is mostly alpha particle radiation. Clothing and aluminum foil are generally sufficient to block alpha particle radiation. Uranium metal can be up 2
by austincheney 8y ago
Uranium ore is mostly alpha particle radiation. Clothing and aluminum foil are generally sufficient to block alpha particle radiation. Uranium metal can be up 28% beta particle, which can be blocked by sandbags or a thick brick wall. Depleted uranium contains almost no beta particle radiation. Uranium ore lacks the purity of uranium metal and usually more beta particles than depleted unranium but not much more though it’s purity and composition are naturally variant.
Because of that uranium is radioactive and that radioactivity is harmful, but is not the primary harm, unless you are allergic to uranium at which point the radiation is the primary harm. Also, sensitivity to radiation varies wildly by person. Uranium is a high density metal that has some dissolution capability into water, like lead, which means heavy metal poisoning. Uranium is more dense than lead and thus more poisonous but less poisonous than osmium. Under certain conditions uranium can be (or become) very brittle and break apart into a fine dust that can be respirated.
- monochromatic 8y ago> Uranium is more dense than lead and thus more poisonous I think there’s a little more to heavy metal toxicity than that...
- austincheney 8y agoHow so?
- tco03 8y agohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_toxicity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_toxicity It appears as there if is little correlation between metal density and toxicity
- austincheney 8y agoWeird, your source says the opposite. > Toxic metals sometimes imitate the action of an essential element in the body, interfering with the metabolic process resulting in illness. Many metals, particularly heavy metals are toxic Metal toxicity is the correlation between density and reactivity. Iron and manganese are limited exceptions where iron is about 84% of hemoglobin, which is about 80% of red blood cells, but its toxic (though in larger doses) matches almost exactly the implications of other metal toxicity.
- crottypeter 8y ago> Weird, your source says the opposite. No, it doesn't. Your quote truncates a sentence that supports GP's point.
- austincheney 8y agoThe remainder of that sentence does not suggest anything about density. But, I will ask your expert opinion: What makes metals toxic and what makes heavy metals more or less toxic than other metals?
- phonypc 8y ago"Toxicity is a function of solubility." First sentence of third paragraph in linked wiki page.
- austincheney 8y agoI mentioned that specifically in my original comment.
- phonypc 8y agoNo, you said that uranium (which you say is toxic because of its density) "has some dissolution capability."
- austincheney 8y agoIt pleases me you can read. For a second I was about to lose faith in humanity.
- adrianN 8y agoGold is nearly twice as dense as Lead, but it's completely safe.