But we do that every day.... These garbage burners are all over the country.
Do they simply heap up the trash, then explode and burn it in jet
fuel while allowing the fumes free escape, or are they more careful?
A very nice link.
I recommend reading it.
I am not sure, not convinced, the 747 counterweight was in the BACK.
Makes no sense putting it in the wings? it is to keep point of gravity
in the right place.
My slip: (
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/hppos/hppos206.html)
"The 747 airplane program utilized DU weights
for mass balance of outboard elevator and upper
rudder assemblies on the first 550 aircraft built. [...]
Depending upon the model, each aircraft had
either 21 or 31 weights."
But still, the point is that *there wasn't any* DU in the New York
planes. If firefighters in New York and Amsterdam both got sick--
which they did--then DU doesn't explain that.
Cost effective so as to not have to pay zillions in lawsuits in later years
From the link above it seems that they were prone to corrosion, and
quite a maintenance nuisance. Also from the link above, it's clear
that any and all use of DU requires either a license or exemption from
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. That means that it's use is public
information. The websites that claim DU is used secretly for
commercial purposes are wrong.
http://www.xzone-radio.com/news/researchersclaim.htm:
The International 9/11 Citizen's War Crimes Tribunal documents that Leuren
Moret reported for example, "elevated radiation readings downwind from the
Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. Two days after 9/11, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that the Pentagon crash
site rubble was radioactive and that the probable contaminant was Depleted
Uranium (DU)."
What do I know ?
The Pentagon was stuck by American Airlines flight 77, a 757. No
DU.
A point made time and again by a friend in the industry is that
radioactivity is extremely easy to pinpoint and identify. How? It's
radioactive! It's much easier to find and clean up than other
pollutants. By contrast, ordinary chemical poisions can lay
unnoticed, hidden, and cause lots more harm for that reason.
I dunno, iron in itself is not very toxic I think.
And it does not stay radio-active for a million years.
Iron's worse--it's readily absorbed, and it stays toxic FOREVER.
It's also quite abundant--quick, hide!
The long half-life of uranium is a good thing, as it means atoms are
decaying infrequently. That is, it isn't very radioactive. It also
isn't very soluble, which is also good--it passes through without
giving you much radioactive dose. (That works against you if you've
inhaled it, as it'll linger in your lungs.)
The Wikipedia article characterizes the radiologic dangers:
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium#Radiological_hazards)
"Depleted uranium is not a significant health hazard unless
it is taken into the body. External exposure to radiation
from depleted uranium is generally not a major concern
because the alpha particle emitted by its isotopes travel
only a few centimeters in air or can be stopped by a sheet
of paper. Also, the uranium-235 that remains in depleted
uranium emits only a small amount of low-energy gamma
radiation."
If yo uprocess Uranium so it gets depleted, -always)_ little bits of Pu will be present
in the material.
Now _one_ atom of Pu inhaled and settling in your body can kill you over time.
Like a permanent Xray.
With Du dust inhaled, the probability of you inhaling more then one atom of Pu is huge.
A good point, though I'm skeptical about the "one atom" part.
Mostly, it's a bad idea to inhale just about *any* chemical; most of
the danger from uranium is chemical, not radiologic. Radiation makes
for a good emotional issue, but not much substance. Clean a bridge
and breath some rust dust, work in a coal mine--or any mine--and
you'll be in big trouble too.
Best regards,
James Arthur
