Does depleted uranium pose a radiation hazard?

The radioactivity of freshly prepared DU is only about 60% the radioactivity of natural uranium as DU has less of the more radioactive isotopes U-234 and U-235 per mass unit than natural U (Table 2) (Bleise et al., 2003).

All natural U isotopes emit alpha particles (table 2), i.e. positively charged ions composed of two protons and two neutrons. Both beta (high-energy electrons) and gamma (very high energy photons) activity of relevant U isotopes are low. Due to their relatively large size and charge, alpha particles have little penetrating power. The penetration range of a 5 MeV alpha particle is approximately 4 cm in air and 50 micrometers in soft tissue. Therefore, alpha particles do not penetrate the keratin layer of intact human skin. As a result, U represents a radiation hazard only after inhalation or ingestion.

Table 2. Average energy emission per transformation of the U isotopes U-238, U-235 and U-234 (Burkhart, 1991).

DU penetrators collected in Kosovo contained traces of U-236, Pu-239 and Pu-240 (IAEA, 2003; UNEP, 2001). Trace amounts of Am, Np, and 99Tc were also detected (DAF-OO- ALC, 1997; Diehl, 2001). The traces of U-236 (<0.003%) may result from cross- contamination due to the use of the same equipment for handling both non-irradiated and irradiated U (TACOM, 2000). However, the increase in radiation dose due to the trace amounts of these elements and isotopes is less than 1% (WHO, 2001).

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The answer is that depleted uranium does emit gamma radiation. The increased amount in Ukraine after the Russian attack on military stores was slightly more than normal but there was an increase.

Depleted uranium should be outlawed but the question is why did England send these to Ukraine?

How the T-14 Armata Tank Was Built to Survive Hits From American Depleted Uranium Shells

Since the unveiling of Russia’s T-14 Armata in 2015, which is considered one of just three fourth generation battle tanks in service anywhere in the world, Russian media outlets and officials have highlighted a number of the vehicle’s features which are considered particularly revolutionary.

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While it has been hotly contested whether the most advanced tanks in the Soviet military such as the T-80UK, T-72BM or the T-64B would have been able to survive hits from American Abrams tanks using depleted uranium rounds, Russia’s latest tanks and the T-14 in particular are well armoured enough to survive a wide range of attacks and were built with withstanding such rounds in mind.

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Multiple Russian sources have reported that the latest variants of the Afganit active protection system used on the T-14, which have also been integrated onto the T-90M, can shield the vehicles from uranium armour-piercing discarded sabot (APDS) shells. 

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Where does that leave the people in Ukraine who are now exposed to a small dose of gamma radiation? I doubt they will have any serious side effects from it. Where does that leave the people in Ukraine who are now breathing in depleted uranium dust with alpha radiation? That is the question that we should be asking. The second question is whether this release of uranium dust will contaminate the crops from the breadbasket of Europe?

David DeGerolamo