Depleted Uranium Blade

Yes, that is the same. The big problem isn't radioactivity, it's poisonousness. Uranium is a heavy metal like lead, mercury, and arsenic. Basically, you don't want it on your skin or in your body. Although having heavy metal residues on your skin is bad if it's for a long time (like in a cheap Chinese plastic wristband watch), it is plenty safe to touch it briefly or even frequently, as long as you wash your hands before you eat or pick your nose. The radioactivity of DU is low enough that it isn't a problem unless it's on your skin or in your body. I've heard it compared to concrete for skin and internal safety, including radioactivity. It probably gives off radon like concrete too.
 
kookery said:
Yes, that is the same. The big problem isn't radioactivity, it's poisonousness. Uranium is a heavy metal like lead, mercury, and arsenic. Basically, you don't want it on your skin or in your body. Although having heavy metal residues on your skin is bad if it's for a long time (like in a cheap Chinese plastic wristband watch), it is plenty safe to touch it briefly or even frequently, as long as you wash your hands before you eat or pick your nose. The radioactivity of DU is low enough that it isn't a problem unless it's on your skin or in your body. I've heard it compared to concrete for skin and internal safety, including radioactivity. It probably gives off radon like concrete too.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The primary health concern for DU and natural uranium is as a heavy metal and it has to get into your system. The most common way is ingestion, either breathing or eating. Once it dissolves, the kidneys are affected. Uranium plants check the U concentration in the urine of the workers and this reflects their exposure. If you keep within the limits for kidney safety, you will protect the other organs from toxic chemical effects.

If you were grinding U, you would want to have pretty good dust control and check your U level in urine regularly.

U-238 has to undergo a couple of decays before it gets to Rn. It's half-life is in the billions of years and becomes Ra then Rn.

Nothing in health physics is simple.

Remember, when you talk radiation and health effects, our bodies contain radioactive isotopes and the natural world around us has measurable radioactivity. Your life style probably presents a lot more health risks.
 
skyhorse said:
Only in China.:eek:
Click to expand...


Yup, they have been doing it for years. Toxic cat food, dog food, baby food, toothpaste, motorcycles. They can figure out how to put toxic stuff in just about anything. How brilliant. Get an entire nation to depend on you for cheap goods, then slowly poison them. Eventually death from within, no war & not a single shot fired !!! Brilliant.
 
If somebody put in the metallurgical work for it, I bet a uranium alloy blade could make infi look like warm bubble gum. Same for osmium and iridium, and maybe other platinum/nickel group metals. Of course, weight would only seem like a problem until you saw the price tag, then you'll probably have heart troubles :)

Still, somebody should definitely do it. Transformers need knives too.
 
warrior24 said:
I know its bad but would it be possilbe
Click to expand...

No. Depleated uranium is not used in rounds because it is harder, or stronger, or holds an edge well or any of the other things you want in a blade. It is used because it is super dense. It has more mass, and therefore retains its energy longer, and imparts more impact.

Would you try and forge lead into blades? It would make them heavier and denser........ but sure as hell would not make them better at anything you want a blade to do.

When a depleted uranium round hits a hard target, it fractures (supposedly in a manner that is self sharpening), and when the powder hits the air the heat and energy cause it to ignite/explode/burn very hot.







I just wasted my time writing this, I guess the others had already responded.
 
skyhorse said:
Only in China.:eek:
Click to expand...

Funny.

When I lived in the Boston area 25-30 years ago some restaurant tables were found to be radioactive. Not to worry because "a long meal would only be equivalent to a chest x-ray". Right.

Anyways, it was found that we had been shipping radioactive waste to Mexico and paying for disposal, and that they were melting it into steel to sell back to us. Nowadays, of course, it would find a use irradiating food.

******************

Now, I've found this thread very interesting 'cause esoteric info like this is what I live for BUT..

You're all going to get a visit from homeland security for Google'ing this stuff. You know this, right? Terrorists are even looking for medical radioactive waste for dirty bombs.
 
Last edited:
davek14 said:
Funny.

When I lived in the Boston area 25-30 years ago some restaurant tables were found to be radioactive. Not to worry because "a long meal would only be equivalent to a chest x-ray". Right.
Click to expand...

A chest x-ray is not an insignificant amount of exposure. A couple a year, fine, but you wouldn't want to do it daily.

Red Fiesta Ware dishes had detectable radiation. In a show and tell you could run the detector over a piece and it would start clicking faster.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top