12-10-2024, 04:40 PM
"Natural uranium is made up of three isotopes: U-234, U-235 and U-238. "Depleted" uranium has a lower percentage of U-234 and U-235 than natural uranium. DU is about twice as dense as lead, making it useful in commercial and military applications. Uranium in a form that dissolves easily can be toxic to the kidneys if ingested in large amounts, such as by inhaling dust or drinking contaminated water. The DU at the Army sites is not believed to be in this soluble form.
A number of Army sites have DU fragments from spotting rounds left from training with the Davy Crockett system from 1960-1968. The Atomic Energy Commission, the NRC's predecessor, gave the Army a license to make, test and distribute the spotting rounds. Under that license, the Army distributed the rounds for training. Each round contained about six ounces of DU. At the Army’s request, the license expired in 1978, after the Army had stopped producing and distributing the spotting rounds.
In 2005, the Army found tail assemblies from the spotting rounds at the Schofield Barracks on Oahu. This discovery prompted a review of all sites that trained with the system. The Army found DU at other sites, including the Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii. Under NRC regulations, the Army must have a license to possess this material. The Army applied for a possession-only license in November 2008. It was not until 2011 that the Army identified all the sites where it used the Davy Crockett system. At that time, the NRC and the Army decided to continue with licensing the two Hawaiian sites and to address the remaining installations through an amendment. The license was issued in 2013 and amended in 2016 to include 15 additional sites.
The DU is mostly in large fragments. It is on operational ranges not accessible to the public. Data the Army collected and analyzed, and the NRC reviewed, show there is no immediate health risk to people who work at the ranges or live or travel nearby. The high density and large fragment size mean the DU cannot easily become airborne or move off-site."
A number of Army sites have DU fragments from spotting rounds left from training with the Davy Crockett system from 1960-1968. The Atomic Energy Commission, the NRC's predecessor, gave the Army a license to make, test and distribute the spotting rounds. Under that license, the Army distributed the rounds for training. Each round contained about six ounces of DU. At the Army’s request, the license expired in 1978, after the Army had stopped producing and distributing the spotting rounds.
In 2005, the Army found tail assemblies from the spotting rounds at the Schofield Barracks on Oahu. This discovery prompted a review of all sites that trained with the system. The Army found DU at other sites, including the Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii. Under NRC regulations, the Army must have a license to possess this material. The Army applied for a possession-only license in November 2008. It was not until 2011 that the Army identified all the sites where it used the Davy Crockett system. At that time, the NRC and the Army decided to continue with licensing the two Hawaiian sites and to address the remaining installations through an amendment. The license was issued in 2013 and amended in 2016 to include 15 additional sites.
The DU is mostly in large fragments. It is on operational ranges not accessible to the public. Data the Army collected and analyzed, and the NRC reviewed, show there is no immediate health risk to people who work at the ranges or live or travel nearby. The high density and large fragment size mean the DU cannot easily become airborne or move off-site."