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    Calling all "scientists" (atomic theorists), re: d.u contaminanation of mushrroms and fungi Archived Message

    Posted by Gerard on August 5, 2023, 4:25 pm

    From: Depleted Uranium #Bioremediation #Monitoring #Testing - Mushroom Hunting and Identification - Shroomery Message Board
    Quote; "Whatever the cause (be it as radioactive or heavy metal contaminant), d.u is both geno-toxic and carcinogenic this has been established…if d.u gives off sufficient radiation to be measurable by standard Geiger counters I suggest that it is still something one does not want to inspire, digest or come into any intimate contact with… I will see what I can find from the institutions re: testing/monitoring (esp. re: mycology),

    Quote; “In nature, U-235 only makes up a very small part of the uranium ore. Given its importance for nuclear power and nuclear weapons technology, U-235 is often removed from the natural uranium ore and concentrated through a process called uranium enrichment. DU is the material left behind after enrichment. Like the natural uranium ore, DU is radioactive. DU mainly emits alpha particle radiation. Alpha particles don’t have enough energy to go through skin. As a result, exposure to the outside of the body is not considered a serious hazard. However, if DU is ingested or inhaled, it is a serious health hazard. Alpha particles directly affect living cells and can cause kidney damage.”: https://www.epa.gov/radtown/depleted-uranium

    Quote; "All isotopes of uranium are radioactive. Both uranium and depleted uranium, and their immediate decay products, emit alpha and beta particles and a small amount of gamma radiation.

    Depletion of U-235 during processing leaves DU appreciably less radioactive than naturally occurring isotopic mixtures. It typically contains 30-40 per cent of the concentration of U-235 found in natural uranium, or about 0.2 to 0.3 per cent by weight. This means that the radioactivity of newly produced DU is only about 60 per cent of natural uranium.

    DU munitions collected in Kosovo also contained trace amounts of other radioactive elements, but they increase the overall radioactivity by less than one per cent.

    All natural uranium isotopes emit alpha particles – positively charged ions identical to the nucleus of a helium atom, with two protons and two neutrons. Their beta and gamma activity is low. Alpha particles are relatively large, and do not penetrate far in tissue – they are stopped by the skin, for example. This means uranium only poses a radiation hazard if it is breathed in, eaten or drunk, or enters part of the body exposed by injury*.": Depleted Uranium: 4. Does depleted uranium pose a radiation hazard?

    *Italics mine, I love this masterly downplaying of the hazards of d.u “only”.

    One dosimeter I can find specifically for shrooms and other forage retails at £255, however, detectors specifically for alpha particles seem much more difficult and costly to acquire.

    The thing we really need to know re: dosimeters is the necessary sensitivity (esp. re: alpha and beta emissions), for adequate testing of shrooms and/or their substrate/immediate environs… Does anyone here know?

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