Reply #14: let's quantitatively consider DU that has been converted to dust

[treepig]

and dissolved in water.

first, let's consider how much uranium is ALLOWED to be in water:

"EPA promulgates final rule for Radionuclides in Drinking Water, including uranium standard of 30 micrograms per litre"

(more at http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/uregusa.html#EPADWRADFI )

now, let's consider how much water is drunk, to simplify let's only count bottled water:

"In 1990, 2.2 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States, nearly all of it produced domestically. By 2005, sales are projected to top 7.2 billion gallons."

(from http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/s/c_fea_water_bottle_backlash.html)


ok, 7.2 billion gallons is equivalent to 27.2 billion liters, and if each of these liters contained the allowed 30 micrograms of uranium, that means that americans willingly ingest up to 816 tonnes of uranium each year (or at least are projected to by 2005).

note that this information is for naturaluranium which, if anything, is more of a hazard than DU might be

now let's compare bottled water levels with exposure due to military use:

the total amount of DU expended in the first gulf war was around 320 tonnes or less than half of what americans can safely drink each year - and by all reports the gulf war DU is widely dispersed into the environment - very little has been intaken by people.

does it make any sense that minute amounts of DU in iraq can cause all kinds of mysterious ailments while much, much higher levels back home have failed to raise any outcry?