Would you want to live near a vein of uranium?

Uranium, Depleted Uranium, Enriched Uranium

Uranium is a metallic chemical element with the symbol U and the atomic number 92. It was named after the planet Uranus. It occurs naturally in the mineral pitchblende and many other minerals; particularly uraninite. Its distribution around the world is fairly uniform. It is radioactive, and isotope ²³⁵U is used for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Uranium is toxic, but ²³⁵U is found in small amounts in animals, plants, water, rocks and soil without harm. Refined uranium is very dense, but it is not strongly radioactive. In contact with the air it gains a coat of uranium oxide.

²³⁵U is the only fissile isotope that occurs naturally; ²³⁸U is formed by bombarding ²³²Thorium with neutrons. ²³⁸U is also used to make plutonium for nuclear weapons; ²³⁹Pu. Uranium was used in the Manhattan Project and on the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The later bombs used plutonium.

²³⁹Pu is usually manufactured in nuclear reactors by exposing ²³⁸U to neutron radiation which turns some of it into ²³⁹U; two beta decays soon produce ²³⁹Pu. The ²³⁹Pu and the remaining ²³⁸U and any other isotopes of other elements are then separated chemically. Reactor-grade plutonium contains at most 80% ²³⁹Pu. Whilst a commercial reactor using unenriched uranium can be used to produce uranium, most need to shut down for weeks to change fuel elements, and unsuitable mixes of the isotopes are produced. Such reactors may be shut down more frequently, or have mechanisms for swapping ²³⁸U slugs frequently, so the IAEA inspects them frequently. The RBMK and CANDU types of commercial processor can refuel without shutdowns. In designs which cater for refueling like this, it is not possible to fully contain the reactor, which led to the Chernobyl accident being far worse than it might otherwise have been. Canadian Candu nuclear power reactors use natural unenriched uranium.

Uranium has been used to add a yellow or green tint to glass and ceramic glazes. It is also used for radiometric dating and some chemical uses. Phosphate fertilizers may be contaminated with natural uranium.

Understandably, countries keep tight control over their uranium mines and reserves.

Uranium ores emit radon gas, making mining hazardous.

Concentrated uranium from mines is called yellowcake, as it used to be yellow with a cake-like consistency. With modern methods it tends to be green or black. It is mostly uranium oxide (U308).

Depleted Uranium

Depleted Uranium is almost entirely ²³⁸U, with only a little ²³⁵U. It is very dense, so some militaries used it to shield tanks and for bullets, missiles and other penetrating weapons. It may also be used as counterweights in helicopters and airplanes.

Enriched Uranium

Enriched Uranium has a higher proportion of ²³⁵U than normal. It is used to power nuclear ships and submarines. It is also used in nuclear weapons. Most commercial nuclear power plants are only slightly enriched.

Texas Family Fights Uranium Mining

The U.S. Environmental Protection Administration has condemned the water that five generations of an extended family has been drinking because of high uranium levels. They are told that it is natural seepage from a vein of uranium that runs near their well. They believe that it is due to the mining that has been carried out nearby for the past 20 years, and want it stopped.

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Would you want to live near a vein of uranium?

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