What is depleted plutonium used for?

It occurs very rarely in nature, and is mostly produced in nuclear reactors as a byproduct (or in so-called breeder reactors designed specifically to produce plutonium) and is used almost exclusively in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.

Why are depleted uranium rounds used?

Depleted uranium is used for tank armor, armor-piercing bullets, and as weights to help balance aircrafts. Depleted uranium is both a toxic chemical and radiation health hazard when inside the body.

Is depleted uranium better than tungsten?

Depleted uranium is (almost) as dense as tungsten and has an added advantage – from a military perspective – that it burns at the extreme temperatures generated as you punch your way through steel tank armour. That will often blow up any explosives in the tank.

Are depleted uranium rounds radioactive?

Depleted uranium is roughly 0.7 times as radioactive as natural uranium, and its high density makes it ideal for armor-piecing rounds such as the PGU-14 and certain tank shells. Whether exposure to depleted uranium causes adverse health effects has been debated.

What tank rounds use depleted uranium?

Ammunition. Most military use of depleted uranium has been as 30 mm ordnance, primarily the 30 mm PGU-14/B armour-piercing incendiary round from the GAU-8 Avenger cannon of the A-10 Thunderbolt II used by the United States Air Force.

What is the difference between depleted plutonium and depleted uranium?

Depleted plutonium isn’t a thing. Depleted uranium, on the other hand…. Depleted uranium is uranium with the most unstable isotopes removed. Naturally-occurring uranium is generally a mix of different isotopes, mainly U-235 and U-238. U-235 is more radioactive than U-238.

What is plutonium used for Today?

Plutonium is also used in some spacecraft (explorers travelling outside earth orbit) as a power source. Plutonium’s primary radioactive decay product is alpha rays. Alpha radiation cannot penetrate a sheet of paper, and human skin is more than enough protection against it.

Where does plutonium settle in the human body?

When in the blood stream, plutonium will settle in the liver and bones. Depleted Uranium is 40\% less radioactive than natural uranium and, like plutonium, emits primarily alpha radiation.

Why is depleted uranium used as a weapon?

Because it has 1.7 time the mass of lead, depleted uranium has been used as projectiles in certain types of weapons.