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Year:
2001
| Volume: 9
| Issue: 4
| Pages: 251-255
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Original Article |
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DEPLETED URANIUM IN THE ENVIRONMENT – AN ISSUE OF CONCERN?
Peter STEGNAR, Ljudmila BENEDIK |
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DOI:
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Abstract: |
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The paper deals with depleted uranium as a potential contamination agent of the environment. A military use of depleted uranium is briefly discussed and an exposure to DU in relation to its radiological and chemical toxicity is described as well. Some of the modern analytical methods for the determination of uranium radioisotopes are presented together with a short description of the IAEA Mission to Kosovo in 1999. From the article it may be concluded that the depleted uranium has no acute risk on the environment, and that a theoretical cancer risk due to DU contamination is much smaller than that from natural radiation. However, in the future actions a reliable radioecologi- cal assessment and dose estimates should be carried out. Health-effect assessment should be made in heavily contaminated areas, if any. In the occupational hygiene area, monitoring before and after deployment of personnel should be conducted, the DU activities should be properly documented, dose estimates should also be made jointly with reliable health statistics records. |
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Key words:
Uranium; Environmental Exposure; Radioactive Pollutants; Health; Chemistry, Analytical; Yugoslavia |
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