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Depleted Uranium General Awareness Training

Depleted Uranium General Awareness Training. Learning Objectives:. At the completion of this lesson, you will. Be able to respond safely and effectively to depleted uranium (DU) on the Jefferson Proving Ground Initiate communications with the JPG Fish and Wildlife Service office.

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Depleted Uranium General Awareness Training

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  1. Depleted Uranium General Awareness Training JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  2. Learning Objectives: At the completion of this lesson, you will • Be able to respond safely and effectively to depleted uranium (DU) on the Jefferson Proving Ground • Initiate communications with the JPG Fish and Wildlife Service office JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  3. Learning Objectives, cont.: • Recognize when additional protective measures are in order to keep exposures as low as reasonably achievable JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  4. DU Composition: Depleted uranium (DU) is • a heavy metal, almost twice as dense as lead • produced by refining and processing natural uranium • 40% less radioactive than natural uranium JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  5. Radioisotopes of Depleted Uranium • Uranium-234 Half Life is 247,000 yrs. • Uranium-235 Half Life is 710,000,000 yrs. • Uranium-238 Half Life is 4,500,000,000 yrs. JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  6. Routes of Exposure: Regulatory safety standards may potentially be exceeded if DU is internalized into the human body: • Accidental inhalation. Example: when near actively burning fires that involve DU contamination areas JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  7. Routes of Exposure: • Regulatory safety standards may potentially be exceeded if DU is internalized into the human body: • Accidental ingestion. For example, if contaminated vegetation is consumed • Accidental contamination of wound with DU JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  8. Operational Guidance: • Personnel exposure to DU is not expected as long as the penetrators are not handled or disturbed in any way • Avoid known sites of DU contamination JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  9. Operational Guidance • When finding a penetrator or parts of a penetrator, leave the penetrator alone and notify the NFWS Office of its location • When near actively burning fires that involve the restricted area, stay at least 50 meters away JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  10. Operational Guidance: • If a person is inadvertantly exposed to a DU fragment while in the wildlife refuge notify the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge Telephone (812) 273-0783 JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  11. Questions? JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  12. Size of Contaminated Areas Amount of DU in Each Area(Mixed with UXO) JPG: 70,000 kilograms (77 tons) located within approximately 2000 acres JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  13. JPG Background Information DU Operational Guidance and Conclusions JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  14. Jefferson Proving Ground DU AREA JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  15. JPG Impact Area Spent DU Penetrators JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  16. UXO Vegetation Impedes Recovery in Impact Areas. (Area Shown at JPG.) Personnel are Exposed to UXO Hazards. DU JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  17. DU PENETRATOR IN JPG IMPACT AREA JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  18. Potential Health Risks • Models, developed by National Laboratories, using Environmental Radiological Monitoring data show no significant potential health risks JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  19. Conclusions • Soil contamination in limited areas is above NRC guidelines for unrestricted use • Monitoring to date indicates minimal DU migration • More study is needed to determine how DU behaves in the environment JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

  20. Health Risk Conclusion • Groundwater at JPG was analyzed; no DU was detected. • While there are no data that can be used directly to establish human cancer risk to low level radiation. • There is general agreement that radiation exposure models do not underestimate the risk. • Source:Health and Environmental Consequences of Depleted Uranium Use in the Army:Technical Report, U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute, June 1995. JPG TRNG 5-8 June 2000

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