VGT-1

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Depleted Uranium General Awareness Training
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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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Learning Objectives, cont.

• Recognize when additional protective measures
  are in order to keep exposures as low as
  reasonably achievable

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 [phone]
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Questions?
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Size of Contaminated Areas Amount of DU in
Each Area(Mixed with UXO)

• JPG 70,000 kilograms (77 tons) located within
  approximately 2000 acres

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JPG Background Information

• DU Operational Guidance and Conclusions

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Jefferson Proving Ground
DU AREA
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JPG Impact Area
Spent DU Penetrators
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UXO
Vegetation Impedes Recovery in Impact Areas.
(Area Shown at JPG.) Personnel are Exposed to
UXO Hazards.
DU
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DU PENETRATOR IN JPG IMPACT AREA
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Potential Health Risks

• Models, developed by National Laboratories, using
  Environmental Radiological Monitoring data show
  no significant potential health risks

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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

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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 ArmyTechnical
  Report, U.S. Army Environmental Policy Institute,
  June 1995.