Moldova seizes radioactive uranium - Democratic Underground

Tripmann

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Tue Aug-24-10 02:49 PM
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Moldova seizes radioactive uranium

Source: Irish times

Police in the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova have seized 1.8 kg radioactive uranium in a garage in the capital and have arrested several people, government officials said today.

The substance was sent for tests in the United States which showed it to be uranium-238, Igor Volnitchii, a top state adviser to the government, said.

"A group of criminals involved in uranium smuggling planned to sell it abroad," Mr Volnitchii said. A value of €9 million was put on the haul.

He said three people had been arrested and several others were being sought. Two members of the group were former police officers.

Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0824/breaking66.html

Nice catch!

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slackmaster

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Tue Aug-24-10 02:52 PM
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1. If it's got a higher concentration of U-238 than natural uranium, then it's

DU.

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Hawkeye-X

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Tue Aug-24-10 03:01 PM
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2. The United States must have deported Orly back..

She is radioactive.

Hawkeye-X

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Mustellus

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Tue Aug-24-10 03:23 PM
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3. Depleted Uranium is vitrually worthless....

U-238 is the non-fissile isotope. We have made huge quantities of it extracting the fissile isotope, U-236. Depleted uranium is used as cannon shells, since its heavier than lead (and causes all kinds of problems for the survivors in countries which we have shot full of this stuff). Its also used for counterweights in aircraft.. But you can't make a bomb with it. You can't poison people with it.

And if the bad guys were trying to get 9 million euros.. they have them for fraud, certainly!

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Heywood J

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Tue Aug-24-10 05:47 PM
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4. It's still a heavy metal.

I'd venture to say you could poison people with it. Ask the people of Fallujah.

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slackmaster

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Tue Aug-24-10 05:56 PM
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5. 1.8 Kg of uranium would be a ball about the size of a small tangerine

Edited on Tue Aug-24-10 05:57 PM by slackmaster

A decent "car stopper" for pedestrians who have to cross at busy intersections.

My cousin's husband works for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He has a chunk of DU at least that big, that he's managed to have shipped internationally in containers without detection. His research is kind of scary.

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WhiteTara

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Tue Aug-24-10 07:03 PM
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6. welcome to DU

:hi:

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