[toddst]

Imagine the fuss if we used lead or mercury (or other heavy metals) in our munitions ... ;-)

Don't we use lead in munitions? I thought all standard small-arms bullets were lead core with guilding metal extreriors. Lead dust is essentually the same in potential for harm as depleted uranium (heavy-metal dust.) Sounds like much fuss about nothing.

[Blueflag]

My point exactly -- people 'fear' radioactivity because they are ignorant of its actions and lethalities.

High levels of heavy metals in the metabolism of any homeotherm (warm-blooded animal) are ALWAYS harmful, so yes, lead, mercury, most of the "unobtaniums" in munitions are all bad stuff in the environment. But, I would bet you that the millions of batteries we throw away in our trash are far worse tha all the munitions spilt on the earth.

If folks really understood how TOXIC plutonium is, they would understand the real and persistent threat of a 'dirty' bomb. Makes arsenic look like a piker.