Uranium

238.029

238.05100

231-170-6

4OC371KSTK|5PI36AS4G7

2979

DTXSID1042522

C86020

Silver-white, malleable, ductile, lustrous solid|Silver-white, lustrous, radioactive metal|Silvery white, orthorhombic

28441000

0

0.00000

Colorless liquid with a strong, acrid, pungent odor.

19.1 g/cm³

1135 °C

4131 °C

Insoluble

Finely divided uranium metal is highly reactive or pyrophoric, capable of igniting spontaneously. This type of material should be handled and stored in a manner that minimizes fire potential. Typically, machining chips are stored under water or machining oil in open storage containers so that any H2 generated does not accumulate.

0 mmHg (approx)

19.05 (metal)

Metal: Combustible Solid, especially turnings and powder.

Uranium is pyrophoric .

Uranium never occurs in its elemental state but, rather, is always combined with other elements in approximately 150 known minerals.|Metal not as hard as steel; ductile, malleable, can be melted & extruded at high temperatures; takes high polish after cold working.|Strongly electropositive; poor conductor of electricity; heat capacity 6.6 cal/mol/deg C; dense solid; forms solid solution with molybdenum, niobium, titanium, zirconium; metal reacts with nearly all nonmetals; heat of fusion: 4.7 kcal/mole|Pure uranium metal is very reactive as a strong reducing agent.|For more Other Experimental Properties (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (12 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Minimum ignition temperature: 20 °C, 68 °F (cloud); 100 °C, 212 °F (layer).

Metal: Combustible Solid, especially turnings and powder.

446.7 kJ/mol

7

UN 3264 8/PG 3

3

20-34-53-33-26/28

26-36/37/39-45-61-20/21

YR3490000

T+

In air the metal becomes coated with a layer of oxide.

P260, P264, P270, P271, P273, P284, P301+P310, P304+P340, P310, P314, P320, P321, P330, P403+P233, P405, P501

H300

SRP: The most favorable course of action is to use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational exposure or environmental contamination. Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in soil or water; effects on animal, aquatic, and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations.|Disposal of ... wastes /containing uranium/ should follow guidelines set forth by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Uranium reacts with incandescence with hot selenium or sulfur (boiling).|Uranium ignites spontaneously if chlorine is heated to 150 °C.|Electrolytic uranium, as fine powder, is vigorously attacked by fluorine, and burns. Uranium ignites spontaneously in cold fluorine.|Uranium ignites in warm nitric oxide.|For more Hazardous Reactivities and Incompatibilities (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (15 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

DHHS/ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for Uranium (PB/99/163362) (September 1999)

Flammable - 3rd degree, Reactive - 3rd degree

|Danger|H300: Fatal if swallowed [Danger Acute toxicity, oral]|P260, P264, P270, P271, P273, P284, P301+P310, P304+P340, P310, P314, P320, P321, P330, P403+P233, P405, and P501|H300 (100%): Fatal if swallowed [Danger Acute toxicity, oral]|Aggregated GHS information provided by 47 companies from 3 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.|H250: Catches fire spontaneously if exposed to air [Danger Pyrophoric liquids; Pyrophoric solids]|P201, P202, P210, P222, P260, P264, P270, P280, P281, P302+P334, P307+P311, P308+P313, P314, P321, P370+P378, P405, P422, and P501

Personal protective equipment (respirators, protective clothing, footwear, etc) should be used by workers exposed to aerosols and to the hazard of radioactive skin contamination and systemic arrangements should be made for cleaning the skin & protective equipment. /Uranium, alloys and compound/|Wear appropriate personal protective clothing to prevent skin contact. /Uranium (insoluble compounds, as U)/|Wear appropriate eye protection to prevent eye contact. /Uranium (insoluble compounds, as U)/|Eyewash fountains should be provided in areas where there is any possibility that workers could be exposed to the substance; this is irrespective of the recommendation involving the wearing of eye protection. /Uranium (insoluble compounds, as U)/|For more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (8 total), please visit the HSDB record page.|(See protection codes)

A very dangerous fire hazard in the form of a solid or dust when exposed to heat or flame.|Ignites in oxygen at about 170 °C; the ignition temperature depends on state of subdivision of metal. Burns in air at 150-175 °C with formation of U3O8.|(Powder) Dangerous fire risk, ignites spontaneously in air.|Uranium metal dust cloud will ignite at ordinary temperatures ... complete coverage of uranium metal scrap with oil is essential for prevention of fire; burning under supervision of all finely divided uranium metal before accumulation occurs is essential.|Finely divided U metal and some U compounds may ignite spontaneously in air or oxygen. /Uranium compounds/

Minimum explosive concn /for dust/ 60 g/cu m|A dust cloud of uranium metal dust may ignite explosively at ordinary temperatures.|Uranium is pyrophoric ...

If material on fire or involved in fire: Contact the local, state, or Department of Energy radiological response team. Do not use water. Use graphite, soda ash, powdered sodium chloride, or suitable dry powder. /Uranium metal scrap not irradiated nor requiring protective shielding (Uranium metal, pyrophoric)/|Protection: Keep upwind. ... Wear appropriate chemical protective clothing. Wear positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus. /Uranium metal scrap not irradiated nor requiring protective shielding. (Uranium metal, pyrophoric)/|... Barium used as uranium fire extinguisher.|Graphite chips and /fire/ blankets should be used when fighting fires; speed is essential.|For more Fire Fighting Procedures (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

In most cases of contamination of equipment and buildings, a mixture of normal housecleaning methods will remove the material. Vacuum cleaners that can handle wet material and have high-efficiency filters are particularly useful. Some surfaces may require repeated scrubbing and vacuuming before they are free of contamination. /Radioactive materials/

Personnel protection: Keep upwind. Avoid breathing dusts & fumes from burning material. ... Do not handle broken packages unless wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. Wash away any material which may have contacted the body with copious amt of water or soap & water. Evacuation: Keep unnecessary people out of incident area until area declared safe by radiological response team. /Uranium metal scrap not irradiated nor requiring protective shielding (Uranium metal, pyrophoric)/|If material not on fire & not involved in fire: Contact the local, state or Department of Energy radiological response team. Do not use water. Keep sparks, flames, and other sources of ignition away. Keep material out of water sources & sewers. Keep material dry. Do not attempt to sweep up dry material. /Uranium metal scrap not irradiated nor requiring protective shielding (Uranium metal, pyrophoric)/|SRP: Contaminated protective clothing should be segregated in such a manner so that there is no direct personal contact by personnel who handle, dispose, or clean the clothing. Quality assurance to ascertain the completeness of the cleaning procedures should be implemented before the decontaminated protective clothing is returned for reuse by the workers.|SRP: The scientific literature for the use of contact lenses in industry is conflicting. The benefit or detrimental effects of wearing contact lenses depend not only upon the substance, but also on factors including the form of the substance, characteristics and duration of the exposure, the uses of other eye protection equipment, and the hygiene of the lenses. However, there may be individual substances whose irritating or corrosive properties are such that the wearing of contact lenses would be harmful to the eye. In those specific cases, contact lenses should not be worn. In any event, the usual eye protection equipment should be worn even when contact lenses are in place.|For more Preventive Measures (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (16 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

/GUIDE 162: RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (LOW TO MODERATE LEVEL RADIATION)/ Health: Radiation presents minimal risk to transport workers, emergency response personnel and the public during transportation accidents. Packaging durability increases as potential hazard of radioactive content increases. Undamaged packages are safe. Contents of damaged packages may cause higher external radiation exposure, or both external and internal radiation exposure if contents are released. Low radiation hazard when material is inside container. If material is released from package or bulk container, hazard will vary from low to moderate. Level of hazard will depend on the type and amount of radioactivity, the kind of material it is in, and/or the surfaces it is on. Some material may be released from packages during accidents of moderate severity but risks to people are not great. Released radioactive materials or contaminated objects usually will be visible if packaging fails. Some exclusive use shipments of bulk and packaged materials will not have "RADIOACTIVE" labels. Placards, markings and shipping papers provide identification. Some packages may have a "RADIOACTIVE" label and a second hazard label. The second hazard is usually greater than the radiation hazard; so follow this GUIDE as well as the response GUIDE for the second hazard class label. Some radioactive materials cannot be detected by commonly available instruments. Runoff from control of cargo fire may cause low-level pollution. /Uranium metal, pyrophoric/|/GUIDE 162: RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (LOW TO MODERATE LEVEL RADIATION)/ Fire or Explosion: Some of these materials may burn, but most do not ignite readily. ... /Uranium metal, pyrophoric/|/GUIDE 162: RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (LOW TO MODERATE LEVEL RADIATION)/ Public Safety: CALL Emergency Response Telephone Number ... . Priorities for rescue, life-saving, first aid, fire control and other hazards are higher than the priority for measuring radiation levels. Radiation Authority must be notified of accident conditions. Radiation Authority is usually responsible for decisions about radiological consequences and closure of emergencies. As an immediate precautionary measure, isolate spill or leak area for at least 25 meters (75 feet) in all directions. Stay upwind. Keep unauthorized personnel away. Detain or isolate uninjured persons or equipment suspected to be contaminated; delay decontamination and cleanup until instructions are received from Radiation Authority. /Uranium metal, pyrophoric/|/GUIDE 162: RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (LOW TO MODERATE LEVEL RADIATION)/ Protective Clothing: Positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and structural firefighters' protective clothing will provide adequate protection. /Uranium metal, pyrophoric/|For more DOT Emergency Guidelines (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (8 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Regulating the safety of ... shipments /of radioactive materials/ is the joint responsibility of the NRC and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The NRC establishes requirements for the design and manufacture of packages for radioactive materials. The DOT regulates the shipments while they are in transit and sets standards for labeling these packages and for smaller quantity packages.

Uranium is a common naturally occurring and radioactive substance. It is a normal part of rocks, soil, air, and water, and it occurs in nature in the form of minerals – but never as a metal. Uranium metal is silver-colored with a gray surface and is nearly as strong as steel. Natural uranium is a mixture of three types or isotopes called U-234/234U, U-235/235U and U-238/238U. All three are the same chemical, but they have different radioactive properties.Typical concentrations in soil are a few parts per million ppm. Some rocks contain high enough mineral concentrations of uranium to be mined. The rocks are taken to a chemical plant where the uranium is taken out and made into uranium chemicals or metal. The remaining sand is called mill tailings. Tailings are rich in the chemicals and radioactive materials that were not removed, such as radium and thorium.One of the radioactive properties of uranium is half-life, or the time it takes for half of the isotope to give off its radiation and change into another substance. The half-lives are very long around 200,000 years for234U, 700 million years for235U, and 5 billion years for238U. This is why uranium still exists in nature and has not all decayed away.The isotope235U is useful as a fuel in powerplants and weapons. To make fuel, natural uranium is separated into two portions. The fuel portion has more235U than normal and is called enriched uranium. The leftover portion with less235U than normal is called depleted uranium, or DU. Natural, depleted, and enriched uranium are chemically identical. Du is the least radioactive and enriched uranium the most.|Uranium, radium, and radon are naturally occurring radionuclides found in the environment. No information is available on the acute (short-term) noncancer effects of the radionuclides in humans. Animal studies have reported inflammatory reactions in the nasal passages and kidney damage from acute inhalation exposure to uranium. Chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure to uranium and radon in humans has been linked to respiratory effects, such as chronic lung disease, while radium exposure has resulted in acute leukopenia, anemia, necrosis of the jaw, and other effects. Cancer is the major effect of concern from the radionuclides. Radium, via oral exposure, is known to cause bone, head, and nasal passage tumors in humans, and radon, via inhalation exposure, causes lung cancer in humans. Uranium may cause lung cancer and tumors of the lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues. EPA has not classified uranium, radon or radium for carcinogenicity.

Populations susceptible to uranium toxicosis would include people with impaired renal function. People with stomach ulcers are thought to have elevated absorption of some toxic metals and might be unusually susceptible to uranium toxicity.|Humans who excrete acidic urine may be more sensitive to uranium-induced kidney injury.

Uranium never occurs in its elemental state but, rather, is always combined with other elements in about 150 known minerals.

... In producing uranium metal briquettes or in the hot-rolling of uranium rods ...|Uranium or insoluble compounds can affect the body if they are inhaled or if they come in contact with the eyes or skin. They can affect the body if they are swallowed. /Uranium and insoluble cmpd (as Uranium)/|Human exposure to uranium occurs primarily in the workplace by inhaling dust and other small particles. Exposure to insoluble uranium oxides and uranium metal via inhalation results in retention of these forms of uranium in the lungs and other tissues with little excretion in the urine(1).

Absorption of uranium is low by all exposure routes (inhalation, oral, and dermal).|Uranium workers exposed to high levels of uranium dust had a very low lung burden of uranium, indicating that only a small fraction penetrates into the alveolar region and remains there without being cleared (or being very slowly cleared) via retrograde tracheobronchial mucus transport to the gastrointestinal tract, into lymph nodes, or dissolved into the circulating blood. /Uranium dusts/|The distribution of uranium metal implanted in muscle has been investigated in rats. In these experiments, pellets of depleted uranium were implanted into the gastrocnemius muscle and uranium levels were measured in kidney, muscle, liver, spleen, brain, serum and bone at 1 day and at 6, 12, 18 months after implantation. Within 1 day uranium was measurable in kidney and bone but not in the other tissues. At later time points, significant amounts of uranium were found in the other tissues, although levels were always highest in the kidney and bone./Depleted uranium/|Based on measurements in some uranium plants, estimates have been made that only 1-5% of uranium-containing dust will penetrate to the pulmonary region. The rest will be deposited in the upper respiratory tract & will eventually be swallowed. /Uranium-containing dust/|For more Absorption, Distribution and Excretion (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Biodistribution of elements in human adults: Uranium, Retention half-time > or + 20 years /From table/

(See procedures)

Basic treatment: Establish a patent airway. Suction if necessary. Watch for signs of respiratory insufficiency and assist ventilations if needed. Administer oxygen by nonrebreather mask at 10 to 15 L/min. Monitor for pulmonary edema and treat if necessary ... . Monitor for shock and treat if necessary ... . Anticipate seizures and treat if necessary ... . For eye contamination, flush eyes immediately with water. Irrigate each eye continuously with normal saline during transport ... . Do not use emetics. For ingestion, rinse mouth and administer 5 ml/kg up to 200 ml of water for dilution if the patient can swallow, has a strong gag reflex, and does not drool ... . Cover skin burns with dry sterile dressings after decontamination ... . /Poison A and B/|Advanced treatment: Consider orotracheal or nasotracheal intubation for airway control in the patient who is unconscious, has severe pulmonary edema, or is in respiratory arrest. Positive pressure ventilation techniques with a bag valve mask device may be beneficial. Monitor cardiac rhythm and treat arrhythmias as necessary ... . Start an IV with D5W /SRP: "To keep open", minimal flow rate/. Use lactated Ringer's if signs of hypovolemia are present. Watch for signs of fluid overload. Consider drug therapy for pulmonary edema ... . For hypotension with signs of hypovolemia, administer fluid cautiously. Watch for signs of fluid overload ... . Treat seizures with diazepam (Valium) ... . Use proparacaine hydrochloride to assist eye irrigation ... . /Poison A and B/|Monitoring of accidental uranium exposures and its effects on the kidney is accomplished by measurement of the uranium excreted in the urine and abnormalities in the clinical urinalyses . Glucose and albumin in urine are among the most sensitive indicators of kidney damage. ...Urinary excretion of gamma-glutamyltransferase /has been found/ to be the most sensitive indicator. These various indicators of renal injury can be assessed within a few hours of exposure to dose levels of at least 0.1 mg of uranium/kg.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ No dermatitis problems relating to uranium itself have been found in a 2 1/2 yr study of a plant processing uranium ore to form uranium hexafluoride.|/CASE REPORTS/ A small cohort of Gulf War veterans involved in friendly fire incidents where DU shells (penetrators) were used is being followed prospectively to assess the health effects from inhalation, wound contamination, and systemic absorption of retained DU metal fragments. A group of 33 soldiers was first evaluated in 1993/1994 ... They had elevated concentrations of urinary uranium, and mean urine uranium excretion was significantly higher in soldiers with retained metal fragments compared to those without fragments (4.47 vs. 0.03 ug/g creatinine). No evidence of a relationship between urine uranium and abnormal renal function could be demonstrated. In a subsequent follow-up of the same cohort, 29 of the original 33 were examined in 1997 and their results compared to 38 non-DU exposed, but Gulf War deployed soldiers. The correlation between 1994 and 1997 24-hr urinary uranium determinations was highly significant (Rsq = 0.8623) and urine uranium was again correlated with the presence of retained DU fragments. Exposed soldiers (with and without fragments) had 24-hr urinary uranium results ranging from 0.01 to 30.74 ug/g creatinine, whereas the nonexposed group's results ranged from 0.01 to 0.047 ug/g creatinine. The persistence of elevated uranium excretion suggests ongoing mobilization from a storage depot and results in chronic systemic exposure. Again, no renal abnormalities were found but neurocognitive examinations demonstrated a statistical relationship between urine uranium levels and lowered performance on computerized tests assessing performance efficiency. Elevated urinary uranium was also statistically related to a high prolactin level (> 1.6 ng/mL; p = .04). Uranium was also detected in the semen of 5 of 17 exposed veterans, but in none of 5 nonexposed veterans ... These findings ... document elevated urinary uranium excretion and small, but measurable, biochemical effects on the neuroendocrine and central nervous systems 7 yr after first exposure. /Depleted uranium/|/EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES/ ... a cohort of 18,869 white men ... had been employed between 1943 and 1947 at a uranium conversion and enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, and /were/ followed-up until 1974. Workers in certain departments (especially chemical workers) were exposed to high average air concentrations of uranium dust (up to 500 ug/cu m of air in 1945). In comparison with mortality rates for white men in the USA, the standard mortality ratios for various causes in the entire cohort were generally < 1.00. After correction for unascertained deaths and missing death certificates, the SMR for lung cancer was 1.22 (95% CI, 1.10-1.36). Adequate data on smoking habits were not available in this study. The SMRs for various causes, including lung cancer, did not tend to be higher among 8345 workers who were employed in areas where uranium dust was present or among 4008 of these 8345 workers who were employed for one year or longer at the plant. /Uranium dust/|/EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES/ The association between exposure to uranium dust and death from lung cancer was investigated among workers who had been employed for at least 183 days in any of four /U.S./ uranium processing or fabrication plants ... . Among workers who had potentially been followed-up for at least 30 years, 787 deaths from lung cancer were identified from death certificates. One control was matched to each case on race, sex and birth and hire dates within three years. Health physicists estimated the annual doses to the lung from exposure primarily to insoluble uranium compounds for each person ... . The odds ratios for death from lung cancer for seven groupings of the cumulative internal dose to the lung showed no increase in risk with increasing dose. There was a suggestion of an effect of exposure for workers who had been hired at the age of 45 years or older. Further analyses with the cumulative external doses of thorium, radium and radon did not reveal a clear association between exposure and increased risk, nor did categorization of the workers by facility ... . /Uranium dust/|For more Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (12 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Uranium

inhalation, ingestion, skin and/or eye contact

dermatitis; kidney damage; blood changes; ; In Animals: lung, lymph node damage; Potential for cancer is a result of alpha-emitting properties & radioactive decay products (e.g., radon). [potential occupational carcinogen]

Renal (Urinary System or Kidneys)|Skin, kidneys, bone marrow, lymphatic system

Powder (99.7%)|Available from Cerac, Inc as -60 mesh.|Naturally occurring uranium contains 99.2745% by wt uranium-238, 0.720% uranium-235, and 0.0055% uranium-234.

Uranium: ACTIVE|Uranium never occurs in its elemental state but, rather, is always combined with other elements in about 150 known minerals.|The term depleted uranium (DU) signifies that uranium-235 has been removed and that it is essentially all uranium-238. DU is a by-product of uranium enrichment processes... .|Typically, the percentage concentration by weight of the uranium isotopes in depleted uranium used for military purposes is: uranium-238: 99.8%; uranium-235: 0.2%; and uranium-234: 0.001%.

In neutron activation analysis, the uranium ... can be determined by a number of nuclear techniques incl: direct alpha-counting, delayed neutron counting, fission track counting, nuclear activation techniques utilizing (239)Np (a daughter of (239)uranium), several different fission products of (235)uranium, & a number of procedures using the nuclear reaction. ...|The uranium ... content of a sample can be determined by fluorometry, alpha-spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, X-ray microanalysis with a scanning-transmission electron microscope, mass spectrometry, and by cathodic stripping voltammetry ... For uranium isotope analysis inductively coupled plasmas (ICP) may also be used.|Method: EPA-NERL 200.8; Procedure: inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry; Analyte: uranium; Matrix: ground waters, surface waters, and drinking water, and total recoverable elements in these waters as well as wastewaters, sludges, and soils samples; Detection Limit: 0.1 ug/L.|Method: EPA-NERL 200.10; Procedure: inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry; Analyte: uranium; Matrix: trace elements in marine waters, including estuarine water, seawater, and brines; Detection Limit: 0.03 ug/L.|For more Analytic Laboratory Methods (Complete) data for URANIUM, ELEMENTAL (9 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Chemical Classes -> Inorganic substances, Radionuclides (radioactive materials)|Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)|Fire Hazards -> Flammable - 3rd degree, Reactive - 3rd degree