Uranium For Sale

[TGilbert]

I'm thinking about ordering some depleted uranium metal from this site:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?272462-Uranium-For-Sale

Does anyone know if there's a limit on the quantity of U-238 that a non-licensed individual can possess?

Thanks,
Todd

[thenukeman]

There are exempt sources you can have. If you have even one nonexempt source you have to have a radioactive materials license.  If you get seperate sources then you have to look at what total amount is allowed.  This can change based on other radionuclides you may have.  Then you have to look at a unity rule.  For example if you are allowed 10 units of Uranium but have 5 units of Cesium 137 with a possesion limit of also 10 units then you have 50 percent ofyour cesium limit then you can only get about 4.9 units of uranium to not exceed the unity or 100 percent limit.  If you exceed the unity limit then you have to have a radioactive materials license.

[TGilbert]

I don't understand the "units" of radioactivity. Let me make it more simple: Can I legally buy the 30-gram vial of U-238 from this website?

[HydroDave63]

Nope.

Assuming that the item in the pictures is really DU as a byproduct of processing, the seller should not have received it, and can't transfer it except to another licensee.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part030/part030-0041.html

If you want U-238 bearing ore from eBay to get clicks on a 'radiation detector', that is legit because as unprocessed mineral, it is considered Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material.

Once material has been processed, the exempt quantities are listed here:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part030/part030-0071.html

Hence the tritium in gun sights is well below those exempt limits, but you don't see U-238 or other long-lived alpha emitters for a reason.

[TGilbert]

Well, that certainly makes it clear. I wonder how this site gets away with it?

http://www.armygasmasks.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AAAGAS-151

[TGilbert]

I just noticed that the "sales thread" from the original site I posted (cpfmarketplace) has been removed. It just disappeared!

[HydroDave63]

Well, that certainly makes it clear. I wonder how this site gets away with it?

http://www.armygasmasks.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AAAGAS-151

Cost/benefit. They are selling the DU at a price higher than crack. The cool factor attracts a lot more curious folks with money, vs. the slim chance some eggheads on a nuclear website know that this is a bad deal.

[TGilbert]

But how do they get away with selling it if it's not legal to sell or own it?

[thenukeman]

If I remember right a Curie of Uranium 238 is about  2 tons.  So if you do the math this is about 2000 kilograms this is 500 milligrams or half a gram.  So multiply by 2 for egual a gram, 2000 for kilograms and 1000 for the Kilo  in Kilo grams gives you about 4 million 500 milligram units. you can divide this into curies to get your microcuries which is about 55 microcuries, Exempt  is 100  microcuries, but hey its rough math , I am not turning this in for a grade.
So it looks ok.  Waiting for peer review and  punishment, Just got  back from opening day at Dollywood Splash country so brain may be fried!!!!   

[GLW]

But how do they get away with selling it if it's not legal to sell or own it?

It may be legal, depleted uranium is a source material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

The exemptions, general and specific license conditions, Form 244's, et al (mostly) are found in 10CFR40.

Good luck with that, you need to know exactly what you are getting into to try and get yourself title/custody to/of DU.

More importantly, why would you?!?!?!

From the advertisement:

This 1/2 gram Uranium sample is comprised of roughly 99.8% U-238 and about .2% U-235 with trace amounts of other isotopes. Would be great for testing Geiger counters, displaying on a shelf, or scaring your friends and family.[/b]

Nobody on these boards can make you qualified to know what you are doing with this stuff through an internet forum.

Scaring your friends and family?!?!?!

Are these people selling it just stupid?!?!?

Who is going to assure that little 3YO cousin Mandy doesn't gulp a bottle or two down 'cause it looks like a miniature soda pop bottle?!?!?

How they have it and how they can offer it for sale is their problem,...

My (and everybody here's) best advice is don't make it yours,....don't even worry about it,...

The stupid will be punished,...

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