What is depleted uranium? Why is it considered low-level radioactive waste?
Depleted uranium is created when natural uranium is enriched to increase the concentration of Uranium-235. Uranium slightly enriched in Uranium-235 is used as fuel in nuclear reactors in the United States. The waste-product from this enrichment process is depleted uranium. Depleted uranium can be fed back through the process multiple times until it is uneconomical to extract any more Uranium-235. There are many uses for depleted uranium because of its physical characteristics and its relatively low radiological hazard. Stockpiles of depleted uranium have been maintained for a variety of reasons, including the potential for new enrichment processes that would allow more Uranium-235 to be retrieved from the depleted uranium. However, at some point, the depleted uranium may be declared, by the entity possessing it, to have no foreseeable use. At that point, the depleted uranium, whether it was stockpiled material or had been used in some product such as ballast or military ammunition, bec
