william_b_noble wrote:

there was a mod to the L-1011 airplane that involved putting depleted
uranium weights as counterbalances on a couple of control arms - I wonder
what happens to those weights when the planes are decomissioned.

and, if you go to iraq, near the kuwait border, you will find a fair amount
of it from the desert storm campaign - of course it's a bit of a trip.



Some of the aircraft I have worked on over the years have had DU in
them as mass balance weights for flight controls.

It is relatively benign. We were under strict guidance to not drill,
grind, or otherwise alter the weights. There were procedures in place
that dealt with crash salvage and recovering the weights for disposal,
if it was required.

I am under the impression that the OP is suffering from a bad case of
ignorant, and perhaps should do his own homework to see if he really
wants to deal with the stuff. If he wants heavy, lead is probably his
best bet for safe and easy. Maybe solid tungsten, if he has the budget.

I expect that if the OP were in a position to actually require DU, he
would already know the risks vs. the benefits, as well as the sources.

Cheers
Trevor Jones