How dangerous is depleted uranium? On one hand, some environmental activists claim the material will continue to become more radioactive for a million years, leaving a toxic time bomb for future generations to deal with. On the other hand, EnergySolutions and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission say depleted uranium is no more dangerous than any other type of Class A waste — the lowest level of radioactive waste requiring special disposal.

As with most issues involving nuclear waste disposal, the truth likely lies somewhere between these diametric opposites. But getting at that truth will take time and hard science. That’s one reason why the state Radiation Control Board is considering a moratorium on allowing EnergySolutions to dispose of depleted uranium at its Clive facility. The board wants to make sure it understands this material well before allowing more of it into the state.

We say more because EnergySolutions has already accepted 49,000 tons of depleted uranium. And though the amount of depleted uranium accepted currently fills only one-tenth of 1 percent of the company’s disposal facility, according to company officials, a large amount of the material remains to be disposed of nationwide. That’s an enticing market for a company that has seen its revenues plummet recently.

We’re in favor of a temporary moratorium to study depleted uranium further with several conditions attached. One, the moratorium indeed needs to be temporary, for a set period of time, rather than an open-ended period that could become prolonged indefinitely by red tape and political gamesmanship. Second, the process must be objective and science-driven, with the predictable anti-nuclear rhetoric and the company’s public relations campaigns filtered out.

Given that depleted uranium is such a small portion of EnergySolutions’ business at present, the company shouldn’t mind a temporary moratorium on accepting that waste, particularly since going slow on this issue is in the interest of public safety. With the Nuclear Regulatory Commission considering new site-specific rules for the disposal of depleted uranium, the company’s opposition to a temporary moratorium would appear like an attempt to accept as much depleted uranium as possible before the rules of the game change.

EnergySolutions officials have gone on record as being in favor of increased study of depleted uranium by the state Radiation Control Board. They should take that spirit of scientific inquiry a step further by supporting a temporary moratorium if it’s warranted for further study of this relatively unknown material.