Deposits of uranium or uranium compounds in the lungs are very dangerous due to alpha particle radiation. The lung cancer is a long term effect.
Uranium easy react with oxygen.
The important oxides are: UO2, U3O8, UO3, U2O7.
The alpha radiation of uranium and radon (evolved from uranium) can destroy the pulmonary alveoli inducing a lung cancer.
Formation of an alloy uranium-titanium.
you get cancer
I can only tell you about helium. If you inhale it, you will sound funny for a minute or so.
Formation of a uranium-mercury amalgam
Uranium ores are transformed in uranismoctoxide, uranium metal, uranium dioxide, ammonium diuranate, uranium tetrafluoride, uranium hexafluoride etc. Another step is to prepare uranium alloys, uranium dioxide sintered pellets, enriched uranium - in other plants.
you get wet uranium
The simple exposure to natural uranium is not so dangerous because the gamma radiation emitted is not so energetic and also it is auto-absorbed in the uranium material. The danger is to inhale or to ingest uranium compounds.
Nothing happens to me.. Yet
Formation of an alloy uranium-titanium.
you inhale it
You Die
you get cancer
I can only tell you about helium. If you inhale it, you will sound funny for a minute or so.
Nothing, if the uranium is non-irradiated.
Formation of a uranium-mercury amalgam
the chest cavity expands.
You become unconscious...temporally