[ RadSafe ] Re: Imaginary Toxicity

[jjcohen at prodigy.net]

    Otto has suggested a concept that could be of great value in dealing
with hazardous materials;
namely, that of "Imaginary Toxicity" (IT). Normally, such measures as
LD-50's, TLV',s, and ALI,s  are used to evaluate the degree of hazard
associated with a hazardous substance. However, laws and regulations
controlling use of such materials are often, if not mostly, based upon their
IT. Substances where there is a wide divergence between IT and actual degree
of hazard include such items as: Pu, PCB, ALAR, Tritium, and most
pesticides. Whereas actual toxicity, or hazard, must be determined in
laboratories ,  epidemiological studies, or similar laborious processes, IT
could be assessed simply by polling experts on the subject including:
journalists, politicians, and the general public. Laws and regulations could
then be more accurately devised to reflect their IT, or degree of dread
associated with each material. Details on how IT could be applied would need
to be worked out, but it might be worth a try since other approaches seem to
have failed so dismally.
Jerry Cohen




----- Original Message -----
From: "Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe at ucdavis.edu>
To: "John R Johnson" <idias at interchange.ubc.ca>; "Baumbaugh, Joel SPAWAR"
<joel.baumbaugh at navy.mil>; <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 2:07 PM
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Pu-239 famous chemical toxitity


> September 8, 2005
>
> A "toxin" is a poisonous protein of biological origin, so metallic
> plutonium definitely is not a "toxin".
>
> The question should be, "Is plutonium-239 a toxicant." It might be a heavy
> metal kidney blocker like uranium, but since it is an alpha emitter with
> about  60 millicuries per gram, its potential radioactive damage to
> biological tissues far exceeds any imaginary chemical toxicity.
>
> Otto
>
> **********************************************
> Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
> Center for Health & the Environment
> (Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road)
> University of California, Davis, CA 95616
> E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
> Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140
> ***********************************************
>
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