[ RadSafe ] Re: Killer Teapot (Litvinenko poisoning) [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Peter Thomas]

Following text was copied from the latest Health Protection Agency update.  See note 1 below which seems to allude to the article posted under the headline "Killer Teapot" ...

HPA Update Statement 
1 February 2007
Update on public health issues related to Polonium-210 investigation 

The Health Protection Agency is continuing to provide expert advice on the public health issues surrounding the death of Mr. Alexander Litvinenko. Throughout, our primary concern has been to protect the public. 

We have carried out an extensive monitoring programme of people and places identified by the police investigation. Our investigations have confirmed there is no public health concern in the open public areas. The monitoring results received so far show that the risk to the general public from any exposure to Polonium-210 (Po-210) is likely to be very low. 

Test result update 

Category 1
545 people had results 'below reporting level' - below 30 millibecquerels (mBq) per day (natural levels of Po-210 in urine are typically in the range 5-15 mBq per day). It is therefore unlikely that any of these people had been exposed to Po-210 

Category 2  
83 people had results above 30 mBq per day in their urine, but with a dose less than 1mSv indicating no public health risk, and no health concern to the individual, but probable contact with Po-210 
  
Category 3a
34 people had results above 1 millisievert (mSv), but below 6mSv indicating no public health risk, and no health concern to the individual, but probable contact with Po-210 
There are 662 results in categories 1, 2 and 3a and these are NOT of health concern. 

Category 3b
13 people had results above 6mSv which are not significant enough to result in any illness in the short term and any increased risk in the long term is likely to be very small 
  
Notes for Editors 
1. Following some newspaper articles earlier this week, the Agency wishes to clarify that The Pine Bar, at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair, was closed in the early hours of Friday, 24 Nov 2006 on the advice of the Agency, and EVERYTHING [emphasis on HPA website] in it was quarantined for Police forensic purposes.
2. Further information is available on www.hpa.org.uk

[Other notes deleted]

Dr. Peter D. Thomas
Medical Physics Section
ARPANSA
Tel: +61 3 9433 2295
Fax:  +61 3 9432 1835
E-mail:  Peter.Thomas at arpansa.gov.au


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