[ RadSafe ] RE: Who is using Radiation Producing Machines?:KI[sic] KCl ice melt

[jjcohen at prodigy.net]

The  KCl situation you describe is "bizarre" only if you assume that  public
concern with nuclear waste stems from a rational fear of whatever radiation
dose consequence might result. The public's fear of radiation more likely is
the result of very effective efforts to stimulate irrational fear by those
with a vested interest  in doing so, including the anti-nukes, and those who
make a good living doing research on development of an acceptable nuclear
waste management  system. Nobody wants to kill the goose that lays the
golden eggs.
Jerry Cohen


> What I found interesting at the time was the thought that mines are being
> excavated to extract KCl which is being packaged and sold for various uses
> like ice-melt [resulting in incremental doses far above background]. At
the
> same time various anti-nuclear groups protest the burying of nuclear
wastes
> in  underground tunnels, a practice that has no potential in reality to
> result in any member of the public ever receiving an incremental dose in
> excess of that due to use of the salts [with half lifes like K-40 of 1.3
> billion years] extracted from the earth in forming the tunnels initially.
> What's wrong with this picture?? Bizarre.
>
> Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
> Consulting Scientist
> Farber Technical Services
> 1285 Wood Ave.
> Bridgeport, CT 06604
> [203] 441-8433 [office]
> email: radproject at sbcglobal.net
>
> ================================
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Flanigan, Floyd" <Floyd.Flanigan at nmcco.com>
> To: <Pete_Bailey at fpl.com>; <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 11:16 AM
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] RE: Who is using Radiation Producing Machines?: KI
>
>
> Well ... I ran a little test yesterday. I took a 50 pound bag of Ice
> Melt brand ice melting compound which contains Potassium Chloride,
> through a Gamma 60 portal monitor just for fun. It lit up every detector
> like a Christmas tree. Now ... if 50 pounds of the stuff won't pass a
> Gamma 60 set @ 45nCi ... what kind of background dose rate could be
> expected in the vicinity of a 20,000 ton pile of the stuff?
>
> Floyd W. Flanigan B.S.Nuc.H.P.
> Sr. H.P. Analyst
> Prairie Island
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pete_Bailey at fpl.com [mailto:Pete_Bailey at fpl.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 10:11 AM
> To: radsafe at radlab.nl
> Cc: Flanigan, Floyd
> Subject: re: Who is using Radiation Producing Machines?: KI
>
>
> >  Machines aside, is anyone handling the stock-piles of
> > Potassium Chloride for ice remediation by State DOTs?
>
>
> ummm, why,,,do ya need more ?
>
> Florida has lots of KI, not too much ice on the road  :-)
>
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