[ RadSafe ] LAT Article: Ref to "denatured-potassium" studies

Tue Mar 13 20:31:46 CDT 2007

Friends,

These refs show the biological effects of potassium from which the K-40 has been removed (in an otherwise low-background condition - external radiation can cover for the loss of K-40 radiation).  Note that the 1950s-'60s Oak Ridge work wasn't published, as Charlie Willis also stated at a joint ACRS/ACNW meeting in March 1996; and I heard from a senior AEC Biology and Medicine research official and senior Oak Ridge official following a meeting on low level radiation health effects in 1972 (I worked for a recently-retired AEC official and we were addressing developing industry policies following the Appeals Court "Calvert Cliffs decision" effects of normal operation radiation releases and Appendix I and Appendix D rulemakings).

See, e.g., Don Luckey’s 1986 paper/abstract at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=3097750

See some data from Luckey’s paper at:
http://radscihealth.org/RSH/Data_Docs/1-3/2/1321lu86.html 

See also an Alexander Kuzin paper at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8148982 

I have seen the abstract of one Russian paper that did similar work, but did not see an effect.  I did not get a response to an inquiry about its significance before Kuzin passed away in '91.

Regards, Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Muckerheide, Jim  (CDA)
Sent: Tue 3/13/2007 3:45 AM
To: John R Johnson; Jeff Terry; radsafe
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] LAT Article: Florida pawnshop'sradioactivesurprise("Yellow cake")

Amen John,

Not only would you die without potassium, it is fairly well homeostatically controlled.  

We even know that with just K-39, removing the K-40, and shielding from external radiation, cells and organisms cease to function.

Regards, Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl on behalf of John R Johnson
Sent: Mon 3/12/2007 10:30 PM
To: Jeff Terry; radsafe
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] LAT Article: Florida pawnshop'sradioactivesurprise("Yellow cake")

Jerry et al

K-40 is one of the isotopes always seen in whole body counting, and I used 
it to insure may counter was working properly. If the peack at 1.46 MeV was 
not present, the counter was assumed to be not working correctly.

John
***************
John R Johnson
CEO, IDIAS, Inc.
Vancouver, B. C.
Canada
(604) 222-9840
idias at interchange.ubc.ca

.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff Terry" <terryj at iit.edu>
To: "radsafe" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 6:55 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] LAT Article: Florida pawnshop's 
radioactivesurprise("Yellow cake")

> Reminds me of an experiment that I did in a class that I taught a few 
> years ago.
>
> We ashed 100 pounds (45 kg) of bananas to isolate the potassium. Did  the 
> store clerk every give us a dirty look when we were checking out.  I think 
> that she thought we were a bit disjointed.
>
> Anyway, we isolated 200 g of potassium from the 45 kg of bananas so  about 
> 24 mg was K-40.
>
> We counted it with a low energy Ge detector, low efficiency but could 
> observe a peak.
>
> The students really liked that experiment. You need to be careful  with 
> those "hot" bananas.
>
> Jeff
>
>
>
> On Mar 12, 2007, at 11:44 AM, Conklin, Al (DOH) wrote:
>
>> It's a good thing they don't know what I've got buried around my  office;
>> "deadly" red fiesta ware, several "nuclear" autonite crystals, about
>> three dozen "dangerous" lantern mantles, a "life threatening" radium
>> dial clock and a compass, a can of "horrifying" salt substitute.  When I
>> go out to do training, and take along my props, I'm a walking nuclear
>> nightmare. I might even take a "hot" banana for my lunch.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
>> Behalf Of John Jacobus
>> Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 9:15 AM
>> To: radsafe; know_nukes at yahoogroups.com
>> Subject: [ RadSafe ] LAT Article: Florida pawnshop's radioactive
>> surprise("Yellow cake")
>>
>>
>> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na- uranium12mar12,1
>> ,2145801.story?coll=la-news-a_section
>>
>> Florida pawnshop's radioactive surprise
>>
>> A small amount of yellowcake uranium is discovered among rocks from an
>> estate sale.
>>
>> By Stephen Hudak
>> Orlando Sentinel
>>
>> March 12, 2007
>>
>> BELLEVIEW, FLA. - Every blue moon or so, collectibles dealer and
>> pawnshop owner Frank Cafaro stumbles upon a buried gem among an  estate's
>> junk and tchotchkes.
>>
>> His latest find was so alarming he called firefighters.
>>
>> "We were in the warehouse and we pulled out this box of rocks from an
>> estate sale," Cafaro said.
>> "Everything was individually labeled. Amethyst. Topaz.
>> Uranium. The guy I'm working with says, 'What's that last one?  Uranium?
>> I think that's illegal.' "
>>
>> Within an hour, Gold Mine Pawn was swarming last week with about three
>> dozen emergency workers, including Geiger-counter-waving members of a
>> hazardous materials team and the Marion County Sheriff's Office  domestic
>> security task force.
>>
>> They focused on a container the size of a soup can.
>> Labeled with radioactive markings, the container protected a vial that
>> held about an ounce of yellowcake uranium, a processed mineral  that, in
>> larger quantities, could be used to make fuel for nuclear reactors or
>> enriched for weapons.
>>
>> In 2003, President Bush justified the decision to invade Iraq, in  part,
>> on a now-discredited intelligence report that claimed former Iraqi
>> President Saddam Hussein had tried to buy tons of yellowcake,  presumably
>> to manufacture weapons of mass destruction.
>>
>> "It was kind of scary when I heard how terrible this stuff was,"  Cafaro
>> said.
>>
>> The mineral, which Cafaro traced to an estate sale in Miami about 10
>> years ago, was turned over to the Florida Department of Health for
>> disposal.
>>
>> Yellowcake, also known as uranium oxide, is far from being a
>> weapons-grade material, said Talat Rahman, chairman of the physics
>> department at the University of Central Florida. She said it did not
>> pose a serious threat in small quantities.
>>
>> "Yellowcake by itself is not dangerous," Rahman said.
>> "It has to be processed to be converted into something dangerous."
>>
>> Sharon Gogerty, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Law
>> Enforcement, said small amounts of yellowcake were reported to the
>> agency "on a regular basis" and were not considered especially
>> dangerous.
>>
>>
>> +++++++++++++++++++
>> "We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent or
>> omniscient - that we are only 6 percent of the world's population;  that
>> we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of mankind;  that we
>> cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity; and therefore  there
>> cannot be an American solution to every world problem."
>> -- John F. Kennedy
>> -- John
>> John Jacobus, MS
>> Certified Health Physicist
>> e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com
>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________________ __
>> ____________
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