[ RadSafe ] Yucca Mountain / o.4 Sv extra radiation over 10 years.... / Miller and McClain, 2007

[Dan W McCarn]

Hi Doug:

For years, I tracked news reports about R/A materials smuggling and remember one report from India about someone who was reported to have been smuggling highly enriched uranium inside yellow cakes.  After that, I gave little credence to the media.  When I first went to the Former Soviet Union in 1995, I was dismayed to discover that not even nuclear professionals knew that the world price of yellowcake only amounted to about $15 per kilogram at the time.  Street word was that it was worth some unimaginable price.

I have previously posted some of my concerns (and usually the lack thereof) about various countries' access to sources, such as the soil moisture and density gauges that were being sold to Iran that became a news item one or two years ago when they were stopped in transit in Hungary.  I imagine that the gauges were allowed to continue although no media outlet reported other than the initial concern that Iran might be acquiring nuclear materials.  They obviously had never heard that the oil industry (big in Iran) has numerous, much larger sources.

It is highly doubtful that anyone is in a position to verify FARCs possession of DU.  All they need to do is plant the doubt in someone's mind that they might have DU or other nuclear sources (exempt or otherwise) and the media will run wild regardless of the veracity.  Or simply place a kilogram of uranium ore in a container and let the media believe what they will.

Dan ii

Dan W. McCarn, Geologist; 3118 Pebble Lake Drive; Sugar Land, TX 77479; USA 
HotGreenChile at gmail.com   mccarn at unileoben.ac.at   UConcentrate at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Doug Aitken
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:20 AM
To: 'Roger Helbig'; 'Radsafe'
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Yucca Mountain / o.4 Sv extra radiation over 10 years.... / Miller and McClain, 2007

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Helbig
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2008 5:42 AM
....  There is no way that an organization that walks hundreds of miles a year in the deep jungle would be lugging DU around in a backpack.  Is there anyone on this list with a Columbia connection who can verify the DU story that came out a couple of months ago.

I guess it is possible that the FARC came into possession of some DU salvaged from a downed aircraft or helicopter....

But I would think it of little utility. Other than a door stop......
;~)
Doug (personal reflection only.....)

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