[ RadSafe ] Total amount of plutonium dispersed in atomic bomb explosions etc

[Brian Rees]

Bjorn,

At one point I heard somebody say that we (all of 
us) urinate 1,000,000 atoms of Pu per day from 
fallout.  I thought that was interesting, and did 
some quick calculations based on body burdens of 
Pu from cadavers from various parts of the U.S. 
and calculated  the number to be closer to 
3,000,000.  I did not do any sophisticated or 
complex modeling or calculations, and there are 
multiple factors that could change the actual 
value, but I felt comfortable with a million.

As far as what CAN happen, keep in mind that one 
ejaculation can populate the entire world, it's a matter of delivery...

Brian Rees
(Obviously) my own opinions.....

At 08:08 AM 3/19/2009, Bjorn Cedervall wrote:

>Dear All,
>
>
>
>I see that an old argument against nuclear power 
>is coming back - that one millionth of a gram 
>plutonium can kill you/give you a deadly cancer 
>etc. There is of course the difference between 
>ingestion and inhalation etc but my view angle is different:
>
>The total amounts globally in the form of 
>weapons and in particular the question of total 
>amount (order of magnitude - thousands of 
>kilos??) dispearsed from atomic bomb tests.
>
>
>
>If Pu was so deadly - wouldn't we all have died from it already then?
>
>
>
>What I am after is also any reasoning or numbers 
>relating to the relevance of these comparisons 
>(I doubt that we will inhale nuclear waste dumps 
>like vaccuum cleaners making every Pu atom pass 
>our bodies...). Please help with numbers - we 
>hear for instance in the Swedish public debate 
>that it is this and that much of Pu in our 
>nuclear reactors and this in turn is equivalent 
>to a number of atomic bombs etc, etc.
>
>
>
>My personal questions only,
>
>
>
>Bjorn Cedervall    bcradsafers at hotmail.com
>
>
>
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