[ RadSafe ] 109 million million atoms of Pu-239 per sq. meter Measured! --was Re: "Highly toxic" Pu found near Fukushima

[RADPROJECT - SAF]

In the mid-1970s the EPA reported that the areal terrestial deposition of  
Pu-239 essentially everywhere on earth in the Northern Hemisphere from  
prior open air tests of nuclear weapons was:

2.65 milli-Curies/km^2 = 9.8E+7 Bq/km^2 = 98 Bq/m^2  [*1]

Of course we can measure Pu-239 everywhere. What didn't deposit on land,  
ended up depositing or flowing into the oceans and ended up in sediments,  
etc.

Of note 98 Bq/m^2 of Pu-239 equals  109,000,000,000,000  [ 1.1 E+14 ]  
atoms per square meter.  With proper sampling and ultra low-level counting  
we can presently quantify trivial quantities of Pu-239 [and other  
radionuclides] in soil and sediment  -levels that result in minute doses  
presenting essentially zero theoretical health effects.

The common nonsensical,and totally false statement about Pu in the  
environment by the media and anti-nuke activists for the last 40 years is  
something like: "Pu is so toxic it will present a serious health risk for  
250,000 years".  [i.e.: 10 half lives].

If 1.1E+14 atoms per sq. meter of Pu-239 is a supposed significant risk  
now, on what basis are 88,000,000,000 atoms [ 88 billion or 8.8E+9 atoms ]  
in 250,000 years not a risk after 10 half lifes of decay?

In assessing the risk of radioactivity in the environment, it is not the  
mere presence of measurable radioactivity in the environment, or a fixed  
number of half-lives of decay, but can the radioactivity in question  
result in enough radiation exposure to be a significant risk factor to a  
real individual or group of people.

[*1] Source: EPA 520/1-76-010 [May 1976]-"Radiological Quality of the  
Environment" --Reported deposition of Pu-239 based primarily on extensive  
measurements made by the Health and Safety Lab [HASL] of AEC, and then  
Environmental Measurements Lab [EML] of the US DOE and other domestic and  
international labs.




Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
Farber Medical Solutions, LLC
Bridgeport, CT 06604

203-441-8433
========================
On Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:08:37 -0400, Edmond Baratta  
<edmond0033 at comcast.net> wrote:

> Since when is Plutonium not toxic.  You are correct it is the  
> environment from the nuclear weapons test.  Years back the Health and  
> Safety Laboratory (DOE, NY City) did a study of it in the environment  
> and found it almost everywhere.
>
> Ed Baratta
>
> edmond0033 at comcast.net
>
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Jerry Cohen
> Sent: Monday, June 06, 2011 8:33 PM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] "Highly toxic" Pu found near Fukushima
>
> As a consequence of atmospheric nuclear explosives testing, I believe  
> that if
> you try hard enough,
> Pu can be detected just about anywhere. The problem with anything  
> radioactive,
> is that it can be detected even in miniscule quantities.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Steven Dapra <sjd at swcp.com>
> To: radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu
> Sent: Mon, June 6, 2011 5:53:32 PM
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] "Highly toxic" Pu found near Fukushima
>
> June 6
>
>     Dumb and dumber.  It never ends, does it?
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theenvoy/20110606/ts_yblog_theenvoy/plutonium-found-near-fukushima-shows-nuclear-crisis-is-far-from-over
>
>
> Steven Dapra
>





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