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

Thu Jun 9 00:56:13 CDT 2011

Hi gfinnigan,

Thanks for pointing out my typo. 88  billion atoms of Pu-239 per square  
meter after 10 half lives is the right number given the current deposition  
of 1 E+14 atoms/m^2 noted. I noticed the error after posting my note, but  
decided not to write a correction to see if anyone was reading my posts!   
:-)

The real significance point in the numbers involved is in showing the  
distortion in the endless repeated myth that "a minute speck" of plutonium  
is enough to cause a case of lung cancer. Pu-239 was dispersed by nuclear  
bomb testing throughout the world as a fine dust [a total mass of a bit  
over 6,000 kg of Pu-239] and after leaving the stratosphere was inhaled  
deep into the lungs of everyone on earth. If the claims by various  
anti-nuke activists were true, rather than distortions by factors of a  
hundred million or more, every person on earth would have contracted lung  
cancer.

Best,
S. Farber
========================

On Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:29:14 -0400, <gfinnigan at aol.com> wrote:

> 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  
> ( How about 8.8E+10 )]
> in 250,000 years not a risk after 10 half lifes of decay?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RADPROJECT - SAF <radproject at sbcglobal.net>
> To: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen at prodigy.net>; The International Radiation  
> Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>;  
> Edmond Baratta <edmond0033 at comcast.net>
> Sent: Wed, Jun 8, 2011 4:05 pm
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] 109 million million atoms of Pu-239 per sq. meter  
> Measured! --was Re: "Highly toxic" Pu found near Fukushima
>
>
> In the mid-1970s the EPA reported that the areal terrestial deposition of
> u-239 essentially everywhere on earth in the Northern Hemisphere from
> rior 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,
> nded up depositing or flowing into the oceans and ended up in sediments,
> tc.
> Of note 98 Bq/m^2 of Pu-239 equals  109,000,000,000,000  [ 1.1 E+14 ]
> toms per square meter.  With proper sampling and ultra low-level counting
> e can presently quantify trivial quantities of Pu-239 [and other
> adionuclides] in soil and sediment  -levels that result in minute doses
> resenting essentially zero theoretical health effects.
> The common nonsensical,and totally false statement about Pu in the
> nvironment by the media and anti-nuke activists for the last 40 years is
> omething like: "Pu is so toxic it will present a serious health risk for
> 50,000 years".  [i.e.: 10 half lives].
> In assessing the risk of radioactivity in the environment, it is not the
> ere presence of measurable radioactivity in the environment, or a fixed
> umber of half-lives of decay, but can the radioactivity in question
> esult in enough radiation exposure to be a significant risk factor to a
> eal individual or group of people.
> [*1] Source: EPA 520/1-76-010 [May 1976]-"Radiological Quality of the
> nvironment" --Reported deposition of Pu-239 based primarily on extensive
> easurements made by the Health and Safety Lab [HASL] of AEC, and then
> nvironmental Measurements Lab [EML] of the US DOE and other domestic and
> nternational labs.
>
>
> tewart Farber, MS Public Health
> arber Medical Solutions, LLC
> ridgeport, CT 06604
> 203-441-8433
> =======================
> n 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
>
>
>

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

203-441-8433