[ RadSafe ] Detectability vs. Hazard

[edmond0033 at comcast.net]

Talk about Hg in swordfish.  What about the fluorescence light bulbs that 
the government is mandating for  us to use?  Where should they be sent when 
they no longer work?  If they break in the house, do we call for a Hazmat 
Squad to recover the Hg.  Who will pay for the Squad??

Ed Baratta

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jerry Cohen
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 7:58 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Detectability vs. Hazard

    An almost unique property of radioactivity is that is that it is 
detectable
even in miniscule quantities. In this regard, it is interesting to review 
the
case of Mercury (Hg) in seawater. A few decades ago there was serious 
concern
about consuming seafood which was found to be "tainted" with Hg. Swordfish 
was
not being consumed and even canned tuna fish was viewed with alarm. This Hg
contamination was considered the result of industrial pollution and Hg was 
the
cause of considerable concern. Government funding supported much funding to
research the "problem" and people were worried.
    Rational assessment at the time revealed that the most ambitious 
industrial
activity and all of mankind's historical use of Hg could only account for a
minute fraction of the total oceanic Hg inventory. So where did all of this 
Hg
come from? The obvious answer is that the Hg was always there. In the eons 
since
the earth was formed, the continuing hydrologic cycle caused rain to leach 
Hg
and other minerals from the land, carrying it via the  rivers to the ocean 
where
it remained and concentrated over all time. So, how was it that in the 60's 
and
70's there becaome so much concern. I think I know the reason. Some time 
around
the early 60's, atomic absorbtion (AA) analysis was developed and man was 
able
to detect miniscule concentrations of Hg which were previously undetectable.
Researches hyped the Hg problem to secure funding for further study, the 
news
media reported extensively on the threat,  and perception of the problem
snowballed. Finally, they discovered a store of tuna fish that had been 
canned
in the early 20's, and found Hg concentrations similar to those that caused 
the
current alarm showing that oceanic Hg levels were pretty much always there.
Despite this, a lot of people still remain concerned. Once you scare them, 
it
seems almost impossible to unscare them.
    I believe the moral of this story is that if we wish to diminish public 
fear
of radiation we should start by somehow desensitizing radiation detectors.
Either that, or find a way of making people think more rationally.

Jerry Cohen

________________________________
From: "GEOelectronics at netscape.com" <GEOelectronics at netscape.com>
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Sent: Sat, March 19, 2011 3:47:00 PM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] I-131 in milk and activity on spinach around Fukushima

Dewey, from CNN-

"Tainted milk was found 30 kilometers (18 1/2 miles) from the plant and 
spinach
was collected as far as 100 kilometers (65 miles) to the south, almost 
halfway
to Tokyo."

and
"Very small amounts -- far below the level of concern -- of radioactive 
iodine
were also detected in tap water in Tokyo and most prefectures near the 
Fukushima
Daiichi plant damaged by last week's monster earthquake and tsunami"



George Dowell



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