[ RadSafe ] Radioactive contamination of the ocean

[Jerry Cohen]

In todays news, we see alarming stories of radioactive contamination found in 
ocean waters near Japan. In a previous post, I cited the tendency of people to 
equate detectability with hazard, and our capability to readily detect 
radioactivity in miniscule concentrations. 
The capacity of the ocean to dilute any contaminant is almost infinite. It can 
readily be calculated that any amount of radioactivity released to the ocean 
will be diluted to innocuous levels in a relatively short time. All of the 
nuclear waste conceivably produced by the most ambitious nuclear power 
production in the world would pose no significant health hazard if dispersed in 
the world's oceans  compared to the natural radioactivity (U, Ra, K-40, etc) 
that nature has already placed in the ocean. Actually, as I have previously 
discussed on radsafe, oceanic disposal is our best bet for disposal of 
all radioactive waste.
Unfortunately, politics and hysteria will always trump science.

Jerry Cohen