[ RadSafe ] Tired of hearsay. Pu levels found in Japan?Info sought

Wed Mar 30 14:11:31 CDT 2011

Dennis,

Thank you for the information.

The fact that TEPCO or whoever conducted the analyses had time to do it
indicates for me clearly that the accident cannot have been tragic. After
the Chernobyl accident my laboratory in Vienna was full "to the top" with
samples of milk, vegetation, vegetables, precipitation, surface water etc.
etc. and even if we had had at that time a routine method for Pu-analysis we
would not have been able to perform a single one due to lack of time. 

As it is clear for anybody ever involved in emergency planning, the volatile
radionuclides are of number one importance: iodine- and Cs-radioisotopes.
Sr-90 is not a matter of urgency and since I was able to show
semi-quantitatively, that hardly any Sr-90 could be found in precipitation
we were happy with the results of a friend of mine at another institute, who
confirmed the non-risk of Sr-90. It was clear, that plutonium was even less
of concern. 

If you don't have enough personell and resources - use your brain to reduce
the necessary measurements....

Best regards,

Franz 

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] Im Auftrag von Dennis Quinn
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 30. März 2011 20:27
An: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
Betreff: Re: [ RadSafe ] Tired of hearsay. Pu levels found in Japan?Info
sought

The results are found on the TEPCO website shown below - all 5 samples were
on the Fukushima Dai-ichi site:
5 samples: 2 were positive for Pu-238, 3 were not detected for Pu-238.
Maximum was 0.54 Bq/kg with error of 0.067 Bq/kg
all 5 samples were positive for Pu-239/240: Maximum was 1.2 Bq/kg with error
of 0.12 Bq/kg
It did not state it, but I assume it was a 2 sigma error?
The site also stated that the ratio of Pu nuclides indicated that this was
reactor related.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu11_e/images/110328e14.p
df

I would have to agree that there are more important things right now than
chasing extremely low levels of Plutonium, although eventually this will be
important.

Dennis Quinn
dquinn at daq-inc.com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 1:29 PM
To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList'
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Tired of hearsay. Pu levels found in Japan? Info
sought

Stewart,

As mentioned above, I am tired of all the hearsay that is distributed by
papers, other mass media and some political green groups, who need it for
their agenda to multiply the "horrors of nuclear", using this "deadly
plutonium", to raise their quota, which will raise their income from
advertising. 

No, I did not search for any data, and if I would be on the place to fight
this severe accident I would not care about taking samples and measuring
Plutonium. (BTW: which one?)

I rely on a comment of a good friend of mine, who has frequently measured
plutonium deposition on Austrian soil over the whole small territory of
Austria and states that the levels reported from Fukushima are far below the
levels deposited during the atmospheric nuclear bomb tests and even farther
down than what we experienced after the Chernobyl accident. 

Sorry, Stewart, I did not mean to be unpolite, but I am so tired and sick of
all this hearsay, all these discussions of danger and most of all about the
comments of the self-announced experts, primarily Greenpeace and similar
companies (yes, "companies"), making their money by scaring people to death.
Practically all the issues raised have been dealt with after Chernobyl, all
what I find in Austrian newspapers on Radioactivity after a nuclear accident
can be found in the official report I wrote on Chernobyls aftermath in
Austria. 

Next time an asteroid strikes the earth, the constructors of nuclear power
plants will be accused of not having considered this as a potential danger. 

Best regards anyway,

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] Im Auftrag von Stewart Farber
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 30. März 2011 18:52
An: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Betreff: [ RadSafe ] Pu levels found in Japan? Info sought

I saw a Reuters story last night that states regarding Pu leves found near
the 
Fukushima plant, and I quote:

"The levels [Note of Pu-239 -SAF ], of up to 0.54 becquerels per kg, were
not 
considered harmful, Japanese officials said, a stance supported by the U.N. 
atomic agency."

Does anyone have any other data on Pu measurements detected near the
accident?  

If Pu measured is only 0.54Bq/kg in soil,  why is anyone getting agitated?
Why 
isn't the Japanese government being more emphatic about emphasizing the
levels 
found as being consistent with "background" Pu from open air testing which
was 
deposited globally on every sq. meter of the Northern Hemisphere to levels
of 
about 100 Bq/m^2?? 

By my calculation, 100 Bq/m^2 of Pu equates to 3.7 Bq/kg of soil [assuming 
density 2.65 typically, and that Pu is bound in the first 1 cm depth which
is 
sampled by scraping the surface of soil to only a depth of 1 cm].  If the Pu
is 
bound in the first 10 cm depth of soil, and the first 10 cm of soil depth is

sampled, one would expect to find 0.4 Bq/kg of soil from prior global Pu 
deposition. I'd appreciate folks checking my math.

 Stewart Farber, MSPH
Farber Medical Solutions, LLC
1285 Wood Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06604

[203] 441-8433 
http://www.farber-medical.com
Please cc: farber at farber.info

________________________________
From: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
To: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Sent: Wed, March 30, 2011 9:31:45 AM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Threats [not fully coherent] Claim Nuclear Bombs Hidden
All 
Over U.S. « CBS Chicago

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"aren't fully coherent,"  hyuck yuck yuk.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/03/29/threats-claim-nuclear-bombs-hidden-al
l-over-u-s/

?There are items in the letter that lead us to believe it is a hoax,?
said Zavala. ?There are several demands documented that aren?t fully
coherent.?

He said much of what?s in the message doesn?t add up, but in a post 9-11
world, the FBI can?t let it go ? even if it does appear to be a hoax.

"The letter inside said, ?The Al-Qaeda organization has planted 160
nuclear bombs throughout the U.S. in schools, stadiums, churches,
stores, financial institutions and government buildings.? It also said,
?This is a suicide mission for us.?"
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