[ RadSafe ] Findings of enriched U in Fallujah and elsewhere, Sr-90

[franz.schoenhofer at chello.at]

Ed,

I always appreciate your comments on RADSAFE, because they are right on the point and verify that most answers to questions are already available!

Sr-90 has in the old days been measured extensively almost all over the world contrary to nowadays measurement strategies, which take the samples, put them on the Ge(Li)-detector and press the "start" key and of course measure only gamma emitters. Sr-90 analyses are much to time consuming and need skilled technicians. Moreover laboratories like (or have) to demonstrate their efficiency by the number of analyses performed. The reason for the high number of them in the old times was simply that at that early time the determination of Cs-137 (having to use chemical separation) was as time consuming as the determination of Sr-90. 

The statement of our Raman Spectroscopist who turned one of the worlds leading and foremost Radiation Protection Scientist (irony!), that nobody has ever looked at the relation between precipitation and Sr-90 contamination is absurd - but: which of his statements whether on RADSAFE or elsewhere are not absurd? We have a large number of data in Austria and there are tens of times more in other European countries. I would be surprised if they would not exist in the USA and other developed countries. The IAEA had and probably still has an elaborate programme for measurement of radionuclides - including Sr-90 - in precipitation.  Everything is published. I myself conducted with Frieda Tataruch a very interesting research to retrospectively verify environmental contamination by Sr-90, using red deer antlers. We found that high concentrations of Sr-90 did in many cases not correspond at all to high precipitation. We have enough data from my laboratory on Sr-90 in milk and cheese after the Chernobyl accident. So the direct and linear correlation which the Raman Spectroscopist obviously claims is again absurd - environmental contamination of
plants, animals etc. depends not only on precipitation. I would recommend the Raman Spectroscopist to "go back to school" instead of trying to insult radiation protection professionals. Alternatively he could try to buy some books on radioecology, nuclear matters, nuclear bomb construction and weapons using DU, also check the available literature and after a few years of study return to RADSAFE on these matters. 

Best regards,

Franz








---- Edmond Baratta <edmond0033 at comcast.net> schrieb:
> Steve:
> 
> In the early 60's during the fallout years, we did a study on strontium-90 
> in hair.  As a result, it was difficult to draw any conclusions:  "Magno, P. 
> j., E.J. Baratta, I.E. Leonard,  Strontium-90 in Human Hair, Vol. 12, pp 
> 1493-1496, Health Physics (March 1966)".  We did publish a paper on 
> Strontium-90 in bones.  These results did show different uptakes, depending 
> upon the age of the people (bones from deceased persons) studied:  "Baratta, 
> E.J., E.S. Ferri and M.A. Wall, Strontium-90 in Human Bones in the United 
> States, 1962-1966,  Vol. 11, No. 4, Radiological Health Data and Reports, 
> USDHEW, PHS, EHS (April 1970"  The former Journal is still in publication, 
> but the latter ceased to exist shortly after it was taken over by the USEPA. 
> The only reason, I mention this is that there have been volumes of E-Mails 
> on depleted and enriched Uranium and Strontium-90, as you stated without 
> anything to back them up.
> 
> Ed Baratta
> 
> edmond0033 at comcast.net
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Steven Dapra
> Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 4:01 PM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Findings of enriched U in Fallujah and elsewhere
> 
> Oct. 21
> 
>          A quick correction ---
> 
>          I have not read Busby's Fallujah paper --- the one about
> hair samples, etc.  When I asked Busby if it had ever occurred to him
> that some of us on RADSAFE had read his paper I was asking a
> rhetorical question.  It should be obvious that some of us have read
> it.  I have skimmed the Fallujah paper and have read some portions of
> it however I have not read the entire thing.
> 
> Steven Dapra
> 
> 
> At 06:56 AM 10/21/2011, you wrote:
> >Busby,
> >
> >Who is we?  Who monitored this?  Who conducted the laboratory analysis? 
> >Who
> >peer reviewed your paper on Fallujah?  Was it a racket like your being the
> >peer reviewer of the Rita Hindin paper often cited by James Salsman?  Why
> >don't you publish your research in respected journals where peer review is
> >meaningful?  Why don't you cite the specific page, etc. with quote instead
> >of just chattering "read the paper" - by the way, Mr Dapra has read your
> >papers.
> 
> [edit]
> 
> 
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--
Franz Schoenhofer, PhD, MinRat
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
mobile: ++43 699 1706 1227