Re: Deadly Plutonium ?

[Kerembaev@cs.com]

Joseph and Others,
I always had an impression that Pu-239 has more toxic damaging health effects 
than its radiation damage abilities. Wouldn't be a person lethally poisoned 
faster then die from the radiation damages? I believe, that PU-239 AIL is 
based on its toxicity.
So then Joseph, you are right that alpha from Uranium or Pu are still alphas 
and they have the same LETs. I do not remember the exact energies but I think 
they are very close.
Please, correct me if I am wrong.
Emil.
kerembaev@cs.com


In a message dated 2/7/00 9:59:43 Pacific Standard Time, 
nardiaj@westinghouse.com writes:

<< What I find interesting is the belief that an alpha particle from Plutonium
 is much more hazardous than an alpha particle from Uranium.  If you compare
 the ALI in 10CFR20 you only get a factor of about 12 between Pu and U with
 Pu being the lower value.  The news article states that there might have
 been as much as 328 grams of Pu present in 89,000 metric tons of Uranium
 feed.  When you do the specific activity conversions for Pu and U you get
 about 328 Ci of Pu (conservative estimate based on the isotopic distribution
 on recycle Pu rather than weapons grade Pu) and 63,000 Ci of Uranium
 (natural Isotopic).  No matter how I look at it I can not see how the Pu
 contribution would dominate the internal health effects.
 
 The article also states that the radiation emitted by the feed plant ash,
 when measured a foot away, was commonly 10 to 20 Rem per hour.  This must be
 in error and probably should be 10-20 mRem/hr.  That would be far more
 realistic for these materials.  Can anyone confirm.
 
 A. Joseph Nardi
 Supervisory Engineer
 Environment, Health and Safety
 Westinghouse Electric Company
 Phone: (412) 374-4652
 Email: nardiaj@westinghouse.com
  >>
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