Fw: nukes and terrorists

["Jerry Cohen" <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>]

----- Original Message -----

From: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@prodigy.net>

To: Jacobus, John (OD/ORS) <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 1:30 PM

Subject: Re: nukes and terrorists





> John,

>     I fail to see the "logic" of your analogy--- but just in case I am

> missing

> something here, suppose a terrorist had complete access to a functioning

> nuclear power plant, 100 tons of high explosive, and had the objective of

>  dispersing the entire radioactive inventory of the reactor core with 100%

> efficiency (i.e. 100% airborne and respirable at > 1.0 km. from the

release

> site). If you prefer, assume a nuclear waste storage facility.

> How might this objective be accomplished?

> I say it can't be done! If you disagree, I suggest you discuss the matter

> with chemical warfare experts who have had extensive experience in

> dealing with such problems. If they could achieve as much as 1.0%

efficiency

> with all their sophisticated equipment , they would be doing pretty well.

> Also, if you are suggesting that they have been oblivious to the

> possibility of terrorism , I wonder what all of those security guys have

> been doing at  nuclear facilities.

> Jerry

> .

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: Jacobus, John (OD/ORS) <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>

> To: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>

> Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 11:04 AM

> Subject: RE: nukes and terrorists

>

>

> > Jerry,

> > Remember, the Titanic was sunk by a low tech iceberg.

> >

> > Of course, I still have the problem of them closing the door after the

> horse

> > escaped.  They certainly were not proactive in their concerns about

> > terrorism.

> >

> > -- John

> > John Jacobus, MS

> > Certified Health Physicist

> > 3050 Traymore Lane

> > Bowie, MD  20715-2024

> > > > THE NUCLEAR Regulatory Commission has officially conceded that a

> > catastrophic

> > > > fire at the nuclear waste storage facility in Orange County, N.C. -

> > similar

> > > > to the one at the Chernobyl reactor in 1986 - could result in the

> > release of

> > > > 100 percent of its radioactive contents into the air.

> >

> >

> > It's really hard to believe that even the NRC could make such an absurd

> > statement. With the possible exception of the noble gases there is no

way

> of

> > getting anywhere near 100% dispersion of radionuclides. How can it be

> > assumed that such a high disperion efficency will occur by accident when

> > it couldn't be engineered with sophisticated equipment?

> >

>

>



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.