RE: Re :LNT and educating the public[Scanned]

["Christoph Hofmeyr" <chofmeyr@nnr.co.za>]

Ruth,

"Very radioactive" is of course not a quantified statement, but depleted uranium has about half the activity of the natural isotopic composition (almost 20 000 Bq/g).  The short-lived daughters will grow in in a few months.  Compare this with the exemption levels of between 1 Bq/g (natural) and 10 Bq/g (U isotpes), and I think the lady still might have a point.  I find  that even technical people tend to refer to "only" depleted uranium as if it is not radioactive.  Incorrect.  Maybe it relates to the psychological relief that criticality is not an issue.

Chris Hofmeyr

chofmeyr@nnr.co.za

-----Original Message-----
From: RuthWeiner@AOL.COM [mailto:RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]
Sent: 31 October 2002 07:22
To: jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Re: Re :LNT and educating the public[Scanned]

Maybe the psychologically informed on RADSAFE can help with the following:

I was on a panel at a local school early this week.  One of the women on the panel, a self-identified "peace activist" whom I had met on other occasions,  made some statements about depleted uranium that were simply wrong (e.g., that it was very radioactive).  The panel was not the appropriate venue to correct her or argue, so afterwards I said to her that I thought she had got some misinformation about DU.  She cut me off virtually in mid-sentence and almost ran out the door.  She clearly didn't want to discuss the issue at all.

etc..... 
I would be interested in others' opinions.

Ruth

Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.
ruthweiner@aol.com