RuthWeiner@AOL.COM wrote:
...
liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM writes:If I remember correctly, my response was to someone's suggestion that law enforcement agencies set a dose rate threshold on their monitoring and assume that any radiation field below that threshold is due to a nuclear medicine patient. I pointed out that not all radioactive materials of concern would produce a high level radiation field.
Many dangerous radioactive materials would not create a high level radiation field, for example, Pu-239. Thus, even a low level radiation field could indicate a problem.In and of itself, what is so dangerous about EXTERNAL exposure to Pu-239? It's not very radioactive. The danger (problem, whatever) is that enough would be sequestered to produce a criticality.
Other that the danger of criticality with fissile materials, what is dangerous about external exposure to radioactive materials that have a low specific activity?
Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.
ruthweiner@aol.com
I'm not sure what you're trying to prove - that someone can carry around Pu-239 without any risk to himself? Thanx for the BGO ("blinding glimpse of the obvious"). I doubt that's the concern, however. In addition to Pu-239 being a good candidate for a dispersion device, another BGO is that it can be used for weapons.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com