Re: Nucwaste -Dinner Party and Pellegrino

[Stewart Farber <farbersa@optonline.net>]

Jerry:

Where did you see this article?



As an interesting proposed radioactive offering at the dinner party, the Newmans 

should serve a variety of domestic and imported commercial mineral waters, all of 

which contain elevated levels of radium-226. 



Some years ago  in a 1979 study, I funded a study of the Ra-226 and Ra-228 levels 

of about 18 popular mineral waters [done using beta gamma coincidence counting 

thus getting some very good data].  I found that most of these mineral waters 

[other than Perrier which has salt levels so low it doesn't even meet US 

standards for a "mineral water" and should not be labelled as such thus also 

having very low levels of Ra-226] had Ra-226 levels high enough such that 

drinking the mineral water delivered more radiation dose than drinking the 

discharge water from the average nuclear plant.



So drinking Vichy water and lime, or Pellegrino and lime is more of a radiation 

risk than the discharge of radioactivity from a nuclear power plant [and 

certainly much more than nuclear waste disposal]



At the time I conducted this study, the utility I was working for refused to 

allow me to put out a press release and publicize the results because they stated 

they were "afraid they would get sued" by the mineral water companies [for 

telling the truth apparently]. Go figure. I tried to argue that a suit would be 

the best thing that could ever happen since it would give us a chance to get 

millions of dollars of free publicity for a radiation risk perspective issue that 

people could understand. However, such was not to be.



The more things change, the more they stay the same as is said.





Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

email: farbersa@optonline.net

203 367-0791

==============

12/24/02 11:30:45 AM, Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:

>

>

>  To get some idea of how our nuclear  policies evolve, note the following

>  article. Happy holidays to all!

>   

>   

>   COOL HAND NUKE

>

>  How do aging Hollywood libs entertain? With cocktails, hors d'oeuvres,

>  dinner and some nuclear waste. 

>

>  Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward have decided to have some people over to

>  their Manhattan apartment for "drinks, simple dinner and an off-the-record

>  discussion about nuclear power and the disposal of nuclear waste."

>

>  The legendary film couple has invited reporters, nuclear power advocates and

>  environmentalists to their home to try and solve the thorny environmental

>  problems that come with nuclear power.

>

>  Representatives from Time, Newsweek and the New York Post, which covered the

>  story, are all included on the guest list.

>

>  With a radioactive entrée do you serve white wine or red? 







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