It is amazing how long this discussion has been going on, and yet we finally get back to the purpose of the NOVA presentation. What is society willing to pay for the clean-up of a radiological bomb?
Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:
The difficulty in cleaning up of Cs-137 contaminated areas depends entirely
on the standards applied to determine adequacy. For cleanup to the point
where occupancy would be reasonably safe, Bernie is correct in assuming it
would be relatively easy. BUT, if EPA standards were to apply [maximum
individual dose <15. mrem/a, as determined by a scenario that includes
compounding worst case exposure assumptions] cleanup would be nearly
impossible. For example, we are still paying megabucks for cleanup of
Cs-137 residual contamination at Bikini and other
Marshall Islands from bomb tests that occurred over 50 years ago.