Re: Strontium-90 on Tennessee Highway 95

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

On 16 May 2004 at 16:55, bobcherry wrote:



> Radioactive material leaked on highway 

> Associated Press 

> OAK RIDGE, Tenn. . Federal and state health officials say they may

> have to tear up about a third of a mile of road on the Oak Ridge

> nuclear reservation and repave it after radioactive strontium 90

> leaked out of a truck onto the road surface. The road . Highway 95 .

> was closed Friday night. Authorities from the U.S. Department of

> Energy said a truck carrying waste byproducts leaked several drops of

> strontium 90 over a 25-foot area of the highway. Strontium 90 is a

> byproduct of the fission of uranium or plutonium, the materials that

> fuel atomic bombs. Officials said there was a possibility some

> vehicles may have driven over the contamination, and they encouraged

> anyone who may have done so to contact their local health department. 



Thanks Bob,



Terrible reporting by AP, as with most radiation stories. No details 

on the amount of leakage, except a few comments regarding "several 

drops", how big were the drops, how much activity in the drops, what 

was the dose rate, if even measurable. Then they say that some cars 

may have driven over the contamination (which is a damn good 

possibility, since the road is heavily travelled) and since it was Sr-

90, why not simply cover it with asphalt or concrete, or simply wash 

it down, unless we're talking Curies here, which I also seriously 

doubt.



Another potential over-reaction, which is going to result in even 

more fear of the day someone "drops" some material in a city. These 

little precursors and govt. reaction simply fuels the fear factor, 

and will only facilitate the fear that terrorists want to see occur.





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Sandy Perle                           

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