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Re: Dr Eric Voice
In my mind, there are some red flags popping up with this story. Here's a few.
He is not "the most radioactive man on the planet". He was injected with
miniscule amounts so it says, where there are are quite a few weapons workers
still alive from the old days (1940s, 50s) who have taken in relatively large
amounts from spills and releases by comparison, body burdens for life in fact.
If he was indeed injected with miniscule or trace amounts, then why is he being
buried in a lead lined coffin? Obviously not a dose rate problem. The isotopes
he inhaled were not those used in the nuclear industry. What were they, and why
were they selected instead? How much activity are we talking about (how tiny is
tiny)?
OK, maybe I'm making too much of this. But apart from other questions involving
human research, has any data been published yet? I wonder how much is going to
conflict with essentially established expectations regarding the "safety" of
intaking TRU isotopes?
Jaro wrote:
> http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3501496
> Plutonium Test Scientist Dies
> By Paul O.Hare, Scottish Press Association
>
> A nuclear scientist who volunteered to inhale plutonium as part of a
> groundbreaking experiment has died.
>
> Dr Eric Voice, who worked at the Dounreay nuclear plant in Caithness, took
> part in the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) research in the
> late 1990s.
>
> He lived in good health after the tests but died at the weekend from motor
> neurone disease, aged 80.
>
> John Thurso, MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, today led
> tributes to Dr Voice.
>
> The Liberal Democrat said: .He was an extremely intelligent and articulate
> man. He was a true scientist.
> .He did not allow himself to be blinded by the emotion of the debate and
> always tried to get to the science of the matter..
>
> He said Dr Voice had made several trips to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
> in Ukraine to study the effects of the 1986 disaster.
>
> The MP also revealed he had offered his expertise to the Government after
> the start of the second Gulf war.
> .After we had gone to war with Iraq he volunteered to go and see if there
> was any nuclear material that needed to be cleaned up..
>
> The scientist was a .very fit and sprightly man. and remained active in his
> retirement.
>
> Dr Voice was one of the volunteers who took part in an experimental study of
> inhaled plutonium which was controlled by the NRPB in late 1997 and early
> 1998.
>
> At the beginning of the experiment, volunteers inhaled trace amounts of two
> isotopes of plutonium, different from the ones normally encountered in the
> nuclear industry.
> The amounts inhaled resulted in very low radiation doses to the volunteers.
> External measurements were then made of amounts in the lungs and other body
> organs. Readings were also taken from blood and excreta samples.
> The study was designed to find out how to treat people in the event of a
> nuclear accident.
>
> Dr Voice said in 1999: .People still do not understand plutonium and there
> is such a lot of nonsense talked about it.
> .There is no evidence that any human on earth has ever suffered in health
> from plutonium and I have no adverse effects.
> .This is a safe experiment to establish how plutonium moves around the body
> and how the body deals with it - vital information in the event of an
> accident..
>
> He said the radioactive dosage in the plutonium involved a .minuscule
> amount..
>
> An NRPB spokeswoman said: .We extend our condolences to Dr Voice.s family at
> this sad time..
>
> Dr Voice, who lived in Thurso, Caithness, is survived by his wife Joan and
> three children.
> ======
>
> http://lifestyle.scotsman.com/families/columnist_specific.cfm?articleid=2823
> &columnist=FC1
> Radio head
> Kath Gourlay
> Tuesday, 6th March 2001
> The Scotsman
>
> <SNIP>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
> [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]On Behalf Of Rick Orthen
> Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 1:06 PM
> To: Radsafe BBS
> Subject: Dr Eric Voice
>
> September 14, 2004 - Daily Record - Atomic doc does aged 80 - Ascots
> scientist described as the most radioactive man on the planet will have to
> be buried in a lead-lined coffin. Nuclear physicist Dr Eric Voice, who has
> died at 80 after an illness, volunteered to be given injections of plutonium
> to examine the effects of radioactivity on the body. He also inhaled
> plutonium and his bodily waste had to be taken away by armoured car. He
> could not be cremated. Dr Voice had said: 'The practicalities can be a bit
> irksome, but I'm used to it. 'When I arrive at people's houses with a
> carrier bag of bottles, people assume I've brought them a gift. 'When I
> explain I can't use their facilities, their expressions are extremely
> comical.' The Thurso-based expert was one of a dozen volunteers who signed
> up as human guinea pigs in 1997. They took part in experiments tracking the
> movement of plutonium in blood, bone and organs. Dr Voice worked at the
> Dounreay nuclear complex in Caithness and, as part of his work, visited the
> site of the Chernobyl disaster. He believed allowing his body to be filled
> with plutonium would prove its safety.
>
> Richard F. Orthen, CHMM
> Senior Project Manager
> Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
> Four Triangle Lane, Suite 200
> Export, PA 15632-9255
> 724/327-5200, ext. 231
> www.cecinc.com
>
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