RE: MOX fuel and Lawyers

["Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>]

If nothing else, someone should clue them that their basic premise is hosed.  Telling them what you told us, if well put, may suffice.  At least asking that the instructor mention that the effects are exaggerated would help, as they probably need the "body count" to have a hook to hang their arguments on.

 

Bear in mind that, in many ways, the truth is beside the point to a lawyer, and that the following is derived from actual court records: ATTY: So, when you signed the death certificate you weren't sure the man was dead, were you? CORONER: Well, let me put it this way. The man's brain was sitting in a jar on my desk. But I guess it's possible he could be out there practicing law somewhere.

 

Dave Neil



-----Original Message-----

From: Gv1@AOL.COM [mailto:Gv1@AOL.COM]

Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 7:12 PM

To: BLHamrick@AOL.COM; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Re: MOX fuel and Lawyers





With all due respect, it is so obvious the problem was written with predjudice and absence of technical merit, that the problem is meant to be argued on the point of arbitrary liability and not true risk.  The problem already asserts the risks.

 

Don't exactly recall the amount of Pu-239 used, but I believe it is essentially the same amount that would be in a core at the end of a typical cycle.  Pellets are generally a metallic oxide, much like a ceramic.  Radiologically speaking, the difference between depleted Uranium, new fuel, and MOX are likely to be very similar.  If I remember correctly, PWR fuel, which is more enriched than BWR fuel is only 5 wt% U-235, which once again shows its not that different from depleted uranium.  

 

If you were to smear a depleted uranium slab that is often used for beta correction factors for ion chambers, you'd probably find 50 kdpm/100 cm^2 beta and 40 dpm/100 cm^2 alpha from oxides on the surface.  The primary contributors to an average beta energy near that of Sr-90 are daughter products, not uranium.  I believe one of the Po isotopes is the big hitter.  No real good transport mechanism for fish or people.  It takes a 4x4x1/2 inch slab to get approximately 200 mrem/hr beta.  Even if someone ate and later passed the pellet, not a good transfer of dose.

 

With respect to transporting Fissile material, you're supposed to get approval from the competent authority of each country your package travels through.  The problem really doesn't go in deep enough to assess any real shipping issues.

 

Once again, I think it's clear the problem was never intended to be argued on technical merits, so I don't think anyone will listen...

 

 

Glen