[ RadSafe ] " Study Uncovers Bacteria's Worst Enemy "

jjcohen jjcohen at prodigy.net
Wed Apr 20 03:43:16 CEST 2005


    I'm afraid I don't understand how bioremediation of radioactive
contamination works.
Certainly the bacteria don't transmute radinuclides to a less toxic form via
some nuclear
reaction. Do the bacteria selectively absorb radioactivity? If so, do the
bacteria somehow
transport the radioactivity to a less sensitive area? Otherwise, what the
advantage of
having bacterially absorbed radioactivity just sitting there. Does it
somehow become
less radiotoxic?
   Could it possibly be that bioremediation is just another government
sponsored
program to address the problem regardless of whether or not it might be
effective?


----- Original Message -----
From: Jaro <jaro-10kbq at sympatico.ca>
To: multiple cdn <cdn-nucl-l at mailman1.cis.mcmaster.ca>; RADSAFE
<radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 5:58 PM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] " Study Uncovers Bacteria's Worst Enemy "


> " the bacteria's worst enemy in a nuclear waste site may not be the
> radioactive elements, but rather, the other toxic metals that might also
be
> found at the site.....common toxic metals, such as cadmium, nickel, and
> chromium, are more likely to cause problems for the bacteria. "



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