Re: Pu Toxicity

[FRAMEP@ORAU.GOV]

Message authorized by:
/S=HWADE@aol.com/O=ORAUSMTP/PRMD=ESNET/ADMD= /C=US/ at X400PO

          On June 8 Wade Patterson provided the following:
          Abstract-----By use of standard models and theories, the
        >  number of cancer fatalities caused by dispersal of
        >  plutonium is estimated.  This process includes development
        >  of estimates of Pu toxicity for inhalation and ingestion,
        >  calculation of meteorological dispersal using the Gaussian
        >  plume model, estimates of resuspension effects from
        >  empirical models, and estimation of very long term effects
        >  from a comparison with natural uranium in soil.  The
        >  conclusions on Pu toxicity are that we may expect one
        >  cancer for  each 200 ug of reactor-Pu (2.5 g/Ci) inhaled or
        >  for each  1.0 g ingested.  For dispersal in a city, we may
        >  expect  about one eventual fatality per 18 g of reactor-Pu
        >  dispersed; this effect is dominated by inhalation from the
        >  initial cloud, with early resuspension effects somewhat
        >  less important and long-term effects essentially
        >  negligible.  Cohen, Bernard L. "Hazards of Plutonium
        >  Toxicity"  Health Physics 32 pp. 359-379 (1977)

Cohen's one cancer [death] per 200 ug inhaled translates into cancer
death from 0.2 mg of inhaled Pu or a risk of 0.5 from 0.1 mg. Pretty
similar to the numbers in my previous post. His risk
estimates were based on the 1972 BEIR report which predicted
fewer deaths than BEIR V but he did use a typical reactor mix of
Pu-238 and Pu-239.  DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU
ARE EASILY OFFENDED. Regarding the ability of our Pu stockpiles to
kill everyone on earth many times over, someone once said, and I must
paraphrase, that he had the theoretical ability to
impregnate every woman in the country by one act of love -
the problem was delivery.

  Paul






H.Wade Patterson <hwade@aol.com>