RE: Interesting News RElease

[VERNIG.PETER@FORUM.VA.GOV]

Who done it?  I vote lets blame the French, and their recently concluded
underwater testing!
 
News stories are always frustrating to me, because there seems always to
be a lack of important details.  Everyone assumes the 1-10 is Bq not
million uBq.  I agree, as the Norwegians would probably be a might more
excited about the whole thing if it were the later, but that is not clear
from the story.  The story begins "Norway registered radioactive fallout
for a week in January..."  That leads me to wonder if we can assume a
week long sampling period.  When I was at the Berkeley Research Reactor
we did week long sampling for particulates and I saw material from 
Chernobyl about 2 weeeks after the event and we identified about 7
isotopes.
 
If we knew what isotopes of I and Cs were seen using the fission
inventory of various piles and weapons [wonder whether that is 
all available in unclassified form?] and comprehensive weather
information a lot of work and good computer and programing we might
be able to make an educated guess.  It may be that somewhere in
DNA [Defense Nuclear Agency] or NSA [National Security Agency] or
someplace with initials I haven't heard of people are doing just that
unless they already know.
 
I did a little number jiggling BTW and if the Norwegian's air sampling
equipment is a lot different from the commercially available sampling
pumps in this country, the volume for a weekly sample is about [ballpark]
right to allow the results reported.
 
Anybody else have a suspect[s]!
 
DISCLAIMER-The above is my own opinion and does not reflect that of
VA Medical Center, Denver or the Dept. of Veterans Affairs which don't
have an opinion, on this, nor the U.S. Government's which may have 
several opionons none of which they consulted me about or informed me
of.