Re: Russian Satellite & Pu

[Ccja@aol.com]

Just thought I'd add a couple of facts, so that people have numbers to
wrestle with, if they'd like; I hope this isn't a repeat of someone else's
posting.
The halflife of Pu238 is 88y.
The SpA (Ci/gm) is 17; (note that the value used, here, for the "Number of
Avocados" wasn't quite right).
7oz x 28gm = 196 x 17 = 3348 Ci. (Sorry, like many HP's, I think in RPN.)
The inhalation ALI (class W) is 0.007uCi, for Y it's 0.02.
The comparable numbers for Th232 (essentially natural Th) are 0.001uCi and
0.003, respectively, or 86% less. I.e., by this measure, Th232, of which
there's probably about 1pCi/gm in the soil in everyone's backyard, is seven
times more toxic. Corrections are welcomed, as always.

PS. I've assumed 100% enrichment in Pu238.
PPS. Eisenbud's Environmental Radioactivity, 3rd ed., gives an average total
body burden for Th232 of 1.3pCi.