Newspaper article on Plutonium

["Fischer, Karl" <kfischer@exchange.nih.gov>]

A troubling, highly sensational article was published today in the
science section of the Detroit Free Press.  Just some excerpts:

"In six weeks, a probe carrying 72 pounds of plutonium will be launched
from Cape Canaveral, Fla., for Saturn."

"If the probe slams into Earth's atmosphere during a flyby in 1999,
nearly everyone on the planet could be in peril."

"Critics offer their own worst-case scenario: hundreds of thousands or
even millions of fatalities worldwide."

"Just one-millionth of a gram -- an invisible particle -- could cause
lung or bone cancer if inhaled."

"Experts know of no more poisonous material on Earth.  Dr. Helen
Caldicott, a founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, calculated
that an evenly distributed pound of plutonium could theoretically give
lung cancer to every person on the planet."

Although I'm no expert on the health effects of plutonium, the
sensational claims made within this article are absolutely outlandish.
The Free Press carries a circulation of well over one million readers
around the state of Michigan, and I have no idea whether this article is
being run in other newspapers.

I encourage all radiation protection professionals who frequent RADSAFE
to please check out this article and respond.  Call, write, e-mail the
Free Press, do whatever it takes.  We simply can't allow this sort of
irresponsible journalism to continue unchecked.

The site can be found at

http://www.freep.com/news/science/qspace25.htm

Thanks to everyone,
Karl Fischer
kwf@nih.gov