Re: Newspaper article on Plutonium

[Brian Gaulke <Brian_Gaulke.HWC@inet.hwc.ca>]

It's my understanding that the incidence rates of many types of cancer have 
increased significantly over the last few decades.  To my knowledge no 
satisfactory explanations have been found.  Under these circumstances how 
meaningful is it to say "no increase in stochastic effects have ever been 
detected or reported among the peoples of the world from this event"?  How can 
a contribution from fallout, including plutonium, be ruled out?

I happen to be a supporter of things nuclear, but I don't see that it helps the 
nuclear cause to make statements like this.





StevenFrey @ aol.com 
97/09/12 21:28

To: radsafe @ romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu (Multiple recipients of list) @ INET
cc:  (bcc: Brian Gaulke)
Subject: Re: Newspaper article on Plutonium

Another atmospheric event involving Pu-238 occurred during the 1970 Apollo 13
mission. The mission carried a sizeable quantity of the radionuclide (a
hundred pounds or more) to power instrumentation intended to be left on the
lunar surface. Due to the in-flight emergency, the Pu-238 never made it to
the lunar surface. It instead returned to Earth still aboard the Lunar Module
whereupon it entered the atmosphere at unchecked  velocity. Presumably some
or all of the plutonium source burned up and was released to the atmosphere.
Yet no increase in stochastic effects have ever been detected or reported
among the peoples of the world from this event to my knowledge. So much for
"deadly" Cassini mission!