Re: Defense Preparedness for the Deployment of Radioisotopes.

["Franz Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
Habichergasse 31/7
A-1160 Wien
AUSTRIA
Tel./Fax: +43-1-4955308
Mobiltel.: +43-664-3380333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Dennis G Stallsmith <stallsmi@SMTP-gw.gdls.com>
An: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Datum: Donnerstag, 22. Jänner 1998 20:32
Betreff: Defense Preparedness for the Deployment of Radioisotopes.


>     I am interested in obtaining information or possible references that
>     discuss the possible deployment (cruise missiles, grenade, explosive
>     devices, etc.) of long lived radioisotopes.  Other than the  fission
>     products from a uranium/plutonium weapon, what could be other types of
>     radioisotopes that could generate a hazardous chronic exposure that
>     would require protective response at the civilian level?
>
>     If this type of information is available but CLASSIFIED, please inform
>     as such so that I may go through the proper security channels to
>     obtain.
>
>     Also, what types of spectrometry instrumentation is currently
>     available for the detection of such a scenario?
>
>     Thank you in advance.
>
>
>     Dennis G. Stallsmith, M.S.
>     Radiation Safety Officer
>     General Dynamics Land Systems
>
There is nothing classified on this. If you look to the diagrams, which are
available in any textbook on radioactivity, describing the yield of fission
of U-235 and Pu-239 you will see that on a short term basis I-131 might be
of some concern, but that for instance Sr-90 (appr. 30 years halflife) is a
longterm contaminant as well as Cs-137. ( We experienced that very well
after the Chernobyl accident.) Most of the Pu-239 of an atomic weapon will
not be fissioned, but simply distributed over a large area. Pu-239 is both
radio- and chemotoxic. Activation products will be produced, but they might
not be of such a significance than Pu-239, Cs-137 and Sr-90.
For Pu-239 you will need alpha-spectrometry, for Cs-137 gamma-spectrometry,
for Sr-90 radiochemical separation and some beta-counting device like
proportional counters or nowadays rather liquid scintillation spectrometry.

Special weapons - rumors said that Co-60 produced by neutrons from a nuclear
device in a special containment of cobalt might be used - will require the
same instrumentation as mentioned above.

Regards,

Franz