Re: K40 in dead sea

[Jonathan Dyer <Jonathan_Dyer@Brown.edu>]

>
>For your information:
>
>The dead sea does not only contain a lot of potassium, but the concentration
>of radium-226 is very high - I do not remember how much it was exactly. So
>be careful, not to swallow the water - I expect that it will taste very
>salty!
>
>Franz

Understatement of the year there!  I had the pleasure of visiting the Dead
sea in September of 1997, what a fantastic experience, Jordan is a
wonderful country to visit.  But as for the water in the dead sea, the
salinity content is so high the human body floats on the top of the water
like a cork... literally!  Rub your eyes and you will run screaming from
the water for a near-by out-door shower, at least my mother did! I was not
aware of the radium content however.  Oh well, the Benifit of seeing such a
place FAR outweigh the risks if, anyone gets a chance to visit the area.

Enough rambling,

Jonathan

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Jonathan Dyer	Radiation and Biological Safety
Brown University
Risk Management	Phone: 401-863-3615
Safety Specialist	Fax:   401-863-7676
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