Re[2]: Side of a volcano

[Steven.Rima@DOEGJPO.COM (Steven Rima)]

     Since when is 3 million curies of ANY radioisotope "harmless"??? Just 
     because radon and K-40 occur in the environment, that doesn't make 
     them "of the harmless kind."
     
     Steven D. Rima, CHP
     Manager, Health Physics and Industrial Hygiene
     MACTEC-ERS, LLC
     steven.rima@doegjpo.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re:  Side of a volcano
Author:  Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at> at Internet
Date:    8/5/98 1:56 PM


At 10:21 05.08.1998 -0500, you wrote: 
>Scott seems to have a point.
>
>The eruption of Mount St. Helens ejected ~4 cubic kilometers of ash and 
>volatilized material, including ~3 million curies of radon, ~60000 curies 
>of K-40, and ~3000 curies of Ra-226 into the atmosphere.
>~~~~~
>
---------------------------------------------------
     
I do not have the numbers at hand, but as far as I remember the emissions 
from Chernobyl were higher by many orders of magnitude, and they were not 
of the harmless kind like radon and K-40. Ra-226 is of course another 
question, because this is by far more radiotoxic than any radionuclide 
emitted from any nuclear power plant. I do not think that this reasoning 
could be applied for a comparison. 
     
I do not know the actual situation and my comment is therefore only 
directed to the comparison of emission from NPP and Mount St. Helen. 
     
Franz
     
     
Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at
     
Office:
Federal Institute for Food Control and Research 
Department of Radiochemistry
Kinderspitalg. 15
A-1095 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-40 491 520
Fax.: +43-1-40 491 540
e-mail: schoenhofer@baluf.via.at
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