Ra disposal in the sea, a comment

[Les Slaback <lester.slaback@nist.gov>]

Given the large Ra inventory already present in the sea it would seem
logical that if there was any radionuclide that could be disposed that way
radium would be it (assuming a similar chemical form and reasonable
mixing).  But for the signers of the international treaties prohibiting
ocean disposal this is academic.  Separate from this, for restricted bodies
of water like the Mediterranean this is probably not a good practice in any
case.

Long ago someone from DoE (whose name I cannot remember) went through the
dilution and pathway analysis to demonstrate the idiocy of ground disposal
versus remote ocean disposal (for selected nuclides and activity limits).
But as others, e.g., B. Cohen, have pointed out science and logic
frequently have little impact on political decisions.

Disclaimer:  the above are the personal musings of the author, and do not
represent any past, present, or future position of NIST, the U.S. government,
or anyone else who might think that they are in a position of authority. 
Lester Slaback, Jr.  [Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV] 
NBSR Health Physics 
Center for Neutron Research 
NIST
100 Bureau Dr.  STOP 3543 
Gaithersburg, MD  20899-3543 
301 975-5810 
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