Re: Mururoa studies

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 15:03 23.02.1999 -0600, Andrew McEwan wrote:
>
>
>
>Sandy Perle posted the following:
>
>"Critics of French nuclear test vindicated by lastest study
>
>WELLINGTON, Feb 21 (AFP) - A French study reporting serious
>radioactive leakage at the former French nuclear test sites of
>Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls in the South Pacific vindicates
>Greenpeace's opposition to the tests, Greenpeace New Zealand
>said Sunday. The new report by the French Independent Research
>and  Information Commission on Radioactivity (CRII-RAD) said
>radiation was leaking into underground water, lagoons and the
>ocean. It also highlighted flaws in a study last year which said
>radiation levels were nearly undetectable, Greenpeace spokesman
>Michael Szabo said in a statement. The 1998 study was by the
>International Atomic Energy Agency  (IAEA), which Szabo said
>"played a significant role in the cover-up of the 1986 Chernobyl
>nuclear disaster''. The 2000-page IAEA report said the tests had
>had "no  radiological health effects" and little significant
>environmental impact on the Fangataufa and Mururoa atolls. ... "
>
>I have not seen the CRII-RAD report but apparently it is based on no new
>sampling or measurement - merely an armchair re-analysis of the 'IAEA'
>study.  The IAEA study was co-ordinated by the IAEA but overseen and
>officially a report of an international advisory committee of some 14
>members many of whom are well established health physicists.  Several were
>ICRP main commission members (e.g. Clarke, Kaul, Beninson) and the
>chairperson was Gail de Planque.  The work was undertaken by Task Groups
>and Working Parties which were truly international.  The study over two
>years was the most comprehensive independent examination of the
>radiological situation at a former test site that has been conducted.
>
>The CRII-RAD report appears to be using the Greanpeace strategy of dreaming
>up unbelievable scenarios and then claiming a hazard exists.  The comment
>about children being at risk from ingesting plutonium in soil is about as
>likely as me dying of heat stroke in Antarctica.  It may be theoretically
>possible if I were to run around in full thermal gear to the point of
>exhaustion.  On the other hand I have never been to Antarctica and am not
>likely to ever go.   So the probability is the nearest thing to zero.
>Similarly the likelihood of infants given to pica, visiting, let alone
>living, at the remote motus where the safety trials were conducted is also
>near zero.  It is totally impractical for anyone to live in that area.
>However, even if infants were there continuously the 'soil' is actually
>very largely solid coral rock and they would have to have unusually sharp
>teeth to ingest anything.  The reality is that no-one is going to be living
>at that particular location and the scenario is a nonsense.
>
>The Greenpeace statement accompanying the release of the report seems to be
>opportunistic shouting.  To my knowledge Szabo has no background in health
>physics.  The news media here (New Zealand), however, have given the topic
>a lot of attention for two days - they appear now to have moved on.
>
>Andrew
>..........................................


Since most of RADSAFERs are unlikely to know about the background, I want
to tell you that Andrew has been heavily engaged in the question of doses
to a hypothetical population. We had fierce discussions, but there is no
doubt that his calculations about the probability of radiological damage to
a - hypothetical - population are correct in the end, not to talk about the
non existing probability of people living in these areas. 

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
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A-1160 Vienna
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Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

Office:
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Federal Institute for Food Control and Research
Department of Radiochemistry
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e-mail: schoenhofer@baluf.via.at
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