Re: More bad news

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 12:24 23.08.1999 -0500, you wrote:
>Many thanx for your help.  It's much better to discuss facts rather than
>speculation.  P-32 definitely seems to be the radionuclide of choice for
>intentional misuse.
>
>> >Is this an "epidemic" or what?
>> >
>> >Seriously, though, before this thread goes much further, I'd be grateful
>> if there is
>> >a knowledgeable person who could supply some real information, eg,
>> radionuclide
>> >used, activity, internal or external exposure, estimated dose and dose
>> commitment.
>> >
>> >
>> >> Man charged with radioactive assault
>> >> SANTA ANA, Calif. - A former university lab technician who
authorities said
>> >> sought revenge on a coworker by smearing her chair with radioactive
>> material was
>> >> arrested Thursday on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
>>
>> Now that the former technician has been arrested, I am free to answer a few
>> questions about the alleged crime involving radioactive materials at the
>> University of California, Irvine (UCI).  Some of the information below was
>> previously copied to Radsafe from the NRC event report that the federal
>> agency received from the State of California.
>>
>> About 15-30 microcuries of P-32 CTP (1-2 microliters) was intentionally
>> dropped, using a micropipette, onto an office chair at a desk in a
>> laboratory.  The victim then sat in the chair for 3-4 hours total during
>> parts of 2 days.  

I have hesitated since long to comment on this issue. I deeply regret that
somebody was exposed to the violence of being intentionally exposed to a
radioactive substance, of which the psychological effects and not the
actually harm to health might have been severe. I think the person causing
this stress should be severly punished, maybe also for the fact that this
person did not know that the damage could not cause health problems, but
only psychological ones. From the point of crime this will have to be
judged as intention to harm somebody with unsuitable methods. 

A few months ago I had implanted into my right coronary arteria two
socalled "ISOSTENTS", both containing about 18 microCurie of P-32. Would
this make the news on radiation harm or radiation damage? 

It happened a few years ago, that some persons wanted to sell enriched
uranium in Austria. They were caught and the enriched uranium proved to be
quite normal uranium with the natural isotope abundance. They were not
convicted for smuggling of enriched uranium, but for fraud. Therefore the I
think that the person conducting the P-32 assault should be convicted of
causing psychical harm and the words "deadly weapon" are ridiculous.

Is there anything further known about the case, or is it just the usual way
of new stories of which you never get to know the continuation after it has
served the headlines?



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:
Hofrat Dr. Franz Schönhofer
Federal Institute for Food Control and Research
Department of Radiochemistry
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A-1095 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-40 490 27820
e-mail: schoenhofer@baluf.via.at
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