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From: mcgrew@topaz.rutgers.edu (Charles)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Shielding Nukes
Keywords: not much help
Message-ID: <8633@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 27 Jul 89 11:31:14 GMT
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From: mcgrew@topaz.rutgers.edu (Charles)


	ARF says: 
	Watches with illuminous dials are not reactors either but lots
	of women died very horrible deaths from painting the dials.
	Frankly, I wouldn't sleep with a watch, much less a nuke.

   This is rather misleading.  The women were encouraged by the watch
company to put the paintbrushes between their lips to keep the point
on the brush.  This obviously lead to injesting the radium, which is
not so good.  Also, shielding was non-existant - the stuff was just
lying around in cans (and lots of it, too).  Wearing a luminous watch
is no more dangerous than breathing New Jersey air :-).  Obviously,
these women were not told of the dangers (since the owners of the
watch factory didn't give a damn what happened to them - they could
just hire more), and so took no precautions.  Anyway, I don't think it
can be used as a valid arguing point in the discussion.

Charles