Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!falk
From: falk@sun.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.sci,net.bio
Subject: Re: Re: Plutonium
Message-ID: <3549@sun.uucp>
Date: Mon, 21-Apr-86 22:33:58 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.3549
Posted: Mon Apr 21 22:33:58 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Apr-86 05:59:33 EST
References: <358@drutx.UUCP> <1063@whuxl.UUCP> <2384@jhunix.UUCP> <891@leadsv.UUCP> <668@riccb.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 26
Xref: lsuc net.politics:4780 net.sci:483 net.bio:150

> 
> This is almost correct, which makes it dangerous.  The facts as I know them
> are as follows:
> 
> 	1.)  Finely divided Pu burns just like Mg (so does Uranium)
> 
> 	2.)  Pu is a bone seeker just like calcium.  In other words your bones
> 	     like to absorb it.  Once absorbed the Pu bombards the surrounding
> 	     bone cells with alpha particles.
> 
> 	3.)  The lifetime body burden (as much as you can safely ingest) is
> 	     0.6 micrograms.  At some undefined higher level you may get
> 	     cancer after the proverbial 20 year waiting period due the effects
> 	     listed in 2 above.

I have heard, that one of the fears of "homemade" atomic bombs deals with
Pu dispersal.  Apparently, if you try to make a bomb by just banging two
chunks of Pu together it doesn't work.  The material must be brought together
under the right pressure, geometry and so forth or you get a sort of "mini"
explosion where only a small amount of the Pu actually takes part in the
reaction.  The problem is, the rest of the Pu is vaporized and goes into
the atmosphere.  It has been speculated that this much Pu dispersed so
finely into the air near a major city could kill more people than the
bomb itself would have.

	-ed falk, sun microsystems