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From: timothym@tekigm2.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.sci,net.bio
Subject: Re: Plutonium
Message-ID: <660@tekigm2.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-May-86 14:30:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekigm2.660
Posted: Fri May  9 14:30:12 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 14-May-86 05:56:16 EDT
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Reply-To: timothym@tekigm2.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
Lines: 44
Xref: linus net.politics:15024 net.sci:517 net.bio:309
Summary: What about BeO (Beryllium Oxide)

Hi net.landians,

With all this discussion about lethal compounds, I just 'HAD' to add that
one of the most lethal of substances is used daily in the manufacture of a
very large number of electronic items (mostly military where they are subject
to disintegration by explosion).

This substance, or compound, is BeO, or Beryllium Oxide. BeO is lethal when
inhaled at a concentration of 50 ppm, with long range ill effects at levels
above 2 ppm.

This white ceramic is used for insulators in electronic devices, typically
between transistors and heatsinks, and was also commonly used in certain high-
frequency vacuumn tubes.

Alot of companies have discontinued use of BeO due to it's toxic nature, but 
there are some that still use it because there is no good substitute in certain
applications.

So, those of us getting worried about plutonium poisoning, iodine poisoning,
asbestos poisoning, or any other bad thing - take heart, BeO was even used in
you first television sets. Did you ever break or chip away at any of those
pretty white insulators found when you tore them apart? If so, and you inhaled
at all, you probably have enough BeO in you to cause cancer within 25 years.

Oh well, I used to file on the tubes, trying to get the innards out intact.
I guess the jokes on us (:-()

Tidings,

p.s. Does anybody out there know what the average background radition level
is for the Pacific Northwestern United States? We here are recieveing over
350 picorems (if I believe the news). This seems rather low, and I question
whether this is a real value. I seem to remember millirems in the background
radition norm.

Thanks,


-- 
Tim Margeson (206)253-5240
tektronix!tekigm2!timothym                   @@   'Who said that?'  
PO Box 3500  d/s C1-937
Vancouver, WA. 98665