Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!caip!brl-adm!brl-smoke!gwyn From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.sci Subject: Re: life of nuke wastes Message-ID: <2186@brl-smoke.ARPA> Date: Mon, 14-Jul-86 03:00:51 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-smok.2186 Posted: Mon Jul 14 03:00:51 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jul-86 01:20:00 EDT References: <1970@brl-smoke.ARPA> <320@rtech.UUCP> <2064@brl-smoke.ARPA> <627@mhuxr.UUCP> <559@ecn-pc.UUCP> <561@ecn-pc.UUCP> Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) ) Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. Lines: 29 Xref: watmath net.politics:17338 net.sci:1236 In article <561@ecn-pc.UUCP> sandersr@ecn-pc.UUCP (Robert C Sanders) writes: >... Plutonium is THE most toxic substance known >to man, according to the Book of World Records. Inhaling a few micrograms >will cause lung cancer. It is a powerful alpha-emitter that causes >severe cell damage if it gets inside your body. Plutonium must be handled >in sealed gloved boxes, and workers must wear complicated breathing filters >when working around the stuff. It is certainly true that one often hears essentially this claim. I don't know whether it's true or not, but I would be somewhat surprised if it were. I've been involved in the handling of radioactive materials many times, and it is true that one should take appropriate precautions, for ANY radioactive substance, not just plutonium. What is appropriate depends on the specific circumstances. I do know that one should not inhale radioactive dust, and that it is known that plutonium in the lungs is quite hazardous, especially for cigarette smokers. I haven't heard of evidence that plutonium is much worse than other emitters of similar radiation; I'd be interested in good references (the Book of World Records doesn't qualify as a scholarly source). Note that it doesn't take much material to totally block natural alpha radiation, whereas gamma (ionizing) radiation is harder to shield against. Most radiation workers I've met are very well versed in the hazards and know how to handle such substances. The same is probably true of workers in explosives and toxic chemicals. I'm sure that more care can and should be taken in the handling of all such materials, but scare tactics are totally out of place and may result in ill-advised measures being taken.