Category Archives: Nuclear Weapons

Health Risks of Plutonium Part II

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I’ve received comments about what I’ve written on risks from low levels of plutonium in the environment and that I would be comfortable visiting the wildlife refuge at the former Rocky Flats site with my family. One worrisome assertion was that plutonium “was designed to kill.” Plutonium was generated in large quantities in a natural underground “reactor” in Africa that was dubbed the “Oklo Phenomenon“ a bit under two billion years ago. I agree that plutonium and other elements (i.e., arsenic) are toxic at some exposure level, but I can’t think that Mother Nature designed them to kill.

Another commenter referred to “Mortality Among Plutonium and Other Radiation Workers at a Plutonium Weapons Facility” by Gregg S. Wilkinson, et al. (The copyrighted article is online in the February 1987 edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology.) The responder points out Rocky Flats workers with higher levels of occupational plutonium exposure had a somewhat higher incidence of a few types of cancers than were experienced by the general population. My primary focus was on the abstract of the report that says, “Mortality among 5413 white males who were employed at least two years…(at Rocky Flats) was investigated to measure risks from exposures to low levels of plutonium and external radiation. When compared with US death rates, fewer deaths than expected were found for all causes of death (and) all cancers…”  That remarkable result was reached despite the fact that 26 percent of the workers had body burdens of plutonium from occupational exposure.

I don’t read the report to be a basis for some of the dire warnings being issued about the risks to people who chose to spend a few hours visiting the refuge, since the average person working in the industrial area for at least two years was not at increased risk.  In fact, people visiting the area west of the former industrial area will be exposed to about the same amounts of plutonium as is in their back yards from worldwide fallout. Anyone wanting to minimize their exposure to plutonium should avoid mountains where snow washed out higher levels of fallout.

I will post dissenting comments if they are civil, to the point, and factual. Other than that, I intend to move on to subjects that are more enjoyable.

Health Risks of Plutonium

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The people I worked with at Rocky Flats were experts on handling radioactive materials and limiting exposures and managing risks associated with plutonium and other radioactive and potentially hazardous materials. They were committed to controlling emissions to the lowest possible levels since, after all, many lived with their families close to (even downwind of) the Plant. However, an issue that continues to receive attention is the health risks of low-level plutonium emissions that occurred during the nearly 60 year operations and cleanup of the RF site. GotheBetterWay.org  opposes a proposed beltway that is proposed to be constructed near the Rocky Flats site, and mentions concerns about plutonium contamination.

In an exchange with a commentator, I used the comparative term “very little” to describe an average of 0.006 ounces plutonium per year emitted from routine operations that processed tons of the material at the RFPlant. This is equivalent to 0.2 ppm emission (99.999% capture) for a processing rate of one ton per year.  The commentator responded that “very little” was inappropriate, since his research found “billions of particles per acre.”

This “billions per acre” seems an impressive number until put it in context with concentrations of radioactive elements — and plutonium, in particular — from worldwide fallout (discussed in chapter 25 of the book on this site). The book, “Transuranic Elements in the Environment,” indicates measured fallout levels of plutonium per square kilometer in northern hemisphere soils ranged from 0.1 to 2.2 millicuries (mCi = 0.001 Ci). This is equivalent to some 10 to 300 million billion (i.e., quadrillion) atoms per acre from fallout alone, which is not connected with RFP operations. Epidemiological risk calculations suggested that exposure to fallout plutonium could result in up to 125 to 600 additional cancer deaths (of the US total 500,000 per year), but researchers could not preclude the possibility that no additional cancer deaths would result.

The health risk from radioactive materials like plutonium is an unresolved issue. I’ve posted a review of the book “No Place to Hide,” that discusses the continuing health risks created by historical atmospheric nuclear testing.

No Place to Hide

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No Place to Hide
, David Bradley, 1948

The book is based on the daily log of the author, who was a “radiological monitor” who conducted surveys after two atomic bomb blasts near Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific. The front flap of the book says the author was, “Convinced that published reports available to the average man have given him an incomplete and therefore distorted view…(and) lulled him into a false sense of security. Dr. Bradley has interpreted the real truth…The truth constitutes a warning that no man can afford to ignore. It demonstrates that nuclear war has no remedy, and that our only hope is to control the power, that once loosed, will destroy us all.” Several used copies of the book are available on Abebooks.com.

The book has elegant descriptions of the atolls, the ocean, and the array of ships aligned to test the effects of an air burst of an atomic bomb and a subsurface explosion. Able was dropped from the B-29 Dave’s Dream July 1, 1946. The author was in one of the many planes assigned to take radiological readings, but he did not see the initial blast through his tinted goggles. He soon saw the cloud rapidly expanding past 30,000 and then 40,000 feet. His instruments found no radioactivity until the plane came close to the target area. The effects of the blast were less devastating to the armada of ships than had been expected. However, the ships were significantly contaminated, and would remain so despite repeated efforts to decontaminate them absent removal of their surfaces by sand blasting. Continue reading →

New Rocky Flats Links

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There have been two sites added to links. The first is for Homesteaders, which is a nonprofit organization of Rocky Flats employees. The organization is active in issues of importance to past employees, publishes a monthly newsletter, and hosts several social events.

The second new link is to a LeRoy Moore’s blog.  He provided an extensive review of the book about Rocky Flats,  and we exchanged several emails discussing his comments.  The entire lenghty exchange is on the left colum of his blog complete with misspellings and typos. 

The discussions include:

  • Risks from exposure to low levels of plutonium
  • Plutonium contamination downwind of Rocky Flats
  • The Grand Jury, the plea bargain, and the Congressional hearings
  • The firing of Rockwell by DOE
  • Contention that the raid and Grand Jury were part of a cover up to thwart Sierra Club lawsuits against DOE
  • Concerns there are 65 boxes of documents sealed by Grand Jury proceedings
  • My incorrect presumption that activists were paid

There are polite disagreements, but I believe they add value.

FBI Spy Plane Video

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The Energy Employees Claims Assistance Project had sent out a link to the video of the spy plane night time flyover of Rocky Flats that the FBI thought proved the Building 771 incinerator was operating illegally. I provided the link in the book about Rocky Flats on this site at the end of Chapter 14. The link is no longer active, and I’m asking for anyone who has an active link to email it to me at fdsmhobbs@aol.com.

For those who have not yet read the book, there was no proof found to support the allegations of illegal incineration, and it was not mentioned in plea bargain with Rockwell.  An expert reviewing the video told the investigators the heat from the stack was probably from the building heating systems.  The video is an important part of the story about the infamous raid on Rocky Flats, and I hope to find a copy to post. 

 
 
 

 

Video of Nuclear Detonations 1945-1998

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This post provides a link to the subject video that is a haunting presentation prepared by Isao Hashimoto of the 2053 detonations in the 53 year time frame.  I also put the link in the book about Rocky Flats, but want to make it available to as wide an audience as possible.  The United States conducted 1032 of the total detonations.  The first was Trinity and the next two were over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  It takes about 15 minutes to watch, but I recommend it.