Health Risks of Plutonium Part II

Posted on by

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.

Bated Breath

Posted on by

The explanation of this expression is a bit embarrassing, because I completely misunderstood it as a youngster.  I thought it was “baited breath,” and that it must have something to with the rank bait my Dad used for catfish. Of course, it turns out that the word is “bated,” and according to Dictionary.com, it means, “…with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense.” The example given is, “We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish.”  For people who have seen the movie, Secretariat, you can imagine the people at the track collectively holding their breath until they saw which horse won a close race.  From Straighdope.com, bated breath has been around since Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, “With bated breath, and whispring humblenesse.”

Where are New Jobs Created from “Green” Energy Investments?

Posted on by

I recall speeches by politicians describing how investments in “green” energy technology would create jobs. I was mistaken when I thought the jobs would be created in the United States. A company named Evergreen Solar had received $43million from Massachusetts to begin its business, and had grown to become the third-largest maker of solar panels in the United States. The New York Times reports the company is now, “…closing its main American factory, laying off the 800 workers by the end of March and shifting production to a joint venture with a Chinese company in central China.” Solar power experts “say that after many years of relying on…the Middle East for oil, the United States now looks likely to rely on China to tap energy from the sun.”

If that story doesn’t outrage you, try this one. The Associated Press  reported, “General Motors is investing $540 million to build fuel efficient engines at its plant in central Mexico. Labor Secretary Javier Lozano says the plant in the city of Toluca …will provide 500 new jobs.” The United States bailed out GM with many billions of dollars, and I thought that was done to save jobs in this country.

Health Risks of Plutonium

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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 →

Dressed Fit to Kill/to the Nines

Posted on by

Answers.com says the first half of this expression originated from a literal description of a Lord being fitted into a suit of armor before a battle and being told he is “dressed fit to kill.”  The expression evolved into meaning the same as “dressed to the nines,” which means someone dressed in the highest possible style. That expression is believed to have come from the fact that the number nine is the highest possible single digit.