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Kid Berwyn

(18,462 posts)
20. How much plutonium does it take to overdose a person?
Tue May 16, 2023, 07:30 PM
May 2023

This is from Canada…



How much plutonium does it take
to overdose a person?


Excerpt…

We feel compelled to point out that, although the probability of a severe accident that would release plutonium to the atmosphere is admittedly small, the potential health and environmental consequences of such an accident can be serious due to the extraordinary toxicity of plutonium when inhaled.

It is for this reason alone that the United States of America has made it illegal to transport plutonium by air in US territory. Such a prohibition does not exist for any other radioactive material.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has admitted, in documents submitted to Transport Canada, that in four out of eight categories of serious road transportation accidents, the MOX containers would be completely destroyed and a plume of plutonium dust would be spread downwind to a distance of about 80 kilometers.

Snip…

Industry and government spokespersons have insisted that 120 grams of plutonium is too small an amount to raise legitimate health and environmental concerns. They have made the irrelevant observation that 120 grams of plutonium is about the size of two A-A batteries.

Such remarks are manipulative in nature; they do not help people to weigh the risk. The important quantity is not the VOLUME or MASS of plutonium, but its TOXICITY. Based on data supplied by AECB (see letter above) we can address the toxicity question as follows:



Continues…

http://www.ccnr.org/max_plute_aecb.html



One-tenth of a microgram of plutonium, a microscopic amount, attached to a dust particle, is lethal. Tons of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide fuel rods were stored at Fukushima Reactor 3, all exposed to the environment when the containment building exploded.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Another serious cluster-F the world ignored. Irish_Dem May 2023 #1
I have never been able to understand why we build nuclear power plants next to the oceans. Lasher May 2023 #2
The San Onofre state beach has 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste buried underneath it, a byproduct womanofthehills May 2023 #3
Shouldn't the release be reviewed by the IAEA or some other body with deep expertise? JudyM May 2023 #4
"saying it's an unavoidable step" - no, just the less expensive step NullTuples May 2023 #5
So, expect massive marine animal kills there Bayard May 2023 #6
There won't be marine animal kills from this release NickB79 May 2023 #7
It will probably be beneficial to marine life if it discourages fishing. hunter May 2023 #17
How come nobody ever visits a coal plant before it releases stuff that's actually harmful? NNadir May 2023 #8
We are basically screwed- even our own military is a huge polluter womanofthehills May 2023 #15
Whatever happened to the Fukushima Unit 3 plutonium? Kid Berwyn May 2023 #9
It wiped out the planet. Everybody on Earth died. Thank God that our antinukes were right... NNadir May 2023 #11
So, no answer about plutonium. Why so condescending? Kid Berwyn May 2023 #12
I really have no time whatsoever to brook a conversation about... NNadir May 2023 #13
Still zip on plutonium. Thanks on the stats! Kid Berwyn May 2023 #14
I really have no time or interest in learning about antinukes. NNadir May 2023 #16
How much plutonium does it take to overdose a person? Kid Berwyn May 2023 #20
I used to be an anti-nuclear activist, and a radical one at that. hunter May 2023 #18
Tsunami was horrific. So is an atmosphere contaminated with radioactive dust. Kid Berwyn May 2023 #22
I don't automatically respect anyone's religious views. hunter May 2023 #23
Corporate media seldom mention plutonium or Karen Silkwood. Kid Berwyn May 2023 #24
Either slagged in the bottom of the reactor, or washed out to sea NickB79 May 2023 #19
And to the four winds. Kid Berwyn May 2023 #21
We've scattered 3.5 tons of plutonium across the planet from 1945-1990 NickB79 May 2023 #25
iijio Martinez8889 May 2023 #10
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