US plutonium waste, lies & slies

Excellent article. It is so difficult for decent folk to resolutely address - as in this case - the DELUGE of lies and slies (spin-based untruths) from the Bush-ites and neo-cons.  
 
Below are some relevant bits of information about plutonium-239 from a course I have given on risk management and specifically dealing with the major threats to humanity that have been identified by Dr John Holdren, President of the American Asociation for the Advancement if Science (AAAS) as nuclear, greenhouse and poverty threats (see: Rational Risk Management, Science & Denial. 
 
HISTORICAL TOTAL MAN-PRODUCED, mostly long-lived High Level Waste (so far from nuclear industry, weapons etc) = 100 billion Ci (noting that some of this has a RELATIVELY short half-life) . Assessment of dangers. Pu-239 has a half-life of 24,110 years and is extremely toxic. 
 
4 mSv /year background radiation; 1 mSv/year maximum extra dose standard (noting that there are big differences in background radiation and occupational, health standard differences). 
 
5,000 mSv dose lethal in about 4 weeks. 
 
Pu-239: > 0.008 ¼Ci toxic (bone marrow); 1 ¼g Pu-239 particle gives lung cancer 
 
Harry Daghlian, 1946 – exposed to 6.2 kg Pu-239 ’ 510 rem dose (5.1 Sv) ’ died 4 weeks later. 
 
Pu-239 inhaled has a LD50 of 5¼g/kg ; otherwise Pb (lead)-like toxicity; 5 kg Pu-239 released over Nagasaki; 10s of kgs of Pu-239 deliberately scattered by the British over Maralinga, Australia (continuing scandal). 
 
Radioactivity of Pu-239: 17.3 Ci/g, 17.3 mCi/mg; 17.3 ¼Ci/¼g (1 ¼g Pu-239 deadly in lung) 
 
Total high level waste radioactivity from past nuclear activities: 100 billion Ci i.e. 100 billion Ci/6.5 billion people = 15.3 Ci/person = 15.3 million ¼Ci/person ALREADY (NB ignoring decay; some is relatively short-lived). 
 
Obviously risk varies with isotopes, exposure, ingestion, accessibility etc. 
 
Rational risk management successively involves (a) accurate data (b) scientific analysis and (c) systemic change to minimize risk (this has been highly successful in aviation, for example) - however However passive or active LYING simply short-circuits this life-saving protocol. 
 
The huge amount of radioactive waste from the nuclear industry is a major threat to humanity - and the more so when associated with corporate and government LYING by commission and omission.

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