[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Radioactive (Trinitite)
Greetings:
It is reported in the literature that Trinitite samples vary by a factor of
ten (10) in their radioactivity. But some 50+ years later it should not be
much above background, as several have reported.
Geiger counters react equally to all radiation and so are not good
at measuring a dosage, such a micro-Roentgens per hour. The count
may be from alpha particles, which will not penetrate the skin, or from
beta particles which only travel a short distance in air. The geiger
counter needs to be calibrated to the particular MIX of radiation that is
expected.
As for plutonium, one experimenter fed ground-up Trinitite to rats and
discovered that NOT ANY radioactivity was absorbed into their bodies!
If I recall correctly, Trinitite does contain plutonium in the
parts-per-million
range, but it is well-contained within the glass.
Regards,
Gregory Walker gwalker@netcom.com
Trinity Atomic Web Site --
<http://www.enviroweb.org/issues/nuketesting/>
-----------------------------
At 03:08 PM 11/28/99, "E. L. Jones" <jonee@epix.net> wrote:
>Hello List,
>
>I just got Alex's post after I composed this post and agree with him on the
>matter of rare but potentially toxic plutonium particles.
>
>...[Snip]...
>
>The primary type of radiation emitted from the site is Alpha I believe( a
>positively charged helium nculei) . This is radiation which can be
stopped by a
>piece of paper and is only dangerous in large quantities and when inhaled.
>
>If one is getting a "hot" reading from a radiometer/Geiger Counter then
perhaps
>the scale on the instrument is misset OR one has had the misfortune to have
>revovered a piece which has some fission material embedded--perhaps
plutonium.
>
>...[Snip]...
>
>Regards,
>Elton
----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html
For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------
References: