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I came across this article whilst researching the subject of the use of (DU) Depleted Uranium for improving ammunition effectiveness against armour. Well it turns out that the DU is the ‘weapon’ and that the ammunition is only the delivery system of this DU WMD.
Here is the article:
DU - The stuff of nightmares
By Julie Flint
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday,September14,2004
Two years before the invasion of Iraq, a report commissioned by the World Health Organization warned that the long-term health of Iraq's civilian population would be damaged by the use of depleted uranium (DU) - radioactive waste from the nuclear industry which is used to harden missiles, shells and bullets and which slices through tank armor like a knife through butter. The WHO did not make the report public. Odd, that.
DU has been called the "Trojan Horse" of the wars in Iraq - and Afghanistan and Kosovo and Bosnia - a weapon that keeps on killing. On detonation, DU armaments release a spray of radioactive dust that can be carried in the air over long distances and which, when inhaled, goes into the body and stays there. The dust remains radioactive for 4.5 billion years.
The WHO report was written by three of Europe's top radiation scientists, including Dr. Keith Baverstock, for more than a decade the WHO's leading expert on radiation and health. After retiring from the WHO, Baverstock leaked the report to the media earlier this year. It concluded that microscopic particles of DU would be blown around and inhaled by Iraqi civilians for years to come, and could trigger the growth of malignant tumors. Baverstock believes the WHO deliberately suppressed the report - probably under pressure from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a more powerful UN body that promotes nuclear power. In response, WHO claims the IAEA's role was "very minor" and says the report was not approved for publication because "parts of it did not reflect accurately what a WHO-convened group of international experts considered the best science in the area of depleted uranium."
In other words, its own chosen experts got it wrong. Odd, again.
Had the study had been published in November 2001, Baverstock believes there would have been more pressure on the Allies to limit their use of DU during the invasion of Iraq - and to clean up afterward. But it wasn't published. As a result, Iraq is now playing host to some 350 tons of DU fired in 1991, but also to more than 1,000 tons reportedly fired in 2003. The "reportedly" is needed here because the armed forces are playing coy with figures. No wonder: handlers of DU in the US and Britain are required to wear masks and protective clothing. Imagine Iraqis having to dress like that for 4.5 billion years.
Nuha al-Radi, the much-loved Iraqi artist and diarist who died in Beirut on August 31, believed her leukemia could have been caused by DU. And if not DU, then something else to which Iraqis were knowingly exposed in the wars since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. For DU is not the only concern in the "toxic wasteland" that many scientists say Iraq has become. There are also the chemical weapons the Baath regime used against its own people, and in its war with Iran, and, most recently, the chemical and biological materials released into the atmosphere by Allied bombing of Iraqi stockpiles in the first Gulf war of 1991.
Nuha, who didn't believe the first war would take place, was devastated by the second. "The carnage takes place in apocalyptic proportions," she wrote at her lowest point. "Sometimes I want to cry, but I resist. I am totally withered, and feel so useless." We talked of working together on a film that would investigate the pollution of Iraq and its people. Nuha was convinced that DU was entering the water table and flowing into every corner of the country, poisoning everything. But she fell ill, and we did nothing.
Looking at the DU debate now, one thing is crystal-clear: there are two very district bodies of opinion - and both claim to be informed. The question is, by what?
On one side, there are the governments that use DU weapons, the IAEA, NATO and WHO, who maintain (publicly, at least) that DU is not particularly dangerous and has no long-term effects. On the other side, united by varying degrees of concern, are the European Parliament, which has called for an immediate moratorium on the use of DU weapons, Belgium, Portugal, France, Spain and Italy, who don't use them and want an inquiry into them; the United Nations Environmental Program; and many independent scientists, several of whom have first-hand experience of the legacy of DU.
After the first Gulf war, Dr. Asaf Durakovic, a colonel in the US Army Medical Corps, was put in charge of Nuclear Medicine Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He discovered unusual radiation levels in veterans and became convinced not only that DU was killing them, but also that it was causing changes in the human gene pool that would damage future generations. He found "considerable resistance" from the government to his work on DU and was asked to stop. He refused. Two months after writing to President Bill Clinton to request an inquiry into DU contamination, he was fired - and went on to become Clinical Professor of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington.
A nutter? Hardly. Yet Durakovic says soil samples from Iraq show radiation levels 17 times higher than is acceptable - threatening, he says, environmental "catastrophe." He believes that DU contamination from the 1991 war may have exposed the entire Gulf population.
When the 1991 war started, Dr. Doug Rokke, a Vietnam veteran, forensic scientist and retired army major, was recalled from academia and sent to the Gulf as part of the army's Depleted Uranium Assessment team. "The US Army made me their expert," he says. "I went into the project with the total intent to ensure they could use uranium munitions in war, because I'm a warrior. What I saw as director of the project led me to one conclusion: uranium munitions must be banned from the planet, for eternity, and medical care must be provided for everyone" - those on the firing end and those on the receiving end.
Many in Rokke's Gulf team are now dead. He himself suffers from serious health problems including brain lesions and lung and kidney damage. When government doctors finally agreed to test him in November 1994, three-and-a-half years after he fell ill, while he was director of the Pentagon's Depleted Uranium Project, he was found to have 5,000 times the permissible level of radiation in his body - enough to light up a small village.
DU, he says, is the stuff of nightmares.
Julie Flint is a veteran journalist based in Beirut and London. This is the first of two articles on depleted uranium, which she wrote forTHE DAILY STAR
"Parents or the faint hearted please note there are two images at the end of this post that may disturb.”
Quote:
Two years before the invasion of Iraq, a report commissioned by the World Health Organization warned that the long-term health of Iraq's civilian population would be damaged by the use of depleted uranium (DU) - radioactive waste from the nuclear industry which is used to harden missiles, shells and bullets and which slices through tank armor like a knife through butter. The WHO did not make the report public. Odd, that.
Here is the report that was not made public by WHO;
Here is what the White House had to say about Depleted Uranium;
"DEPLETED URANIUM SCARE" - Claimed by President George W. Bush on the official White House website:
"During the Gulf War, coalition forces used armor-piercing ammunition made from depleted uranium, which is ideal for the purpose because of its great density. In recent years, the Iraqi regime has made substantial efforts to promote the false claim that the depleted uranium rounds fired by coalition forces have caused cancers and birth defects in Iraq. Iraq has distributed horrifying pictures of children with birth defects and linked them to depleted uranium. The campaign has two major propaganda assets:"
"Uranium is a name that has frightening associations in the mind of the average person, which makes the lie relatively easy to sell; and Iraq could take advantage of an established international network of antinuclear activists who had already launched their own campaign against depleted uranium."
"But scientists working for the World Health Organization, the UN Environmental Programme, and the European Union could find no health effects linked to exposure to depleted uranium."
I'm sure that the many thousands of US, allied troops and innocents (children and the unborn) in the effected countries who are dead or dying or deformed as a result of DU poisoning would beg to differ. Not to mention supressed WHO reports on DU eh!!!
Here is what the children of Iraq’ Kosovo and Afghanistan have to say about DU (Depleted Uranium) weapons:
You wonder at the insanity of the continued production of these weapons......
It's one thing to have them for defense purposes but the effects of them lasting in the environment for millions of years is horrendous.
I picked up a leaflet in the post box mail today which was headed 'Wake-Up Call for New Zealanders'. It's a push to have our armed forces rebuilt to be able to align ourselves with Australia and America - quote "those freedom loving countries". They want to repeal the ban on nuclear ship visits and reignite the ANZUS treaty. It talks of the USA using its military power for the good of mankind and gives examples of its recent successes namely; Bosnia, Afganistan, Iraq and relief with the Tsunami disaster with the US Navy.
There is no information about who put the leaflet out - only an 0800 number to register your opinion or for further information. There is some small print at the bottom of the page saying authorised by A. Smith and a PO Box number.
Bit strange don't you think?
On the video presentation of The Disclosure Project a couple of witnessess talk about being involved with nuclear weapons in various positions within the US armed forces. They say that there were occasions of UFO sightings and that nuclear warheads were disabled, implying that it was the UFOs doing something to cause this.
I have heard that UFO activity increased when nuclear power was discovered and that there is concern about the improper use of this power by earth people. I really hope this madness by the military industrial complex can be stopped before it goes too far.
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 6:55 pm Post Subject:
I got that pamphlet in the Post Office box mail also. I presumed it was a some sort of ACT or National Party thing.
I decided to phone it having read your post Carus. You get a recorded message to this effect:
"Thankyou for calling the wake up call response line...
If you agree New Zealand should renew its defense links, please say yes after the tone.
If you don't agree please say no after the tone.
If you would like more information, leave your name and full postal address after the tone.
If you would like to leave an opinion please leave a 15 second message after the tone.
Thankyou for calling the Wake up Call Response line...."
They don't say who it is on behalf of. The pamphlet summarises by saying:
"New Zealanders: Wake Up!
Why would we prefer the overtures of Communist China to a place in the circle of nations that uphold the principles of liberty and democracy?"
Very interesting posts re the “junk mail” spamming. We have not had any up here yet but will let you know if we do.
As a small and vulnerable country New Zealand could never stand alone to protect herself from any hostile invading nation so therefore rely heavily on alliances forged with stronger (militarily) nations for that protection or perception of protection.
The world is viewed as one big strategic chessboard by the Superpowers and New Zealand occupies a little portion of that chessboard. In size we are no more than a pawn but geographically important none the less, even pawns are vital pieces of the game.
I believe that our region (Australasia) is viewed by the US and the other Superpowers as a geographically important square on the chessboard.
Yes it is true we are no longer overtly part of the ANZUS alliance over our “no nuclear ships policy” but we still have strong Defence links with those same partners and under the, for the sake of a better word, influence of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States of America.
So do we have any formal Defence agreements with these nations? Since being "sent to Coventry" over ANZUS, I and many others probably thought not, however;
On his website Keith Looke MP, Green Party Defence and Disarmament Spokesperson alludes to a formal alliance between New Zealand and these other Nations:
Quote:
We may not be in ANZUS but how many New Zealanders know we are in AUSCANNZUKUS.
There is very little on the net about AUSCANNZUKUS.
If we were not under “their” (AUSCANNZUKUS) protection so to speak we would probably be under the influence of the opposition whomever they maybe. Prior to Glasnost it was the threat of communism (China/Russia). Now it’s the threat of “Global Terrorism” , and the possibility of the establishment of a Muslim super state in Indonesia, just across the road from Australia and in our region.
Although the smallest member country of "AUSCANNZUKUS" New Zealand would still be expected to take a share of the responsibility and commit to the other allied member countries in some meaningful way.
So then what would New Zealand’s contribution be? Other than the obvious military contributions to the fight against "Global Terrorism" in operation "Enduring Freedom" (now there’s a contradiction in terms) who knows?
Echelon?
Is the pressure being put on New Zealand to soften it’s stance on our “no-nukes” policy? More than likely I think.
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:23 pm Post Subject:
An example of those principles of liberty and democracy...
"DENVER -- The U.S. Secret Service on Monday said it was investigating the claims of three people who said they were removed from President Bush's town hall meeting on Social Security last week after being singled out because of a bumper sticker on their car.
The three said they had obtained tickets through the office of Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., had passed through security and were preparing to take their seats when they were approached by what they thought was a Secret Service agent who asked them to leave...
Alex Young, 25, an Internet technology worker from Denver who was among the three removed from the event March 17 at Wings over the Rockies, said officials told them the next day they were identified as belonging to the "No Blood for Oil" group...
Young, who along with Bauer and lawyer Leslie Weise, 39, is a member of the Denver Progressives, a political activist group. He said the three had T-shirts underneath their business attire that read, "Stop the Lies" and they had talked about exposing them during Bush's visit. He said they had scrapped the plan by the time they arrived at the museum.
Recht said the T-shirts did not play a role in the group's removal.
"They hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't dressed inappropriately, they didn't' say anything inappropriate," Recht said. "They were kicked out of this venue and not allowed to hear what the president had to say based solely on this political bumper sticker.
"The very essence of the First Amendment is that you can't be punished for the speech you make, the statements you make," Recht said."
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 140
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 4:09 pm Post Subject:
Hello Everyone,
I was prompted to do some further reading on weaponised Depleted Uranium by a documentary that screened last Sunday on TV One entitled,"The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children." It was a German doco that followed the work of a Dr. Siegwart-Horst Günther, who has worked in Iraq for many years, and others.
Now I am not a scientist and I have read only a little basic physics but it has become obvious to me, that governments and their militaries and supposed watch-dog organisations such as the WTO are simply lying about weaponised DU and its effects on human health and the environment.
These groups get away with this, because most people haven't read a little basic physics - and the groups know it!
They get away with it because a lot of what they say is actually true. And they get away with it by simply omitting the bits that most people don't know about and don't understand.
I would like to use this forum to bring to your attention some of the half-truths being told by governments (the US and UK) and their militaries and the UN.
I would also like to fill in some of the factual gaps as best I can, in simple terms.
If you are someone who is not usually interested in political, military or scientific topics, please still take a few minutes to read this information. It is important because it affects the long-term well-being of our world and the people in it. Not just a few 'insignificant' Iraqi and Kosovan kiddies, but anyone for generations to come whose forebears may be involved in any military conflict.
What is happening is plain wrong and as close to premiditated evil as I think I've seen...
What is Uranium?
Natural Uranium is an element that occurs naturally in soil in quantities eqivalent to about one teaspoon per five tonnes of earth. it is composed of two main forms (or isotopes), U238 (about 98% or 99%) and U235 (about 1-2%).
Enrichment and Depletion
The process of enrichment is where natural Uranium is seperated into its two main isotopes - 235 and 238.
After this process the highly pure U235, seperated from the U238, is known as Enriched Uranium.
Enriched Uranium is the stuff that is used in atomic bombs and nuclear reactors.
The highly pure U238 left over has been depleted of its U235... and is known as Depleted Uranium. It is a waste by-product of the nuclear industry. For every gram of enriched uranium that is produced there are seven grams of depleted uranium. This results in huge stockpiles of radioactive waste. It is estimated that there is over one million tons of DU stockpiled in the U.S. alone. UK, France, Japan, Germany (I think), Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel (and maybe others too) also enrich Uranium and therefore create stockpiles of U238 waste.
Radtiation and Radioactivity
Radiation is the transport of energy across space. Radioactivity is the process of decay of a physical element and involves the emitting of "bundles of energy", which may have a mass or not and may have an electric charge or not.
Relatively few natural elements undergo this process and they are called "radioactive" elements.
Alpha and beta particles, gamma-rays are emitted when radioactive decay takes place.
Forms of Radiation
Alpha Particles are made of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
This means that they have a charge of +2, and a mass of 4
(the mass is measured in "atomic mass units", where each proton & neutron=1)
Alpha particles are relatively slow and heavy so they have a low penetrating power - you can stop them with just a sheet of paper.
Because they have a large charge, alpha particles ionise other atoms strongly.
Beta Particles have a charge of minus 1, and a mass of about 1/2000th of a proton. This means that beta particles are the same as an electron.
They are fast, and light so Beta particles have a medium penetrating power - they are stopped by a sheet of aluminium or plastics such as perspex.
Beta particles ionise atoms that they pass, but not as strongly as Alpha particles do.
Gamma Rays are waves, not particles. This means that they have no mass and no charge.
Gamma rays have a high penetrating power - it takes a thick sheet of metal such as lead, or concrete to reduce them significantly.
Gamma rays do not directly ionise other atoms, although they may cause atoms to emit other particles which will then cause ionisation.
The Half Truth
Now, the govenrments, militaries and UN all truthfully tell us that Depleted Uranium only produces ALPHA RADIATION.
This means that it is basically harmless because your clothes and even your skin provide sufficient protection to stop alpha radiation from entering your body. You could literally carry a hunk of DU around in your wallet and it would do you no harm at all.
It is on the basis of this that they tell us that DU weapons are safe.
How Depleted Uranium Weapons Work
Uranium is one of the hardest and heaviest metals in the known universe. These properties make it very effective for use in armour piercing ammunition.
In addition to its penetrating capability DU is a natural pyrophoric material which enhances the incendiary effects.
What happens when a DU round enters say, a tank, is that the shell pierces the armour and then vapourises and explodes with sufficient energy to carbonise (burn to a crisp) or vapourise the crew inside.
This pyrophoric property means that the Uranium material is converted into a microscopic dust. This dust can be spread by wind and can be easily inhaled by anyone in the area.
The Danger is DU INSIDE the Body
Consider the number of alpha particles emitted by a single spherical pellet of uranium oxide (UO2) 0.0001 inch or 2.5 microns in diameter (equivalent to 1/40th the width of a human hair) and the dose rate it produces.
Tiny as it is, the 2.5 micron depleted uranium oxide pellet contains 210 billion atoms (2.1 x 10 to the power of 11) of U238. Each year, the pellet will emit an average 32.3 alpha particles. It also contains U234, 235, 236 which together yield an additional 5.3 alpha particles per year. Thus a single pellet of depleted UO2 will produce a total of 37.6 alpha particles per year.
The 37.6 alpha particles will deliver a radiation dose of 17 rads/year. With an RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) factor of 10, the dose rate is 170 rem/year for the surrounding body tissue. In the US, the Code of Federal Regulations regarding energy specifies an annual limit of 0.17 rem/year and a specific limit of 0.5 rem/year for an individual in the general population.
A quick calculation shows one single pellet delivers 1,000 times the annual limit. This number is multiplied by the total number of pellets present in the body. For example, if a single or series of exposures resulted in the presence of 10 pellets then the annual limit is exceeded by 10,000.
Thats it for now, but I'll add more depth as I can.
Although I have not "got my head around" :? a lot of the figures you quoted I still appreciate the time you have taken to make this post more simple to follow. The whole operation and untruths told so plausibly are certainly evil
of the worst kind :twisted: and make the skin crawl when you realise what is being done to humankind.
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:07 am Post Subject: Du weapons
Colin's article on depleted uranium is excellent.I have been following .the use of this weapon of mass destruction with astonishment ,it seems,with every use and report of its effectiveness..It renders armoured opposition pointless but more significantly it renders the land uninhabitable..Curious approach for a country such as Iraq which has one of the largest oil reserves in the world from what I read...Is this an attempt to remove political and military opposition for the oil cartels which is sinister enough ,or is there something deeper :?:
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:44 pm Post Subject:
Welcome aboard chris-ed,
Have notived you in the memberlist for some time, glad to finally have your comments :D
Yes Colin's article is an excellent summary of the depleted uranium issue. This forum certainly challenges those non-scientific types amongst us to get more involved in understanding science! It soon becomes necessary to learn more, no matter what the issue we are discussing.
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 140
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:08 pm Post Subject:
Hi everyone,
Thank you for the encouragement on this topic and welcome to Chris-ed!
A little more info to add some perspective to the level of danger DU poses to the people of Iraq, Afganistan and Kosovo and to unwitting members of Allied militaries in those regions....
If you note that just ONE speck of Depleted Uranium, 1/40th of the size of a human hair, that enters a human lung or elementary tract, can expose an indivual to 1,000 times the annual recommended safe level of radiation.
Then have a look at the info that Azimuth posted above:
Quote:
Iraq is now playing host to some 350 tons of DU fired in 1991, but also to more than 1,000 tons reportedly fired in 2003. The "reportedly" is needed here because the armed forces are playing coy with figures. No wonder: handlers of DU in the US and Britain are required to wear masks and protective clothing. Imagine Iraqis having to dress like that for 4.5 billion years.
Joined: 05 Nov 2003
Posts: 387
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 4:10 pm Post Subject:
Plutonium 238
The following article is apropos to this thread as it shows once more the present US administration's commitment to creating nuclear waste products. In this case more than 50,000 drums of hazardous and radioactive waste. And as for the Plutonium itself:
Quote:
"Project managers say that most if not all of the new plutonium is intended for secret missions and declined to divulge any details."
Perhaps they don't have a purpose for it, maybe it's the waste they want. :shock:
Quote:
U.S. plans radioactive project
The New York Times
MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2005
The Bush administration is planning the government's first production of plutonium 238 - a highly radioactive substance valued as a power source - since the Cold War, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. It is hot enough to melt plastic and so dangerous that a speck can cause cancer.
Federal officials say the program would produce a total of 330 pounds, or 150 kilograms, over 30 years at the Idaho National Laboratory, a sprawling site outside Idaho Falls some 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, to the west and upwind of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The program could cost $1.5 billion and generate more than 50,000 drums of hazardous and radioactive waste.
Project managers say that most if not all of the new plutonium is intended for secret missions and declined to divulge any details.
"The real reason we're starting production is for national security," Timothy Frazier, head of radioisotope power systems at the Department of Energy, said at the end of a recent interview.
He vigorously denied that any of the classified missions would involve nuclear arms, satellites or weapons in space.
But the secrecy is adding to unease in Wyoming, where environmentalists are scrutinizing the production plan - made public late Friday - and considering whether to fight it. They say the production effort is a potential threat to nearby ecosystems, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and the area around Jackson Hole, famous for its billionaires, celebrities and weekend cowboys, including Vice President Dick Cheney.
"It's completely wrapped in the flag," said Mary Woollen-Mitchell, executive director of Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free, a group based in Jackson Hole. "They absolutely won't let on" about the missions.
Plutonium 238 has no central role in nuclear arms. Instead, it is valued for its steady heat, which can be turned into electricity.
Joined: 22 Feb 2004
Posts: 140
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:51 pm Post Subject:
A very fascinating article John!
What seems a little odd to me is the secrecy around it.
Quote:
"Project managers say that most if not all of the new plutonium is intended for secret missions and declined to divulge any details."
Pu-238 is not fissionable and is not the same stuff as is used in nuclear weapons or as fuel for nuclear reactors - that is Pu-239.
About the only use I could find for Pu-238 is for making into light-weight, long-lasting, super-reliable electrical power sources. As it decays through radioactivity, it produces a good, steady, reliable heat, that can be converted directly into electricity. Pu-238 is now established as a power source for space probes and satellites.
If this is the case, what's the secret?? Could it be that this production run of Plutonium 238, which incidentally is arguably illegal under international law anyway, is destined for secret military or intelligence missions - that's exactly what they're saying! The uses of such a power source for military or monitoring devices are not hard to imagine.
But have a read of what this horrible stuff is like if it escapes into the environment. The US military and intelligence organisations work outside normal civil environmental controls and maybe I'm cynical, but I don't trust them to keep it out of the environment!
Have a look at the extract of the article below to see just how dangerous this stuff is and the level of competence (or honesty) when informing the public of the risks.
Quote:
Part of what makes reprocessing so bad is the hazards of handling the radioactive materials involved. The processing involved in Np-237 Pu-238 production is vastly different. The hazard from fission-product is essentially nil, because there is no fission product involved. But Pu-238 is 247 times more toxic (by weight) than Pu-239. Both Pu-238 and Pu-239 are routinely handled with rubber gloves because the radiation is so non-penetrating. But a single dust speck of either one will cause certain lung cancer if inhaled. If Pu-239 dust gets loose in a room, then that room becomes uninhabitable, but if Pu-238 dust gets loose in a room, then the whole building becomes uninhabitable. That is the magnitude of the handling risk of this process. (Note, polonium is even more active, 231x more active than Pu-238. It is so energetic it has a reputation for not staying in the containers where it is put.)
Oops, killed earth's human population, just for a space battery:
The planned uses border on insanity when sanely contemplated. If a space-probe such as Cassini burns up in earth's atmosphere, it could kill millions. I've heard that the Environmental Impact Statement for one of these probes says that if it malfunctions in the worst way, then it could adversely affect one billion people. I've seen published statements minimizing the dangers of the probes. One of these "worst-case" analyses was calculated mistakenly using the data for Pu-239. It neglected to factor in the increased activity of Pu-238 relative to Pu-239. Because Pu-238 is 247 times more radioactive than Pu-239, a "lethal particle" of Pu-238 is only 1/247 the mass of a "lethal particle" of Pu-239. Correcting the worst-case analysis from Pu-239 to Pu-238: the same mass, optimally divided, would yield 247 times as many lethal particles and therefore 247 times as many fatalities, using the same statistics as the original. But an additional adjustment is needed: a particle 1/247 the mass has 1/247 the volume and therefore 1/6.27 the diameter. The smaller particle would fall about 6.27 times slower. That would multiply the fatal inhaled doses again by 6.27, using the original statistics. The two corrections mean a combined multiplication of 1549 times, when translating from Pu-239 to an equal mass of Pu-238.
The 72.3 pounds of Pu-238 on the Cassini, as a biological hazard, is about the equivalent biological hazard of 17,858 pounds of Pu-239...
