Where Left Is Right / The Old Site

To repeat a portion of what I wrote last night: Yes, I am thinking hard about the proposed centralization of Plutonium-238 production at INL. No, I'm not thinking hard about it on technical grounds. I'm not technically qualified to do so.

Like most of you, though, I remain worried about plutonium's health effects. This brief report, written in 1995 for laypeople by a handful of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is reassuring on that count:

Although the popular myth that "plutonium is the most hazardous substance known to man" has been refuted many times, the misconception persists that even a small amount of plutonium taken into the body will be fatal. Plutonium is hazardous, but it is not as immediately hazardous to health as many more common chemicals. This is not to say that plutonium is not a dangerous, toxic material. Chronic exposure to even small amounts should be a matter of concern. But dispersal by terrorists as described in the press could not produce the drastic health effects that are popularly imagined.

(From the Introduction section.) Again, I'm not in a position to judge the veracity of the claims in this paper. But it is reassuring, while acknowledging the risks:

None of the above discussion should be taken to mean that the diversion and illicit use of plutonium is not a serious international problem. Such illicit use does have the potential for serious physical and psychological impacts on the public. We are concerned, however, that erroneous and exaggerated statements in the media may actually promote a market for stolen and smuggled nuclear material for the purpose of nuclear terrorism. Ignorance and fear should not play major roles in deciding how to deal with such potential threats.

They might have added, Lord knows there's already more than enough ignorance to go around.