The legacy of Chrome Dome - Palomares 46 years on

Oberon · 10-22-12, 04:38 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18689132

Hopefully some agreement can be reached, perhaps with the aid of the IAEA to finish the clean up, the trouble is, in this age of austerity, who will pay for it? Spain certainly can't, and the US won't have it very high on its list of priorities right now. It's a shame there isn't an international fund, orchestrated through the IAEA perhaps, to help deal with situations like this to minimise the effect of nuclear accidents on the surrounding populace. Obviously in cases like Fukushima and Chernobyl there's only so much you can do, but in other cases it can be cleaned up.

Herr-Berbunch · 10-22-12, 06:53 AM

Maybe they'd have been better asking prior to 2008.

I hope there is a satisfactory outcome for the residents.

TLAM Strike · 10-22-12, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

the trouble is, in this age of austerity, who will pay for it?

That Plutonium is worth $5600 per gram; leave it to the Europeans to complain about us dumping several hundred thousand dollars worth of valuable material on their county...

kraznyi_oktjabr · 10-22-12, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

That Plutonium is worth $5600 per gram; leave it to the Europeans to complain about us dumping several hundred thousand dollars worth of valuable material on their county...

$5600 per gram?!

Where did I put my shovel and bucket...

Btw how much you need for effective dirty bomb? If amount is small then it would be good to get that mess cleaned up.

Jimbuna · 10-22-12, 11:24 AM

Looks like another assignment for 007

TLAM Strike · 10-22-12, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

Btw how much you need for effective dirty bomb? If amount is small then it would be good to get that mess cleaned up.

Plutonium would probably be the worst substance to build a dirty bomb out of. Its so heavy that persistence becomes a problem (most of the Plutonium would just settle to the ground), and Plutonium would need to be inhaled to be dangerous which poses a problem since its so heavy.

Something like Strontium-90 would be better.

Schroeder · 10-22-12, 12:28 PM

Don't give anybody stupid ideas.

kraznyi_oktjabr · 10-22-12, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Plutonium would probably be the worst substance to build a dirty bomb out of. Its so heavy that persistence becomes a problem (most of the Plutonium would just settle to the ground), and Plutonium would need to be inhaled to be dangerous which poses a problem since its so heavy.

Something like Strontium-90 would be better.

Thank you TLAM! Always pleasure to learn new things.

I will enter this usefull tip to my copy of The Anarchist Cookbook.

Joking

Catfish · 10-22-12, 01:40 PM

I would not believe the wulf* to be honest about his handling with sheep

If dispersed properly, one spoon of plutonium would be enough to kill off the population of Great Britain.
Not because of radiation, but because of its sheer tocicity. But plutonium is indeed so heavy, that it usually settles quick around the source of the 'accident'. Meaning it accumulates in the soil, being there in situ for the next million years.
Like e.g. in children's sand boxes, which is why a lot of such sand exposed to the sky had been excavated in Germany, after the nuclear disaster in Russia blasted roughly 50 kilograms of that stuff, into the atmosphere.

From the article:
"Spanish investigator Carlos Sancho estimates* that between 15 and 25 pounds (7 and 11kg) of the material ended up in the soil. Sancho, who runs the Palomares section of the Spanish Department of Energy [ah, understood lol], insists it does not pose health risks."

" [...] A commonly cited quote by Ralp Nader, states that a pound of plutonium dust spread into the atmosphere would be enough to kill 8 billion people.

However, calculations show that one pound of plutonium could kill no more than 2 million people by inhalation. This makes the toxicity of plutonium roughly equivalent with that of nerve gas. [...].

So only like nerve gas? Doubtable, but very good to see this fence in the article's photo round the area keeping off the poison, so nothing to worry about

10-22-12, 04:38 AM	#1
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	The legacy of Chrome Dome - Palomares 46 years on http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18689132 Hopefully some agreement can be reached, perhaps with the aid of the IAEA to finish the clean up, the trouble is, in this age of austerity, who will pay for it? Spain certainly can't, and the US won't have it very high on its list of priorities right now. It's a shame there isn't an international fund, orchestrated through the IAEA perhaps, to help deal with situations like this to minimise the effect of nuclear accidents on the surrounding populace. Obviously in cases like Fukushima and Chernobyl there's only so much you can do, but in other cases it can be cleaned up.

10-22-12, 06:53 AM	#2
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	Maybe they'd have been better asking prior to 2008. I hope there is a satisfactory outcome for the residents. __________________

10-22-12, 11:24 AM	#5
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,461 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Looks like another assignment for 007 __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

10-22-12, 12:28 PM	#7
Schroeder Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Banana Republic of Germany Posts: 6,170 Downloads: 62 Uploads: 0	Don't give anybody stupid ideas. __________________ Putting Germ back into Germany.

10-22-12, 01:40 PM	#9
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 17,765 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I would not believe the wulf* to be honest about his handling with sheep If dispersed properly, one spoon of plutonium would be enough to kill off the population of Great Britain. Not because of radiation, but because of its sheer tocicity. But plutonium is indeed so heavy, that it usually settles quick around the source of the 'accident'. Meaning it accumulates in the soil, being there in situ for the next million years. Like e.g. in children's sand boxes, which is why a lot of such sand exposed to the sky had been excavated in Germany, after the nuclear disaster in Russia blasted roughly 50 kilograms of that stuff, into the atmosphere. From the article: "Spanish investigator Carlos Sancho estimates* that between 15 and 25 pounds (7 and 11kg) of the material ended up in the soil. Sancho, who runs the Palomares section of the Spanish Department of Energy [ah, understood lol], insists it does not pose health risks." " [...] A commonly cited quote by Ralp Nader, states that a pound of plutonium dust spread into the atmosphere would be enough to kill 8 billion people. However, calculations show that one pound of plutonium could kill no more than 2 million people by inhalation. This makes the toxicity of plutonium roughly equivalent with that of nerve gas. [...]. So only like nerve gas? Doubtable, but very good to see this fence in the article's photo round the area keeping off the poison, so nothing to worry about Last edited by Catfish; 10-23-12 at 01:26 AM.