The dust storms may be radioactive

[DavidU]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/868000/aussie-scientists-study-dust

[dpastern]

Interesting. I'd like to see some independant tests on this. I'd say that even if they were radioactive, it's probably a very tiny part per billion though.

Dave

[mithrandir]

For all practical purposes everything is radioactive. How are you going to stop radioactive isotopes of the atoms you want showing up in anything?

What matters is whether there is enough radioactivity to be a potential risk.

[Lismore Bloke]

The news doesn't surprise me. We went on a 4WD trip through outback SA, including the Lake Eyre basin, managing to see the lake at 25% capacity before it evaporated. The area to the west where the Maralinga atom bomb series of tests were conducted is still prohibited. No access allowed. Just a bit more background radiation added to the radioactive isotopes that are already here.

[GrahamL]

great why not a bit more :( anyone else who was around south east queensland in the late 50s got a dose from the tests they did down south aus I believe.

Skys have gone from blue to grey through the day so far
might leave the scope indoors for the night .

[Kevnool]

Sounds to me they need a few more water trucks in SA to settle the dust.

One scientist trying to make a name for himself,even if it was radioactive theres nothing that can be done to fix it.

Mother nature rules again.

Cheers Kev.

[dpastern]

Well, yes, something could have been done about it, in order to fix it - don't do nuclear tests.

Dave

[astroron]

TO LATE FOR THAT SENTIMENT:rolleyes:

[Kevnool]

Exactly as i said nothing can be done its all over.
Next subject.
Cheers Kev.

[dpastern]

Yes, it is. My sarcasm was intended to point out that we [as a species], do not learn from our mistakes. Not only that, we keep making larger and larger mistakes as time goes on.

Dave

[BerrieK]

Interesting, and perhaps a bit disturbing, but as a wise man once said:



Well I must admit that I agree with Kev - what's done is done.

We probably get more extra background radiation every time we hang out on mineralised sand or camp in the bush with lots of granite, or take a flight (increased altitude = associated cosmic radiation) than can be attributed to that dust.

Food for thought for the human race though, as Dave has suggested.

Kerrie

[RobF]

Yep - lots and lots more radiation and xrays from a plane flight than any dust storm.

Doesn't mean I like breathing it in though for the 2nd day this week. We can taste and smell it in every room of the house at the moment :mad2:

[BerrieK]

Aah yes Rob, you are right, inhaling and tasting dust is unpleasant and triggers all kinds of acute respiratory problems.

Although whether there is a threshold of ionizing radiation dose that causes biological damage (stochastic or deteministic; early or late) is still a contraversial subject, I really doubt that inhaling dust that may or may not be radioactive will increase anyone's radiaiton dose to above the 1 mSv per general population dose limit (as set out by the IRCP (International Commission on Radiological Protection).

If one was to reach the 1mSv dose limit every year for 50 years, the risk to that person of contracting a fatal cancer will increase by about 0.2%. There will be an increased risk of another radiation effect occurring (a non-fatal cancer or a hereditary effect) of about 0.1%.

Most of us take other 'risks' of a carcinogenic nature or other health nature all the time without even blinking an eye. My apologies if I seem argumentative, but if the dust is radiactive thers's nothing we can do about it now, and at this time, it is probably of insignificant consequence.

We sill have to cop it. We live in a very dry place. The powers that be will just have to learn from it. And bring in some water trucks. And maybe subsidise brooms and mops and feather dusters (look our chooks), and perhaps we could collect all the dust and re-build the missing 12 Apolstles with it.

Kerrie :)

[xelasnave]

So is anyone testing? I wondered about this the other day..toxins generally that may be in the dust...
alex

[Kevnool]

Does it really matter Alex ?

Still nothing can be done.

Cheers Kev.

[Spiritinthesky]

Seen loads of good pics about the storm, just amazing.

[astroron]

I heard on the ABC from a scientist that any radio active dust from the site would be too heavy to go very far from it's original position,so any danger would be of a very localised nature.