Enriched Uranium dust in Ohio attic

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Roger Harrison
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Enriched Uranium dust in Ohio attic

Post by Roger Harrison »

Found this interesting story about 3% enriched Uranium dust found in a guy's attic in Ohio and the health effects on his family. Neptunium isotopes were also detected. The contamination is believed to be from the nearby Portsmouth Gaseous Plant PORTS facility which processed Uranium for nuclear weapons and fuel.

https://local12.com/news/investigates/l ... nvestigate
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Richard Hull
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Re: Enriched Uranium dust in Ohio attic

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U238 and U235 if solid, bulk metallic forum can be handled readily with the bare hands with no issues. However metal dust in the forced air heating and air conditioning ventilation system of a home is unbelievably dangerous! How the heck did it get there?? That is the mystery! Did they have a sudden gaseous leak at the plant on a windy day. It is doubtful the guy tracked it in from the plant as such places have whole body monitors for folks coming and going, each work day.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Jim Kovalchick
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Re: Enriched Uranium dust in Ohio attic

Post by Jim Kovalchick »

The chemist hired to investigate this seems to have the right credentials, but his track record for finding trace level transuranics wherever he is hired to find them is uncanny. As I understand it, he uses mass spectroscopy to make his determinations, but it is likely that his samples are at picogram level, and even with the latest and greatest equipment, making reliable determinations of enrichment is very tricky and unreliable at best.

Assuming that there are traces of U in their attic, I find it highly unlikely to have caused a pandemic of cancers within their family. It does not make any sense. I suspect this statistically unfortunate family when it comes to the cancer lottery wants to blame their misfortune on something. I wish them peace and good health but something doesn't seem right here.
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Richard Hull
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Re: Enriched Uranium dust in Ohio attic

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I agree, with Jim. If this is true in all forms and facets, then the government NRC would be all over this, invade the home, and most likely condemn it to destruction like the radioactive boy scout's mom's potting shed. The NRC would be very interested in how this home got so contaminated.

Like Jim, I am concerned this is an attempt to sue some entity over this one "expert's" claims about massive family cancers due to U dust. This story will either blossom into a really big deal backed by second expert party or NRC investigative verification or just fade from view, if given the lie. Let's keep an eye on this in future, if it even has a future.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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