ExposureBlog

I had a chance to read the DOE’s pre-approval draft of a document titled  ”Large-Scale, Open-Air Exposive Detonation DIVINE STRAKE at the Nevada Test Site (November, 2005.) It can be found here.  The gist: DOE chose the Nevada Test Site for this bunker buster test because it was remote, secure and had limestone similar to what they would expect during combat operations against the current enemy (presumably Al Quieda.) 

The document dismisses the potential problem of radioisotopes in the soil with this:

“The U16b test bed was constructed in 1998, but it was never used for any type of nuclear testing activity.  Based upon this process knowledge, the aerial radiation surveys performed in the past by AMS (aerial measuring system), the current radiological control status of the area under the BN (Bechtel Nevada) radiation protection program, and the knowledge of the area from the NTS (National Test Site) Environmental Restoration (ER) program, NNSA/NSO (National Nuclear Security Administration)is confident that no radioactive contamination exists at U16b.”

In other words, it seems the NNSA’s opinion regarding site contamination is based  on the results of aerial measurement, ”knowledge of the area” from past remediation activity, and, well,  Bechtel’s word that site is safe.

Unfortunately, there are no sample results offered to back up this extraordinary claim.  In matters like this—as with all situations involving the possibility of contamination by substances—the claims must be backed up by numbers.  Qualitative assurances in cases like this are essentially meaningless.

Granted, Divine Strake is a relatively small test.  As the NNSA document notes, other non-nuclear explosions have been equal to or larger than the one scheduled for June.  Among them:

• Dice Throw–620 tons in 1979.
• Distant Runner–2,250 tons in 1981
• Mill Race–620 tons in 1982
• Direct course–609 tons in 1983
• Minor Scale–4,744 tons in 1985
• Misty Picture–4,685 tons in 1987
• Misers Gold–2,445 tons in 1989
• Distant Image–2,440 tons in 1991
• Unnamed shot at U12n—1,410 tons in 1993.

Unfortunately, the authors fail to tell us anything about the debris clouds formed from these detonations.  They may have been small—and if so, then the cloud from Divine Strake will likely not travel far.  But again, the authors give us no information on these shots.  How high did the clouds reach?  Ten feet?  Ten thousand?

Nuclear test code-named Danny Boy was detonated on March 5, 1962 at Test Area 18.  Danny Boy was a minor nuclear test—equivalent to only 400 tons of conventional explosive.  And, the device was buried under 110 ft of basalt.  However, it created a crater 214 ft wide by 62 ft deep and the debris cloud traveled past northern Minnesota and into Canada.

The Divine Strake test is not a nuclear test.  But it will be detonated at a site where contamination is known to have occurred.  According to the Defense Nuclear Agency’s DASA-1251, close-in fallout from shots Turk and Coulomb B spread contaminated much of the Nevada Test Site—including Area 16.  Other nuclear tests that may have contributed to close-in fallout include shots Kepler, Galileo, Fizeau and Smoky.  Fallout from these tests included long-lived radioisotopes, and unless the soil at Area 16 was somehow scrubbed, then the radioisotopes are probably still there. 

And if the debris from Divine Strake reaches the same altitude as the cloud from Danny Boy, then the radioisotopes in the soil at Area 16 will likely be transported to other parts of the United States.

Sometime between June 2 and June 23, the military will detonate about 700 tons of high explosive at the Nevada Test Site’s Area 16.  The Department of Energy has published an extensive document discussing this shot.  However, according to this map–from the DOE library and published in August, 2005, it appears that the soil in Area 16 has relatively high concentrations of plutonium. 

The Nevada Test Site is divided into rectangular-shaped areas, with Areas 12 and 15 representing the northeast corner of the NTS.  Interestingly, Area 16–where the shot is scheduled to be detonated–is adjacent to Area 1—both found at the dead center of the NTS.  Just east of Area 1 is Area 3.  According to the map, the center points of Area 3 is only 8 miles east-northeast of Area 16–a walking distance of about two hours.

No aboveground nuclear tests that have been detonated at Area 16, and there was only one burst that took place just a few miles due east at Area 1–the 12-kiloton Tumbler-Snapper Easy (May 7, 1952.)  According to my copy of DASA 1251 the plume from EASY extended due north—and not west toward Area 16.

There were, however, many above-ground tests that took place at Area 3: George, Annie (, Simon, Harry (, Apple 2, Moth, Hornet, Pascal A, Pascal B, Franklin, Coulomb A, Coulomb B, Flzeau and Galileo. 

The smaller devices detonated at Area 3 included: Colfax, Luna, Bernalillo, San Juan, Otero, Valencia, Humbolt, Catron, Rio Arriba and Chaves.

Most of the debris clouds from these shots drifted north and east, but the Coulomb B cloud traveled west, directly over Area 16.  Two other aboveground shots detonated from Area 3 also may have contaminated Area 16: the debris clouds from shots Fizeau and Galileo traveled northwest and may also have contaminated Area 16.

There were, in fact, some nuclear debris clouds that behaved so badly that they probably contaminated much of the entire Nevada Test Site.  Among this group were shot Turk (1955), and shots Kepler and Smoky (1957.)

While many radioisotopes decay to harmless (i.e. non-radioactive isotopes) within a few years, some last a long time.   According to the Hicks Tables several of the fallout components from the shots listed above are still active in appreciable quantities (i.e. >10E-8 microCuries/sq meter.)  Shot Smoky, for example produced radioisotopes Cobalt-60, Strontium-90, Yttrium-90, Cesium-137, and Europium-155 which are still active today.

I have not read DOE’s Divine Strake document yet.  I hope the document includes plans to either contain the still-radioactive debris onsite—or, if the cloud does somehow get offsite, plans and procedures to monitor for the radioisotopes that may spread across several states.

Maybe.  It does seem that the sleep drug makes one do interesting things while asleep, such as: being able to walk, talk, raid the fridge and now, drive recklessly—and then having no memory of it the next day.  This is one twinkie defense that might have a basis in fact.

A two-day hearing on the mine disaster that occurred in January is scheduled to begin today (May 2, 2006) at Weslayan College.  There will doubtless be some interesting questions for the panel–among them, why did it take 11 hours for MSHA to allow workers to begin the search?  Additionally, the sole survivor, Randall McCloy, Jr. has said that four of the air packs used by the miners failed to work.  In response, International Coal Group, Inc. had this statement:

“ICG was informed that the SCSRs found at the barricade were deployed and showed evidence of use,” and that “the federal investigators did not note any defective SCSRs and all appeared to be in working order.”

Note the phrase “showed evidence of use.”  Careful readers will understand that this does not vindicate the air packs by any means.  As a former federal investigator (OSHA), I was surprised that the MSHA investigators found no defective SCSRs.  It could be, of course, that the investigation is continuing and no final report has been made (I’ve not followed this case.)  If no final report has been made, then the feds would not be able to “note” any defects in the air packs.

On the other hand, it could be that the men were too stunned or groggy to properly use the air packs.  I’m a little surprised that the press hasn’t contacted the manufacturer of the air packs.  The question of whether the air packs, or as the miners called them, “rescuers” worked properly or failed is a huge one and must be answered.

An e-coli infection can be hazardous to one’s health.  Lethal, in fact.  As always, it’s a good idea to avoid eating things that might include this type of bacteria.  Unfortunately, the list seems to be getting longer.  Dateline has a report on e-coli found in Dole bagged salads.  Read about it here.  NBC Dateline isn’t sure how it got there, but promise to stay on the story until the culprit is found.  MSNBC offers shopping tips to avoid bacteria-ridden food. 

CliffNotes Version: Hazards abound. Be circumspect. 

Being flooded out of one’s home is an exposure event—as is trying to decide how to rebuild a devasted neighborhood.  While this article was written within days of the Katrina incursion, it’s still one of the best.  Worth reading.  Not to be overtly dolorous, but I challenge anyone to name one place in the United States that is safe from irreversable damage.  Tacoma, Washington was one of the best places to live during the nuclear testing–it was one of the few places in the U.S essentially free of Nevada Test Site fallout.   But shortly after the nuclear testing ended, Mt. Rainier began acting up. Now, as luck would have it, Tacoma is up for a possible mud flow of historic proportions.  It might even take out the venerable Magoo’s on 21st street–a fixture during my stay in Tacoma in the 1970s and survivor of numerous fires. 

Okay. Tacoma is in volcano country, so what can you expect?  Let’s go to the Midwest. How about Chicago. . .in, oh. . 1979.  The snow drifted so high, driving down the street was like riding a luge.  Drifts fifteen feet high.  I remember the options: staying in the hotel to watch Mork and Mindy or going out for a Pepsi and a bag of chips.  I also remember walking up the railroad tracks to a ribs place in Oak Forest, IL because that was the only route that was relatively free of snow.

Okay, you might say, New Orleans has hurricanes, Chicago has blizzards, the West Coast has wind storms, lava and earthquakes–you’re talking about vulnerable places. How about the real America–safe from upset—be it geological, meteorological or political.  Some place like. . .Macon, Missouri.

Okay. Now, Macon, Missouri will work.  Not far from the one-time center of the U.S.  I played guitar at a dance there years ago.  Was a member of a short-lived band from Macon. An old girl friend lives there.  It  is in the middle of the bell curve, meteorologically speaking.  There has probably never been a blizzard there that deposited snow more than two feet in depth.

And, except for the occasional tornado—none of which have ever hit Macon—it’s a safe place to live. 

Except for that thing about two hundred miles southeast–in New Madrid, MO.  A few years ago my wife and I were guests at a party in Macon, Missouri.  It took place not long after some scientist (or psychic, I’m not sure which) predicted a catastrophic wave of energy emanating from New Madrid and destroying most of the surrounding area.  The party began on a low note and ended with the crowd singing hymns. 

Of course, the quake never happened—or at least, I don’t think it did.  My wife and I left immediately after the get-together and headed back to the safety of our hurricane-ravaged southern U.S.

But over the years, I’ve learned a few things about geography: Most of us don’t think it will happen where they live.  But even after it does–and it usually does—we still fail to cut anyone else slack for performing just as we did: believing that we’re bulletproof and we live in a place that’s safe.

Right now, New Orleans residents are struggling to get their homes back where they were even though they aren’t really sure if their lovely city will ever recover from the Katrina hit.  They hear influential congressmen say that New Orleans should be bulldozed, and that any money given to rebuild N.O. would be going down a rathole.

Sure the place is a mess.  But the same would be said for Tacoma if Mt. Rainier decided to pop—for Chicago if another Storm of the Century hit—and for Macon, MO (and all points south) if the New Madrid fault decided to snap. 

In many ways, the only thing differentiating the French Quarter from the Tacoma’s North Shore—or Macon, MO’s northside  is the nature of the threat. 

More later.

It has been nearly five years since the World Trade Centers collapsed, producing dense clouds and exposing thousands of persons to toxic materials. Despite the fact that this was one of the most televised and infamous exposure events in recent history, estimates of the concentration of that cloud—in milligrams per cubic meter—have never been published.  We will explore the WTC exposure events of 9/11/2001 in a new series of posts beginning soon.

I can’t decide.

A report today issued by the Centers for Disease Control noted that the cost of injuries in the United States—in a single year—top $406 billion.  Read about it here.

Couple of things in the news that have to do with safety and health.  Latest published crash test results are out.  And here I learned that the van I drive was rated *poor.*

New car time. 

On the bright side, we shouldn’t worry about the mercury in those tooth fillings.  A government study concludes there’s no neurological damage associated with them.  Just don’t eat that barbecue .

Have contacts and use Bauch & Lomb ReNu with “MoistureLoc”?  Don’t do that anymore. . .it seems the stuff is associated with fungal keratitis, a disease that can cause permanent blindness.