General Discussion

longship

(40,416 posts)

10. I was addressing Plutonium

Sun Aug 5, 2012, 09:44 AM

Aug 2012

Which nukes generate as part of their innate processes. It is not a natural element on Earth. It is, as I said, the most exquisitely poisonous substance known. And that is ignoring that it is radioactive with a half-life of 24,100 years.

The process goes like this:

U238 + n --> U239 --> Np239 + e-
Np239 --> Pu239 + e-

The half life of Np239 is about 2.4 days, so it fairly quickly transmutes to Plutonium.

This is the waste which is so fucking bad. There is no Plutonium on the Earth except that which is man made. What do you do with this shit? The best thing would be to launch it off the planet. But who wants to take that risk?

Better just not to make the shit in the first place.

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News about Fukushima [View all] RobertEarl Aug 2012 OP

What a mess. UnrepentantLiberal Aug 2012 #1

No nukes. Obama this means you. grahamhgreen Aug 2012 #2

knr. This one scares the hell out of me. chknltl Aug 2012 #3

That's got to be a heavy particle bombardment to mess up electronics. Spitfire of ATJ Aug 2012 #4

More likely, while the robots are exposed to the intense radiation they become very radioactive chemenger Aug 2012 #49

AFAIK It cannot blow to pieces. longship Aug 2012 #5

Nukes are alive and not well. Fuddnik Aug 2012 #6

That is an entirely different argument. longship Aug 2012 #7

By "Modular Nuke" you're talking radiothermal generators (RTG) localroger Aug 2012 #37

I stand corrected. Thank you! longship Aug 2012 #42

Not natural? Edweird Aug 2012 #8

I was addressing Plutonium longship Aug 2012 #10

I agree that we should not make it in the first place. Edweird Aug 2012 #11

It's easier to launch out of the solar system longship Aug 2012 #13

So we are going to launch it into space - without knowing what the consequences can be? Isn't jwirr Aug 2012 #15

Well, it isn't going to really happen, is it? longship Aug 2012 #19

Agreed - this is really a problem. One that has been setting around for a long time. And it involves jwirr Aug 2012 #23

what did Jupiter ever do to us? magical thyme Aug 2012 #22

Well, it is a big gravity sink. longship Aug 2012 #24

Actually, a subduction zone would be perfect localroger Aug 2012 #38

Ahhh! I remember that now. longship Aug 2012 #39

It can blow up, has "blown up". But not in the way you're thinking. Not like a nuclear bomb. Poll_Blind Aug 2012 #21

Not Doomsday but Doomscentury due to all those fission products in the food chain flamingdem Aug 2012 #29

CS 137 is a big problem longship Aug 2012 #35

The way in which this receives no serious coverage on M$Greedia malaise Aug 2012 #9

The way the rest of the world seems to be ignoring this dixiegrrrrl Aug 2012 #12

You're right malaise Aug 2012 #16

The media is mostly invested in or outright owned by the nuclear industry. raouldukelives Aug 2012 #33

KNR. This has become an invisible story. Thanks GEMSNBC for staying ontop of it. leveymg Aug 2012 #14

Godzilla, Rodan, AND Mothra longship Aug 2012 #25

Maybe Japan could just incentivize its relationship with radiation? leveymg Aug 2012 #32

Just to be clear, there is no way in this god's green earth nadinbrzezinski Aug 2012 #17

Actually there was a mushroom cloud RobertEarl Aug 2012 #45

Yes small explosions can produce a mushrom cloud, but nadinbrzezinski Aug 2012 #47

You are like the M$M RobertEarl Aug 2012 #50

Yes, but not a nuclear weapon, which is what you are implying. nadinbrzezinski Aug 2012 #51

Do those clouds travel around the earth? kentuck Aug 2012 #18

Per ast year nadinbrzezinski Aug 2012 #27

You can by some time by moving to the southern hemisphere. CrispyQ Aug 2012 #34

Yay nukes! Nukes good! Nukes on or near fault lines better! More nukes please!! nc4bo Aug 2012 #20

This message was self-deleted by its author darkangel218 Aug 2012 #26

There are portable units nadinbrzezinski Aug 2012 #28

Where do i go to borrow one? darkangel218 Aug 2012 #30

Nevermind, i googled it, its too expensive. darkangel218 Aug 2012 #31

Just get a dosimeter. longship Aug 2012 #36

dosimeters measure dose indie9197 Aug 2012 #41

Call someone at a nearby Health Physics Society Chapter indie9197 Aug 2012 #40

My car was manufactured in Hiroshima darkangel218 Aug 2012 #43

From what I read cars CAN DEFINITELY be contaminated. PearliePoo2 Aug 2012 #52

Early on, critics were chervilant Aug 2012 #44

NRC in the US RobertEarl Aug 2012 #46

The M$M chervilant Aug 2012 #48