Basic Facts About Uranium
To properly asses the danger of uranium and radioactive waste it is first important to gain a sense of proportion:
1. How much uranium is available in the earth's crust.
2. How much uranium is eroded by streams and rivers and dumped in the oceans.
3. How slowly does uranium give off its radiation when found in nature.
One of the standard textbooks on the subject of Nuclear Power is by Bernard Cohen and is called The Nuclear
Energy Option, which was published in 1990. It is now offered for free on the Internet at:
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/book/index.html
The crust contains 6.5x10^13 ton of uranium. That is 65,000,000,000,000 tons of uranium.
Rivers bring more uranium into the sea all the time, in fact 32,000 tons per year.
An amazing 4.6 billion tons of uranium are estimated to be in sea water. That is 9,200,000,000,000 pounds.
The half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and that of uranium-235 is 704 million years. Under normal
conditions, it is not giving off much radiation given that it obviously takes so long to decay.
Fear of Radiation
Denver, in the Rockies, has a higher radiation level than most of the country. Should we evacuate Denver? The
answer is that the death rates and cancers are lower in the high radiation areas than in the low radiation areas.
Denver has a higher radiation level and lower death rate than most of the country.
As far as uranium getting into the water supplies, please note that a certain amount has been placed there by
nature. The concept that any radiation is bad for you is not true. If it was true, nobody would want to live in Denver
or any mile-high location where radiation is much higher due to a thinner atmospheric protective shield. Consider
fluoride in the water. Too much is dangerous to the body and too little is harmful to the teeth.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Will tell you that there is less cancer in Denver due to the higher background radiation. Radiation from the earth has
gone down continuously over time. Apparently we were designed to be in an environment where there is more
radiation. If we could control the amount of additional radiation in our water supply, it would be beneficial just like
fluoride is.
A main source, more than half, of natural radiation is from radioactive radon gas which diffuses up from the earth.
Professor Bernard Cohen from the University of Pittsburgh studied the effect of radon throughout the US and found
that the areas with the highest radon levels had the lowest cancer rates. Prior to his study Prof. Cohen had a
ventilation system in his basement to reduce the radon entering his home. After the study he turned the ventilation
system off.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Larger section of post:
The American public is frightened by nuclear radiation. But it is irrational fright that may severely damage our future.
To understand the danger, or lack of danger, from nuclear radiation consider the amount of radiation received from
nature. A scientific unit of nuclear radiation is the millirem; mr. Nature's nuclear radiation varies throughout the US
and the world. On the average each of us receives about 300 mr a year, but there is as much as 5 to 10 times this
level in some parts of the US and other parts of the world. In some areas of the Rocky Mountain States radiation
exposure is double the average, while in the far northwest (Oregon, Washington and Idaho) nature's radiation is
about half the average. Denver, in the Rockies, has a higher radiation level than most of the country. Should we
evacuate Denver? The answer is that the death rates and cancers are lower in the high radiation areas than in the
low radiation areas. Denver has a higher radiation level and lower death rate than most of the country.
< However, as regards uranium, the mining companies apparently didn’t have a very good record for keeping
uranium and other heavy metals from migrating into local water supplies>
Apparently you are under the impression that any additional radiation is bad for you. It is a commonly believed myth
that any radiation is bad for you.
Consider the following facts:
Sunlight is one form of radiation. We know the following:
Too much sunlight is too much radiation from a light source and can harm you.
Too little sunlight and people often show signs of lack of vitamin D and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
It turns out that radioactive materials are all around us in nature and that life evolved when the earth emitted more
radiation than it does today.
Background radiation exposure for a person living in a brick house in Denver, Colorado is approximately three times
larger than the exposure of a person living in a wooden home in Palo Alto, California. The factors that contribute to
the increased background exposure for the person in Denver include the:
1. High elevation of Denver (more cosmic ray muons reach the ground in Denver)
2. Rock structures in the two areas (more radon in Denver)
3. Bricks in the house contain traces of radioactive elements, whereas wood contains very little.
While in the space shuttle, astronauts receive a daily exposure to ionizing radiation equivalent to the exposure
people in the Palo Alto area receive in about six months from background radiation. This shows the dramatic effect
the atmosphere plays in reducing our exposure to cosmic radiation.
As far as uranium getting into the water supplies, please note that a certain amount has been placed there by
nature. The concept that any radiation is bad for you is not true. If it was true, nobody would want to live in Denver
or any mile-high location where radiation is much higher due to a thinner atmospheric protective shield. Consider
fluoride in the water. Too much is dangerous to the body and too little is harmful to the teeth.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Will tell you that there is less cancer in Denver due to the higher background radiation. Radiation from the earth has
gone down continuously over time. Apparently we were designed to be in an environment where there is more
radiation. If we could control the amount of additional radiation in our water supply, it would be beneficial just like
fluoride is.
A main source, more than half, of natural radiation is from radioactive radon gas which diffuses up from the earth.
Professor Bernard Cohen from the University of Pittsburgh studied the effect of radon throughout the US and found
that the areas with the highest radon levels had the lowest cancer rates. Prior to his study Prof. Cohen had a
ventilation system in his basement to reduce the radon entering his home. After the study he turned the ventilation
system off.
Next
To properly asses the danger of uranium and radioactive waste it is first important to gain a sense of proportion:
1. How much uranium is available in the earth's crust.
2. How much uranium is eroded by streams and rivers and dumped in the oceans.
3. How slowly does uranium give off its radiation when found in nature.
One of the standard textbooks on the subject of Nuclear Power is by Bernard Cohen and is called The Nuclear
Energy Option, which was published in 1990. It is now offered for free on the Internet at:
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc/book/index.html
The crust contains 6.5x10^13 ton of uranium. That is 65,000,000,000,000 tons of uranium.
Rivers bring more uranium into the sea all the time, in fact 32,000 tons per year.
An amazing 4.6 billion tons of uranium are estimated to be in sea water. That is 9,200,000,000,000 pounds.
The half-life of uranium-238 is about 4.47 billion years and that of uranium-235 is 704 million years. Under normal
conditions, it is not giving off much radiation given that it obviously takes so long to decay.
Fear of Radiation
Denver, in the Rockies, has a higher radiation level than most of the country. Should we evacuate Denver? The
answer is that the death rates and cancers are lower in the high radiation areas than in the low radiation areas.
Denver has a higher radiation level and lower death rate than most of the country.
As far as uranium getting into the water supplies, please note that a certain amount has been placed there by
nature. The concept that any radiation is bad for you is not true. If it was true, nobody would want to live in Denver
or any mile-high location where radiation is much higher due to a thinner atmospheric protective shield. Consider
fluoride in the water. Too much is dangerous to the body and too little is harmful to the teeth.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Will tell you that there is less cancer in Denver due to the higher background radiation. Radiation from the earth has
gone down continuously over time. Apparently we were designed to be in an environment where there is more
radiation. If we could control the amount of additional radiation in our water supply, it would be beneficial just like
fluoride is.
A main source, more than half, of natural radiation is from radioactive radon gas which diffuses up from the earth.
Professor Bernard Cohen from the University of Pittsburgh studied the effect of radon throughout the US and found
that the areas with the highest radon levels had the lowest cancer rates. Prior to his study Prof. Cohen had a
ventilation system in his basement to reduce the radon entering his home. After the study he turned the ventilation
system off.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Larger section of post:
The American public is frightened by nuclear radiation. But it is irrational fright that may severely damage our future.
To understand the danger, or lack of danger, from nuclear radiation consider the amount of radiation received from
nature. A scientific unit of nuclear radiation is the millirem; mr. Nature's nuclear radiation varies throughout the US
and the world. On the average each of us receives about 300 mr a year, but there is as much as 5 to 10 times this
level in some parts of the US and other parts of the world. In some areas of the Rocky Mountain States radiation
exposure is double the average, while in the far northwest (Oregon, Washington and Idaho) nature's radiation is
about half the average. Denver, in the Rockies, has a higher radiation level than most of the country. Should we
evacuate Denver? The answer is that the death rates and cancers are lower in the high radiation areas than in the
low radiation areas. Denver has a higher radiation level and lower death rate than most of the country.
< However, as regards uranium, the mining companies apparently didn’t have a very good record for keeping
uranium and other heavy metals from migrating into local water supplies>
Apparently you are under the impression that any additional radiation is bad for you. It is a commonly believed myth
that any radiation is bad for you.
Consider the following facts:
Sunlight is one form of radiation. We know the following:
Too much sunlight is too much radiation from a light source and can harm you.
Too little sunlight and people often show signs of lack of vitamin D and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
It turns out that radioactive materials are all around us in nature and that life evolved when the earth emitted more
radiation than it does today.
Background radiation exposure for a person living in a brick house in Denver, Colorado is approximately three times
larger than the exposure of a person living in a wooden home in Palo Alto, California. The factors that contribute to
the increased background exposure for the person in Denver include the:
1. High elevation of Denver (more cosmic ray muons reach the ground in Denver)
2. Rock structures in the two areas (more radon in Denver)
3. Bricks in the house contain traces of radioactive elements, whereas wood contains very little.
While in the space shuttle, astronauts receive a daily exposure to ionizing radiation equivalent to the exposure
people in the Palo Alto area receive in about six months from background radiation. This shows the dramatic effect
the atmosphere plays in reducing our exposure to cosmic radiation.
As far as uranium getting into the water supplies, please note that a certain amount has been placed there by
nature. The concept that any radiation is bad for you is not true. If it was true, nobody would want to live in Denver
or any mile-high location where radiation is much higher due to a thinner atmospheric protective shield. Consider
fluoride in the water. Too much is dangerous to the body and too little is harmful to the teeth.
http://www.sepp.org/Archive/NewSEPP/nuclear_radiation.htm
Will tell you that there is less cancer in Denver due to the higher background radiation. Radiation from the earth has
gone down continuously over time. Apparently we were designed to be in an environment where there is more
radiation. If we could control the amount of additional radiation in our water supply, it would be beneficial just like
fluoride is.
A main source, more than half, of natural radiation is from radioactive radon gas which diffuses up from the earth.
Professor Bernard Cohen from the University of Pittsburgh studied the effect of radon throughout the US and found
that the areas with the highest radon levels had the lowest cancer rates. Prior to his study Prof. Cohen had a
ventilation system in his basement to reduce the radon entering his home. After the study he turned the ventilation
system off.
Next
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