plutionium's just alright

[spanone]

from m$nbc via tepco......

Question: I’ve heard that plutonium has been found outside the Fukushima plant? What is the significance of that?

Answer: The Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the plant, said it found three radioactive isotopes of plutonium — plutonium 238, 239 and 240 — in five locations outside the plant in soil tests on March 21-22. It said two samples out of the five may be the direct result of the accident at the plant following the tsunami. It said the detected levels were minute — almost the same as those from the fallout detected in Japan following past nuclear tests by the United States and Russia, which ended in 1980 — and do not pose a major risk to human health

The reason plutonium is such a concern is that it is the most toxic of the isotopes that can be released from a nuclear reactor or explosion. Plutonium does not exist in nature. It can only be created by nuclear fission. Plutonium is fatal to human in very tiny doses. It accumulates in the bones and it has very long half lives. Plutonium 238 has a half-life (half of it will be gone) of 88 years and Plutonium 239 a half-life of 24,100 years.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42099327/ns/world_news-disaster_in_japan/


my question....where did the other three radioactive isotopes of plutonium come from, and if they don't post a MAJOR risk to human health, do they cause a SIGNIFICANT risk to human health?????

[truedelphi]

1. Investigate "mox fuel" which is being (or was being)

Used in at least one of the reactors in Fukushima. Unlike TMI or Chernobyl where the mox fule was not used.

Then imagine that the mox fuel has possibly been ignited, and according to another DU'ers OP here about three days back, as many as thirteen "flashes" were observed.

[Xicano]

2. Hey I have a good idea how to solve the problem

Why don't they just take all the plutonium and form it into armor piercing rounds and declare it safe.

:sarcasm: