From: roy@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org (Roy M. Silvernail)
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 94 16:22:23 PDT
To: jdd@aiki.demon.co.uk (Jim Dixon)
Subject: Re: Nuclear Weapons Material
In-Reply-To: <7846@aiki.demon.co.uk>
Message-ID: <940825.173900.1n4.rusnews.w165w@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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In list.cypherpunks, Jim Dixon spake:

> In message <199408251633.JAA16087@netcom4.netcom.com> Mike Duvos writes:

>> Workers in nuclear fuel fabrication facilities have been known to
>> use small disks of plutonium sintered into a ceramic base as
>> poker chips.
> 
> Is this true?  I mean, do you know it from personal experience?
> I was told by what I considered to be reliable sources that plutonium
> was extremely toxic.  Upon reflection, I am sure that this is the
> word that was used: toxic, not radioactive.

Plutonium oxide has a reputation for causing eventual lung cancer when
inhaled in microgram quantities.  But if the plutonium metal is sintered
into a ceramic, it's not loose and breathable.  I can't say how
otherwise toxic it might be, but I'd expect it to be similar to other
heavy metals.  So the poker chips sound pretty safe.
- -- 
       Roy M. Silvernail         [ ]  roy@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org
                    PGP public key available by mail
     echo /get /pub/pubkey.asc | mail file-request@cybrspc.mn.org
         These are, of course, my opinions (and my machines)

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