How much plutonium does it take
to overdose a person?

Letter from the Atomic Energy Control Board
(followed by comments from CCNR)


re: Maximum Permissible Intake
of Plutonium by Inhalation


Table of Contents

Letter from the Atomic Energy Control Board

Comments from CCNR

    Foreword

  • Question 1

    In principle, using AECB's regulatory limits, how many ''civilians'' can be overdosed by 100 grams of plutonium?

  • Question 2

    If there is a serious accident involving120 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX -- this is the amount of the test quantity shipped from Los Alamos to Chalk River, Ontario), how many civilian overdoses could, in principle, result?

  • Question 3

    In principle, using AECB's regulatory limits, how many ''atomic workers'' can be overdosed by 140 grams of plutonium?

  • Question 4

    If there is a serious accident involving 600 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX -- this is the amount of the test quantity shipped from Russia to Chalk River, Ontario), how many worker overdoses could, in principle, result?

  • Question 5

    If there is a serious accident involving 600 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX -- this is the amount of the test quantity shipped from Russia to Chalk River, Ontario), how many civilian overdoses could, in principle, result?

    Afterword


September 30 1999

Ms. Kristen Ostling
National Coordinator
Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout
1200-1 Nicholas Street
Ottawa Ontario
K1N 7B7

Subject:
 
Quantity of Plutonium that an Atomic Radiation Worker
and the Public may Inhale to Reach their Respective Limits

Dear Ms. Ostling:

The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) does not set maximum permissible quantities of radionuclides for workers or the public. Regulatory protection criteria are expressed in terms of effective dose limits.

In this context, we understand your question to mean: "What is the quantity of plutonium oxide, if inhaled, would give rise to an effective dose of 50 mSv [ millisieverts ] to a worker or 5 mSv to a member of the public?"

As the result of an intake, these doses will be received over 50 years by a worker and over a period ending at age 70 by a member of the public. These calculations have been made for insoluble (in lung fluid) plutonium oxide of 1 micrometer size. These assumptions are very conservative (restrictive); in other words the worst case scenario has been assumed.

workers:
 
1.4 micrograms for 50 mSv committed effective dose
(over 50 years after intake)
public:
 
0.1 microgram for 5 mSv committed effective dose
(up to age 70)

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (613) 996-5637.

Yours truly,



M. P. Measures, Ph.D.
Director
Radiation and Environmental Protection Division


Comments from CCNR

Foreword

Plutonium is a highly toxic material. Attempts to deny or to obscure this fact are, we feel, irresponsible.

Some spokespersons for AECL and for the Government of Canada have suggested that there is no danger involved in MOX transport worthy of anyone's serious consideration.

We feel compelled to point out that, although the probability of a severe accident that would release plutonium to the atmosphere is admittedly small, the potential health and environmental consequences of such an accident can be serious due to the extraordinary toxicity of plutonium when inhaled.

It is for this reason alone that the United States of America has made it illegal to transport plutonium by air in US territory. Such a prohibition does not exist for any other radioactive material.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has admitted, in documents submitted to Transport Canada, that in four out of eight categories of serious road transportation accidents, the MOX containers would be completely destroyed and a plume of plutonium dust would be spread downwind to a distance of about 80 kilometers.

Transport Canada has stated -- not once, but several times, in its response to public commentaries about AECL's plans for MOX transport by road -- that transporting MOX by air is much more dangerous than doing it by road because of the health dangers of inhaling plutonium dust following an accident.

Industry and government spokespersons have insisted that120 grams of plutonium is too small an amount to raise legitimate health and environmental concerns. They have made the irrelevant observation that 120 grams of plutonium is about the size of two A-A batteries.

Such remarks are manipulative in nature; they do not help people to weigh the risk. The important quantity is not the VOLUME or MASS of plutonium, but its TOXICITY. Based on data supplied by AECB (see letter above) we can address the toxicity question as follows:


In principle, using AECB's regulatory limits,
how many ''civilians'' can be overdosed
by 100 grams of plutonium?

0.1 microgramscan overdose one civilian
multiply by one million
0.1 gramscan overdoseone million civilians
multiply by ten
1 gramcan overdose ten million civilians
multiply by one hundred
100 gramscan overdose one billion civilians
600 gramscan overdose six billion civilians



If there is a serious accident involving
120 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX),
how many civilian overdoses could, in principle, result?

if NONE of the plute
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
one billion two hundred million
civilian overdoses
 
if 90 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
one hundred and twenty million
civilian overdoses
 
if 99.9 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
one hundred and twenty thousand
civilian overdoses
 
if 99.999 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
one thousand two hundred
civilian overdoses
 



In principle, using AECB's regulatory limits,
how many ''atomic radiation workers'' can be
overdosed by 140 grams of plutonium?

1.4 micrograms
 
can overdose
 
one atomic worker
 
1.4 grams
 
can overdose
 
one million workers
 
14 grams
 
can overdose
 
ten million workers
 
140 grams
 
can overdose
 
one hundred million workers
 
560 grams
 
can overdose
 
four hundred million workers
 



If there is a serious accident involving
600 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX),
how many worker overdoses could, in principle, result?

if NONE of the plute
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
four hundred twenty-five
million worker overdoses
 
if 90 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
forty-two and a half
million worker overdoses
 
if 99.9 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
forty-two and a half
thousand worker overdoses
 
if 99.999 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
four hundred and twenty-five
worker overdoses
 



If there is a serious accident involving
600 grams of plutonium (in the form of MOX),
how many civilian overdoses could, in principle, result?

if NONE of the plute
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
six billion
civilian overdoses
 
if 90 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
six hundred million
civilian overdoses
 
if 99.9 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
six hundred thousand
civilian overdoses
 
if 99.999 percent of it
is safely contained
 
there is a potential for
 
six thousand
civilian overdoses
 



Afterword

The probability of a serious accident involving MOX transport is small, but the consequences can be severe. They can also be very long-lived: since plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years, plutonium contamination can be permanent. It is a betrayal of public trust to pretend that these risks do not exist.

Unlike most shipments of radioactive materials, plutonium shipments are attractive targets for criminals or terrorists, because plutonium is the primary nuclear explosive material from which atomic bombs can be made.

Any attempted hijacking can only increase the risks of unintended releases of plutonium to the atmosphere.


[ Findings on the Toxicity of Plutonium ]

[ Bomb Makers Speak Out Against Plutonium ]

[ Canadian airlift of plutonium was illegal ]

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