Dick, Until such time as nuclear reactors can be made foolproof/leakproof /accidentproof AND the waste products can be recycled or destroyed safely then no, I do not think there is such a thing as a safe nuclear reactor. A worthwhile application might be in the form of x-rays (digitized to minimize exposure) but unfortunately even those are given far too frequently.
Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Goodwin To: silver-list@eskimo.com Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 10:08 AM Subject: Re: CS>A closer look at americium 241 from a smoke detector So Bob, do you believe there is no such thing as a safe nuclear reactor? Or a worthwhile application for radioactive material? Dick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Bob Banever <bbane...@earthlink.net> To: silver-list@eskimo.com Sent: Fri, April 23, 2010 12:04:23 PM Subject: Re: CS>A closer look at americium 241 from a smoke detector Richard, Well why make smoke detectors that emit radioactivity then when safer alternatives that work just as well exist? They used to make watch dials from radium until they realized that people were recieving radiation from them that was potentially dangerous. To this day fertilizer is made from uranium tailings used to grow tobacco. Every time you smoke a pack of cigarettes you get the equivalent amount of radiation of one chest x-ray. This is insane... yet it is done on a massive scale. My point is this... radioactivity belongs IN THE GROUND where it has it's natural uses. It does NOT belong above the ground in anything... including nuclear reactors (remember Chernobyl?), DM munitions (depleted uranium causing cancer and genetic defects in those populations exposed such as found in Iraq). Where radiation is found naturally above the ground it is ALWAYS considered dangerous. Bob