Richard,
You can't be serious, right? Aluminum is found in abundance in the
earth's crust but it isn't found in the form of beer cans. If these things
degrade at all it will probably take thousands of years for them to revert back
to the nanoparticles of aluminum found in soil. In the mean time they pollute
our environment. If water wasn't important to conserve then why do we have
periodic draughts in various parts of the country causing food shortages and
dust storms? Sure the water is "still there" in the form of evaporation or
salt water, a useless form for most human needs.
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Goodwin
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 5:43 AM
Subject: Re: CS>A closer look at americium 241 from a smoke detector
If a radioactive substance is moved from one place, e.g. in the ground, to
another place, e.g., in a smoke detector, how is that "adding" to it?
All the radioactive matter on earth is somewhere right now. When we use it,
we move it from wherever it is to some place else. We don't create it.
Actually, you could make an argument that by mining radioactive substances
and concentrating them into reactors, bombs, or other "products", you are
making the world a bit safer, since it is easier to avoid exposure to reactors,
bombs, etc, than to the same substances all spread out in the ground.
I never have understood quite why people get all wrapped around the axle
about some things. For example, we take aluminum out of the ground, where it
is one of the more abundant elements in the earth's crust, and we make beer
cans out of it. But if we then put that aluminum back in the ground, e.g., by
throwing empty beer cans into the dump, people get all in a lather about
pollution. Why? We are just putting the aluminum back where we found it.
And "wasting water". People get all wound up about using too much water.
But it's not like it gets used up. It's still there after whatever we use it
for. And it comes back to us from rain, etc. Why all the furor?
Yeah, I know, there can be local shortages, but overall the total amount of
water on earth doesn't really change, does it?
Dick
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bob Banever <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thu, April 22, 2010 8:58:34 PM
Subject: Re: CS>A closer look at americium 241 from a smoke detector
Alan,
Yes of course. Best not to add to it. I'm sure you would agree.
Cheers.
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan Jones
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: CS>A closer look at americium 241 from a smoke detector
Better go live in a lead box, even the natural world is full of it.
On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 6:12 PM, Bob Banever <[email protected]> wrote:
No amount of radiation is trivial. No level is safe and all ionizing
radiation causes damage to DNA.
--
Alan Jones
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people." (Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution)
