German Police: Litvinenko possible dirty-bomb smuggling

[Truronian]

I find it hard to believe this because:

The main hazard is its intense radioactivity (as an alpha emitter), which makes it very difficult to handle safely - one gram of Po will self-heat to a temperature of around 500°C.

How would one transport it?

 

[Adamb0mb]

I find it hard to believe this because:



How would one transport it?

Distribute 1g of Polonium among 100g of sand. Place in plastic capsule(s).

 

[emzie]

So the Russian press is reporting that the German press is reporting that other Russian press is claiming this. That sounds like a legit source.

 

[Truronian]

Distribute 1g of Polonium among 100g of sand. Place in plastic capsule(s).

Wouldn't the police have found these sand capsules? Seems all a bit far fetched to me.

 

[Adamb0mb]

Wouldn't the police have found these sand capsules? Seems all a bit far fetched to me.

The OP has pointed to a connection between Litveinko's poisoing and a ploy to manufacture dirty bombs. I was merely pointing out problems with this theory.

Don't worry, the capsules are purely hypothetical

 

[carlosMM]

Yes, the article said that but it also said this:


"Alongside several other versions behind this crime, we are seriously considering the possibility that Litvinenko's death could have been connected to the illegal trade in nuclear materials," a police source told the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung..."

Indeed - it is their job to treat the weirdest fluke seriously! They probably also consider the possibility that L. was trying to bomb Berlin with it - just to be on the safe side!

Also, Berliner Zeitung is not known for its critical reporting, rather for publishing the 'odds' and the ignored stuff. This is often a good thing, but they end up reporting nonsense, too.

 

[carlosMM]

I find it hard to believe this because:



How would one transport it?

FYI, you can safely touch Plutonium (also an alpha emitter) with your hands. Your SKIN (the horny layer) is sufficient protection against alpha rays (unless the dosage is really extreme). The problem is inhaling tiny amounts - then you have an alpha emitter in direct contact with extremely vulnerable lung tissue, whcih has no horny layers to protect it. or ingesting them - then your stomach and intestines go.

Additionally, you must make sure that there are no decay products escaping whciha re beta or gamma emitters, or alpha emitters that are gaseous. Or bombarded material that turns into an emitter. But a locked lead tin will do just fine, thank you! Plastic will also do, unless the radiation is strong enough to quickly ruin it.

 

[nonconformist]

They're both radioactive so they emmit gamma rays

If Polonium only released gamma radiation, then it would make it safer to ingest.

 

[GinandTonic]

Still, you have to remember to view this article properly. The source of the article is Russian, who is probably under official control, and the Russian government is also a suspect.

The defence rests its case, your honor.

 

[blackheart]

If Polonium only released gamma radiation, then it would make it safer to ingest.

It doesn't, there's also alpha particles. Either way it would be an almost unseen killer if the radiation was in low enough doseages.

 

[Captain Planet]

The CBC did a great documentary the other night on Russia. Since Russia was recently accussed of spying again in Canada - and caught, it seems somewhat... appropriate?

I've never had a warm feeling for Russia and certainly don't now. Here's the main page for Russia; hopefully the CBC will link to the Docu soon.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/russia/

 

[nonconformist]

It doesn't, there's also alpha particles. Either way it would be an almost unseen killer if the radiation was in low enough doseages.

Obviously; the alpha particles are infinitely more massive, and cause terrible damage to soft tissue.

 

[EdwardTking]

Churchill was pretty ruthless; I'm thinking mainly about the Q Ships here. He commissioned civilian ships for the purpose of ramming U boats so that they could no longer surface and demand surrrender.

Wrong. Q ships were equipped with guns for the purpose of sinking U boats.

Of course if the submarine was very close and the Q ship gun could not be depressed low enough, then ramming would be used instead.

This, of course, meant that the Germans started to attack merchant ships without allowing the crew and passengers to escape.

Merchant ships would radio the position of a spotted surfaced submarine.
So because of (Q ships AND because of radios) it became safer for the submarine to torpedo without surfacing and move away from that position.

His policy resulted in the vast casualties of the U Boat war.

The German policy of targeting merchant, rather than naval, shipping
created the vast casualties of the U Boat war. In so much as much of
this was neutral shipping and not carrying war related goods and not in
the vicinity of Britain, that was tantamount to piracy and a war crime.

Submarine commanders were not hung at Nurembourg like tribunals merely
because the allies had responded by sinking any shipping in a patrol
area too and were honest enough to defer from hypocritical executions.


Not impressed by insults about Churchill in Polonium poisoning thread.