Report links U-235 found in Ohio home to Portsmouth

[Marlin]

Report links U-235 found in Ohio home to Portsmouth

https://www.ans.org/news/article-4481/report-links-u235-found-in-ohio-home-to-portsmouth/

[Mounder]

More suspect journalism and shaky scientific reporting from U-Northern Arizona. "by a factor of 3.4 over normal background for U-235."  Fun with numbers and confusing those who don't understand how miniscule and within the expected range this is.  More people looking to get rich off the deep pockets of the US government.  Chances that the wind blew in that direction towards Lucasville: unlikely.  Potential mention of a PORTS worker previously living in the home: avoided by the author.   A lot of bad scheming people down there.

[fiveeleven]

An increase by a factor of 3.4 is significant. For example: 1E-15uci/cc X 3.4 = 3.4E-15uci/cc. Sans scientific notation = .0000000000000034uci/cc. Add in +/- 20% and start mobilizing FEMA personnel.

[Mounder]

If we take a high WAG that the background U235 is .1 pCi/g in soil in southern OH (of course not mentioned in the article) and then multiply that by 3.4 = 0.34 pCi/g.  A DCGL is likely at least 5 pCi/g.  It's still a lot of nothing.  If the litigants want to chase remnant coal dust up and down the Norfolk Southern line that runs through Portsmouth, past Lucasville and all the way up to Columbus, I'm sure they can find more homes to claim. The open car- black billowing clouds were an amazing daily occurrence.

[peteshonkwiler]

If we take a high WAG that the background U235 is .1 pCi/g in soil in southern OH (of course not mentioned in the article) and then multiply that by 3.4 = 0.34 pCi/g.  A DCGL is likely at least 5 pCi/g.  It's still a lot of nothing.  If the litigants want to chase remnant coal dust up and down the Norfolk Southern line that runs through Portsmouth, past Lucasville and all the way up to Columbus, I'm sure they can find more homes to claim. The open car- black billowing clouds were an amazing daily occurrence.

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