Radioactive material in printing?

[jimking]

I just heard something interesting this morning. I'm watching C-SPAN and the guest is Dmitry Peskov, Deputy Press Attache to President Putin of Russia. The interview is in reference to the killing of the former KGB spy who was killed by radiation from polonium. Peskov made the statement that small amounts of polonium is made and shipped out of Russia legally to legitimate companies through out the world. He stated as an example he believed the printing industry is one industry that buys this stuff. Has anyone ever heard of this? :eek:

[Drazan]

took a little digging in google but here's the results.

1) russia used it as part of the trigger mechanism for nuclear bombs

2) used as a heat source/battery for space satellites as well as other space experiments - commonly plated on stainless. (sorry, didn't dig far here)

3) used to control static electricity in machines such as paper rollers (aka might be used in big press machines

4) was used under gold plating in a film brush. The electrical charge produced by the polonium under the gold plating would help attract dust through static electricity

5) discovered by Marie Curie

6) named after Marie's home country of Poland


There ya go.

=)
Jade

[Drazan]

oh the links I found for more info.

the article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6180682.stm

and some links
http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTableDisplay/Elements/084/index.s9.html
http://hps.org/documents/po210_information_sheet.pdf
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/80th/polonium.html



here's a kicker
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6181688.stm
((also present in tobacco))

[urstwile]

I love that you watch C-SPAN Jim. I do too! :)