Monday, May 21, 2012

Need to know

Kodak had an enriched uranium reactor in a basement for decades. It was a neutron source for research; safe with no danger of melt-downs, and no leaks. "Small plates of highly enriched uranium multiplied the neutron flow from a tiny californium core." Even (perhaps especially) when it was decommissioned there was no whisper of what was going on. After 2001 the rules changed, but even before then the US was very careful about information about the location of enriched uranium. The most dangerous time was after decommissioning and during transportation, when the 3 1/2 pounds of enriched uranium was loose for the first time.

Of course the neighbors never knew, nor did most of the employees, nor, I gather, did the city emergency officials. Nor, of course, did the Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Hat tip to the Cranky Professor

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