NYT: Polonium, $22.50 Plus Tax

[Bucky]

Polonium, $22.50 Plus Tax (link fixed. sorry)
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: December 3, 2006

The trail of clues in the mysterious death of Alexander V. Litvinenko may lead to Moscow, as the former spy claimed on his deathbed. But solving the nuclear whodunit may prove harder than Scotland Yard and many scientists at first anticipated.

The complicating factor is the relative ubiquity of polonium 210, the highly radioactive substance found in Mr. Litvinenko’s body and now in high levels in the body of an Italian associate, who has been hospitalized in London. Experts initially called it quite rare, with some claiming that only the Kremlin had the wherewithal to administer a lethal dose. But public and private inquiries have shown that it proliferated quite widely during the nuclear era, of late as an industrial commodity.

“You can get it all over the place,” said William Happer, a physicist at Princeton who has advised the United States government on nuclear forensics. “And it’s a terrible way to go.”

[Poll_Blind]

1. LINK to story HERE:

Here.

PB

[Bucky]

2. Thanks

I soamtimes mak erorrs

[5X]

3. That was just about the worst piece of "journalism" I have ever seen.

For one, the $22.50 is never mentioned in the article.
For another, any physicist worth his weight would tell
the writer that the polonium in anti-static brushes is
nearly impossible to extract. And then they have a picture
on the second page of Iran's president holding the
element polonium, as if he is the culprit.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Typical attempt to prove guilt

by nothing other than association.

[whatelseisnew]

5. The Guardian say it cost 20 million pounds

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2845863&mesg_id=2845863

[Warren Stupidity]

8. So there you have it: $20 - $20,000,000

That clears up this mess. Either anyone and their uncle could have done this or only a state agency could have done it. Clear as mud.

[MadHound]

6. Sorry, I have to call bullshit on this one too.

Sorry, but no nuclear isotope is going to be priced at $22.50. That doesn't even cover the cost of refining it, much less radiating it, packaging it, shipping it, etc.

Nor is it as expensive as the Guardian listed it, £20,000,000 pounds. That's roughly 40 million dollars, and frankly isotopes don't cost anywhere near that much retail, by an order of a couple of magnitudes. I know, I worked in the business for a number of years. My best guess is that the dose of polonium was somewhere between $25,000 and $200,000. I woud have to do a bit more research, contact some former co-workers to get a more accurate price, but I can say with confidence that neither of the extremes in pricing that we've seen from the NY Times and the Guardian are anywhere close to correct.

[gratuitous]

7. Tax?

You'd think a staple like polonium would be exempt! Clearly, this is the fault of the Democrats, another failure by Nancy Pelosi.

Need I mention, :sarcasm:?

[truthisfreedom]

9. this is ridiculous. what quantity was found in his body? what quantity is found

in a $20 sample? there is no science in this article without including very specific information about the mass of the polonium involved in his death versus the mass involved in a cheap US sample.

[5X]

10. .