Re: Tungsten

["Stephen Carpenter" <sjc-at-xxxxxxxxxxxx> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-xxxxxxxxxx>)]

On Thu, Nov 02, 2000 at 06:17:06PM -0700, Tesla list may have written:
> Original poster: "Ted Rosenberg" <Ted.Rosenberg-at-radioshack-dot-com> 
> 
> John: I plan to cut the stuff outdoors on a windy day and share the dust
> with my fellow Texans. But as for discarding the respirator...I doubt it.
> The dust is not plutonium and I don't plan to be on top of it. And while I
> take the dangers of coiling very seriously indeed, this part I might be
> somewhat more casual about.
> 
> I wouldn't plate silver because of Potassium Cyanide!
> 
> Is there a doctor in the audience?

I would use the respirator myself. It shouldn't be too dangerous even WITH
the respirator but...my mother was an x-ray tech for many years - she has
told me about what they used to use as contrast before she started working
(50's I believe).

They injected people with some thorium compound. Produced great x-ray images.
Truely could rival the ones they can get today. Stopped using it because of 
what it was doing to patients. 

Thorium never leaves the system - if youd ever seen the liver of a person who
had thorium contrast injected into them - you might be a little more cautious
about inhaling the stuff. (I did some reading on the subject a number of years
ago)

Then again - inhaled it might not be a problem - wouildn't make a habit 
of it though. I doubt the amount of thorium in the tungsten would be that high,
and the amount of dust probably minimal. 

Just food for thought. 

-Steve
-- 
"We do everything by custom, even belive by it; our very axioms, let us
 boast of free-thinking as we may, are oftenest simply such beliefs 
 as we have never questioned"
                -- Thomas Carlyle