1998 test of a thermonuclear device by India at Pokhran had been a failure?

It is unfortunate that a DRDO scientist and a few BARC scientists have questioned the stated success of the thermonuclear device tested in 1998, that too after 10 years, and without much scientific evidence. Why wake up so late? As per Dr. Chidambaram, the device was “a two-stage device of advanced design, which had a fusion-boosted fission trigger as the first stage and a fusion secondary stage which was compressed by radiation implosion and ignited.”

One wonders what is exactly behind this controversy. Some people with the knowledge suspect that there is much more to it than the pure science. There are three possibilities: One can be to force India government to call off the self-committed moratorium on tests and not to sign CTBT; the second reason can be the possible competition for supremacy between BARC and DRDO, and the third may be some one is vying for the top post of DAE in the near future.

In this situation, the common man is taken for a ride, and the national secrets are being openly discussed. I am firmly of the opinion that the full disclosure should be avoided. The issue of credibility of India’s nuclear deterrent should be decided by the Prime Minister himself after due deliberations and hard talk to these scientists. National security should not be jeopardized at any cost.

Radiation around us

Radiation is a fact of life. People on this earth are being continuously bombarded by radiations from different sources, i.e., cosmic radiation from space, radiation emitted from the natural radioactive elements present in soil/rocks, like uranium and thorium and internal exposure from inhalation of natural radioactive gases, like radon preset in the air which we breathe, and traces of radioactive elements present in food and water we consume. Totally, these contribute about 79 % of the annual average global human exposure to radiation. Out of remaining 21%, 20% is contributed from medical exposures from X-rays and scans and only 1% from all other man-made sources, including nuclear power ((World Health Organization, WHO).

In India, major part (over 98%) of the average annual human exposure is from natural sources, about 1.93% from medical exposures and only about 0.37% from man-made sources. The large difference in medical exposures in WHO and Indian values, is due to enhanced medical care provided in developed countries as compared to India.

This information should be made available to the public so that risk from man-made sources are seen in proper perspective, and members of the public readily accept the numerous benefits from the application of radiation and radioisotopes.

Moratorium on nuclear tests

In this blog on Nuclear Issues, it was repeatedly posted that any funds provided by the west to Pakistan will only be used to produce more and more weapons, including nuclear to fight against India. Fight to contain terrorist groups inside Pakistan is only a pretext under which the Pakistan government is demanding funds from US and other sympathisers from Arab world.

The Indian Army Chief says “Pakistan’s efforts of increasing its nuclear strength were a matter of concern and Islamabad was going well beyond the degree of deterrence”. India should be more concerned than ever since there is a huge controversy over the claims of success of the 1998 Pokhran thermonuclear explosion, as claimed by the India government. The Indian nuclear fraternity is also divided over the issue raised by one of the ex-DRDO scientists. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission Chief however said that no more nuke tests are required to confirm the disputed Pokhran test results.

The issue is raised at a time when the US is pressuring India to sign CTBT and other pacts which will hinder progress in India’s nuclear weapon programs. Under the circumstances, the India government can very well refuse to sign any pacts which will put permanent moratorium on nuclear tests if required at a latter date. No deal is above the national security.

Radon helps climate scientists

Radon (Rn-222) is a naturally occurring heavy radioactive gas formed by the decay of radium (Ra-226). It is emitted from the soil and disperses into the atmosphere. It´s considered dangerous to human health when allowed to accumulate in confined places like cellars and basements. The rates of radon emission vary based on the amount of rainfall or the uranium content of the local soil. The concentration of radon and its daughter products depends on the level of ventilation or the air movements in a given area.

The IAEA and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) have taken another step in their global initiative to improve atmospheric investigations that use radon. Radon in the air is useful for studying how pollutants move through the atmosphere and for testing the accuracy of the atmospheric dispersion models. A particularly important application is its use in estimating greenhouse gas emissions and to predict climate change and global warming. It is also measured at stations of the WMO´s Global Atmosphere Watch network.

Scientists and engineers, world-wide, are involved in measuring radon emission from land and also in measuring atmospheric radon. The IAEA has been working on an initiative aimed at standardizing radon measurement tools and practices to improve the quality of their data so that the data are comparable world-wide, and can be used for global projections on climate change.
(Based on IAEA News)

Paleoradiology for unravel age-old mysteries

Nuclear analytical techniques and imaging systems such as neutron activation analysis, proton-induced X-ray emission, accelerator mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and computed tomography are widely used in many applications. "Paleoradiology" uses such nuclear technologies to study artefacts, skeletons, mummies and fossils. Many museums worldwide use the nuclear technologies to discover otherwise hidden details that piece together historic puzzles.

With the advent of more sophisticated CT technology and post-processing software, it is now possible to view mummies in coronal and sagittal planes as well as manipulate the raw data to create three-dimensional (3D) models of mummies and reconstruct their physical appearance. The approach is non-intrusive, leaving the mummy intact, untouched, and unharmed. The age-old mysteries can now be unravelled through the modern science of paleoradiology.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is helping interested countries apply such nuclear technologies for purposes of archaeological study and cultural preservation. Countries should take benefit of the Paleoradiology to improve investigative archaeology, which is still in early stage.

Pakistan nukes

The fallout of the political turmoil in Pakistan is going to be disadvantageous to India. The Pak President has already warned that there is a likelihood of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of Taliban or other terror groups mushrooming in Pakistan.

All said and done, Pak will always consider India as its enemy number 1 and use the funds obtained from western countries to produce more and more nuclear weapons to fight against India. Now the risk is augmented by the terror groups in Pakistan soil, such as Al Qaida and Taliban.

So, any kind of softening of Indian war preparedness against Pakistan will be disastrous for India. Remember Kargil. Nuclear deals apart, India should not sign any pacts with USA or other countries which are likely to curb Indian preparedness against any attacks from the neighbouring countries.

All efforts by, diplomatic or otherwise should be made by the world leaders to ensure safety and security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan.

Plutonium – not as deadly as assumed

Plutonium (Pu), since its discovery in 1940, is extensively used in military and in reactors for power generation. It is artificially produced in the nuclear reactors on absorption of a neutron by the Uranium-238 (U-238) atom and subsequent beta decay of the U-239 to Neptunium (Np-239) which further undergoes beta decay to form Pu-239. It is an excellent fissile material (which undergoes fission reaction to release energy) and hence can be used in the manufacture of nuclear devices.

However, whenever plutonium is mentioned in news media, the name of the element is preceded by adjectives such as “deadly” or “most dangerous”, lethal, etc. This is clear a matter of misinformation to sensationalise the news. It is well known that many workers, years ago, have inhaled plutonium in measurable quantities and have not suffered any serious ill effects. Plutonium, like other elements in Periodic Table such as Radium and Thorium and Uranium is radioactive and decay by alpha radiation emission. These radioactive elements are present in trace amounts in soil, food, water and in our bodies. Thorium is used in gas mantles.

Since plutonium is an artificially produced element, the exposure of the public to plutonium is not possible except in situations of nuclear accident or any terrorist attack using so-called Dirty Bombs containing plutonium. Plutonium is not much of a chemically toxic element, but its radioactivity per unit gram is high and hence it is a radiotoxic element. In case of any intakes involving insoluble plutonium compounds, the fraction absorbed by the body fluids is almost negligible and in case of intakes involving soluble compounds of plutonium compounds only a small fraction, of the order of 0.0001, is absorbed by the body and over time gets deposited in bone and liver. Inhalation of air contaminated with plutonium particles needs to be prevented, and in case of an emergency situation, even a simple respirator of the type used in hospitals will provide considerable protection against the inhalation hazard.