16 March 2011 Strontium and Cesium – put a glow in their cheeks

"Morning Dew", also known as "(Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew", is a post-apocalyptic folk-rock song written by Canadian singer Bonnie Dobson in 1962.

According to Dobson in a 1993 interview, "Morning Dew" was inspired by the film On the Beach.

Caesium-137 is water-soluble and chemically toxic in small amounts. The biological behavior of caesium-137 is similar to that of potassium and rubidium. After entering the body, cesium is more or less uniformly distributed through the body, with higher concentration in muscle tissues and lower in bones. The biological half-life of cesium is rather short at about 70 days.[4] Experiments with dogs showed that a single dose of 3800 μCi/kg (approx. 44 μg/kg of caesium-137) is lethal within three weeks

Strontium-90 is a "bone seeker" that exhibits biochemical behavior similar to calcium, the next lighter Group 2 element. After entering the organism, most often by ingestion with contaminated food or water, about 70-80% of the dose is excreted. Virtually all remaining strontium-90 is deposited in bones and bone marrow, with the remaining 1% remaining in blood and soft tissues. Its presence in bones can cause bone cancer, cancer of nearby tissues, and leukemia. Exposure to 90Sr can be tested by a bioassay, most commonly by urinalysis.

Together with cesium isotopes 134Cs, 137Cs, and iodine isotope 131I it was among the most important isotopes regarding health impacts after the Chernobyl disaster.

In my youth, the problem of strontium 90 and other fallout isotopes produced by open-air nuclear weapons testing was a matter of great concern. Strontium 90 was deposited onto pasturelands and consumed by cattle. The isotope replaced calcium in milk produced by animals that grazed on contaminated foliage. The dairy industry found itself selling nuclear poisons.

The great fear in that era was of nuclear war. Both the U.S and the USSR owned sufficient warheads to destroy the world multiple times. Dobson’s song dealt with the disaster of nuclear war and fallout from nuclear weapons that rendered the ground lethal to humans. On the Beach dealt with the same theme.

After the disasters at Three Mile Island and at Chernobyl, the concern included industrial accident through natural disaster or OFU. Both Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were OFUs compounded by corporate and bureaucratic lies, concealment, and disregard for the lives of employees and the surrounding populace.

The threat of large scale nuclear war is lessened compared to the 2nd half of the 20th century. The threat of nuclear war still exists and cannot be ignored. But the apparent greater risk now seems to be from commercial power reactors. The damage to the Fukushima reactors on 11 March points out the serious nature of governmental failure to oversee nuclear plants run by corporations. Even in Japan, where the culture would seem to lessen gun decking safety inspections and emergency drills, corporate lack of concern for the public has fallen prey to greed and corporate malfeasance. Now a sizeable number of Japanese and emergency volunteers from other nations have been exposed to medically significant doses of radiation. A large geographic region has been rendered un-livable for a decade or more. The atmosphere and watershed, as well as the ocean have been heavily contaminated.

While the levels of fallout that will reach North America are predicted, at this time, to be insignificant, fallout will make its way here on stratospheric winds. If the following days provide knowledge of greater plant damage and radiation dispersal, those estimates of our safety may need upward division.

My first callous response is that,” I don’t drink milk, I’m not worried.” However, I eat a lot of cheese and yogurt. In some forms that places me at higher risk of intake than if I drank milk. The situation needs close monitoring. Our government needs to make sure all our reactors are being maintained according to design specifications and that all emergency procedures and backup systems are fully operational. /Our lives may depend upon it. I don’t trust any for-profit corporation to be concerned for people.

The best vocal/instrumental performance of Morning Dew took place at Winterland on 6-7-77. Find a copy and listen to the band treat Terrapin Station > Morning Dew as it should be. Very baroque, Bach would approve.

Cue “The Grateful Dead.”

http://www.archive.org/details/gd77-06-07.sbd.sacks.1861.sbeok.shnf