[Land-speed] Alternative Fuels>From>Jim McNaul

[joseph lance]

Carbon 14 is a naturally occurring radioactive isotope that plants and animals
absorb from the atmosphere (while we are alive).

If the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and EPA strictly enforced their
regulations we'd all have to be buried in nuclear waste dumps.

Lance
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jon Wennerberg
  To: Bryan Savage
  Cc: joseph lance ; land-speed-digest ; jgmagoo at comcast.net
  Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 12:05 PM
  Subject: Re: [Land-speed] Alternative Fuels>From>Jim McNaul




  On Jul 16, 2007, at 11:29 AM, Bryan Savage wrote:


  I thought the radioactive stuff in coal was Carbon 14.....??


  Bryan



  Well, you made me wonder -- so I looked it up.  I found this in a USGS
factsheet:


  "Coal is largely composed of organic matter, but it is the inorganic matter
in coalminerals and trace elements that have been cited as possible causes
of health, environmental, and technological problems associated with the use
of coal. Some trace elements in coal are naturally radioactive. These
radioactive elements include uranium (U), thorium (Th), and their numerous
decay products, including radium (Ra) and radon (Rn)."


  So there you have it -- there IS uranium in the coal.  I didn't see any
mention of C14, though. . .  If you want to read more, either Google it
yourself -- or follow this link:


  http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/energy/factshts/163-97/FS-163-97.html


                  Jon Wennerberg
  Seldom Seen Slim Land Speed Racing
               Marquette, Michigan
               (that's 'way up north)


  PS  I think I'm going to the environmental stuff website for a while this
afternoon -- to see if they've got any land speed racing chit chat going on.