I worked underground hard rock copper mining nearly 30 years ago . . . a
mile down on a 3-story tall primary crusher to make the extracted ore small
enough to get it out of the mine. Quite wet is an understatement. It was
dripping, soaking wet, and I wore a respirator with a massive filter . . .
along with ear muffs for hearing protection . . . 1000f the time.
I'm also very nearly finished with a series of photographs, both
documentary and "artistic," of an old opalescent sheet glass factory. It's
one of the first and still one of perhaps a half-dozen in the world. They
also make blown glass in a "hot glass" studio now. They didn't want me
anywhere near where the "recipes" are mixed for two reasons: silicosis risk
and the recipes are akin to the formula for Coca-Cola. A full respirator
is *required* to get anywhere near the raw silica, soda ash, etc.
OM Content:
I did the shoots using an OM-2n with Fuji Press 1600 and an OM-2n with TMax
P3200 (@ EI 3200; Push 2). Just got the TMax proofs back today.
BTW, I'd be much more concerned about the silicosis from the ground up
"thorium" glass also. The *real* danger around minute amounts of very low
radioactive materials is NOT exposure to its radition. The very real
hazard is ingesting it, by inhaling it or orally. Some elements in
particular, because of their position on the Mendeleevian chart, will
replace other elements in the human body and be held there for a very long
time. One of the greatest hazards from fission reactors and "fallout" from
nuclear tests is ingestion of Strontium 90 (a common byproduct of fission)
which is readily used by the human body in lieu of Calcium and emits *Beta*
particles. About a third of it that's ingested ends up in the bones and
teeth. The half-life of Strontium 90 is a horrendously long 29+
years! I'm not that concerned about very low level Alpha-emitters provided
they're not emitting anything else (Beta in particular). Alpha particles
don't get much farther than the very outer surface of the skin which is
already dead anyway.
-- John
At 09:37 PM 8/6/03, Joe Gwinn wrote:
I wonder what happened to the folk that ground the glass into lenses for a
living. Given that they did this all day every day, they would be the
first to go, not us duffers. I don't recall ever reading stories about
them dying like rabbits from this or anything else associated with lens
manufacture.
I can think of lots of reasons not to breathe ground glass, and radiation
isn't near the top of the list. Silicosis is more immediate, and in
mining one keeps it all quite wet to supress the dust.
Joe Gwinn
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