Fly Ash is radioactive?

I'd be more concerned about the damage the particulate matter itself is going to do that any radioactivity it has.

Fly ash, like soil, contains trace concentrations of many heavy metals that are known to be detrimental to health in sufficient quantities. These include nickel, vanadium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium, chromium, copper, molybdenum, zinc, lead, selenium, uranium, thorium, and radium. Though these elements are found in extremely low concentrations in fly ash, their mere presence has prompted some to sound alarm.

The U.S. EPA confirms that coal fly ash does not need to be regulated as a hazardous waste. [13] The EPA's headquarters building in Washington, D.C. is constructed with concrete containing fly ash. Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and others conclude that fly ash compares with common soils or rocks and should not be the source of alarm.[14]

portion of wikipedia article.

As it states here fly ash is no more harmful than average dirt/soil. Plus bituminous coal which is what is being discussed about has much more in the way of impurities ie. heavy metals and halogenic components. Basically anthracite ash has no more radioactive properties than background source radioactivity every person on earth experiences. The only issue about breathing the ash particles would be with the ingestion of the particulate itself.

to me this is just another blow out of proportion article that the tree hugger are using against coal.... nuff said

Any nuisance dust is not "good" for you, especially with regular exposure like we have. Whether or not it is radioactive, it just makes good sense to wear a dust mask. I wear a mask when I'm loading coal to avoid breathing the black coal dust and one when I empty the ashes to avoid the fly ash. I wear one when I'm working in someones attic also to avoid the fiberglas.

Did you know that brazil nuts are very radioactive? Don't burn them in your coal stoves!

Richard S. wrote:I'd be more concerned about the damage the particulate matter itself is going to do that any radioactivity it has.

That's why I wear a respirator. Once when I was filling my empty 400 lb. hopper I had a head cold. I didn't have a respirator. After breathing all the coal dust I blew my nose. Lots of black specks in the mucus. It can't be good for your lungs. I keep my respirator in a sealed plastic bag when I'm not wearing it and I wash it as recommended by the manufacturer. Overly cautious, perhaps, but I don't think anyone would suggest breathing coal dust or coal ash is good for you.

I always try and wear these white face mask when messing with the coal or ash.

http://www.dhmo.org/ Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division : This stuff is a real killer.

"Each person has their own tolerance for what they feel is an allowable level of threat vs the effort to mitigate that threat. I won't presume to push my level onto anyone else."

... well, that's respectable, i hate alarmism and was worried that this thread was headed that way, but i see where you are coming from.

This is probably off topic but can't help myself.

It always amazes me that people will use a respirator and other safety gear to guard against hazards from foreign substances and other occupational hazards (which is a good idea) and then will ingest whatever medicine their doctor prescribes and/or eat the foods deemed safe without any knowledge of the affects of the chemicals contained therein. We consume more than 80% of the medical drugs created in the world and yet we are very close to the bottom in health!

Bottom line, educate yourself about what you are eating, most drugs prescribed or over the counter have a full 8.5" X 11" page of fine print regarding the adverse health effects. We as a country by and large follow what the advertisers sell us, by the way that is also how we select our elected officials.

My advice, take the time to understand what is really in the items you ingest and don't listen to ANYTHING the advertisers say about the product!

OK, *phewwwwwwwwwww* feel better now.

Matthaus wrote:This is probably off topic but can't help myself.

It always amazes me that people will use a respirator and other safety gear to guard against hazards from foreign substances and other occupational hazards (which is a good idea) and then will ingest whatever medicine their doctor prescribes and/or eat the foods deemed safe without any knowledge of the affects of the chemicals contained therein. We consume more than 80% of the medical drugs created in the world and yet we are very close to the bottom in health!

Bottom line, educate yourself about what you are eating, most drugs prescribed or over the counter have a full 8.5" X 11" page of fine print regarding the adverse health effects. We as a country by and large follow what the advertisers sell us, by the way that is also how we select our elected officials.

My advice, take the time to understand what is really in the items you ingest and don't listen to ANYTHING the advertisers say about the product!

OK, *phewwwwwwwwwww* feel better now.

you know that is how I feel, there was even a study done about all the chemicals in food we eat today and it's crazy to say the least; it seems that americans are more concerned about the air around the earth then the processed food they eat or the medicine they take for dumb things.

Matthaus wrote:This is probably off topic but can't help myself.

It always amazes me that people will use a respirator and other safety gear to guard against hazards from foreign substances and other occupational hazards (which is a good idea) and then will ingest whatever medicine their doctor prescribes and/or eat the foods deemed safe without any knowledge of the affects of the chemicals contained therein. We consume more than 80% of the medical drugs created in the world and yet we are very close to the bottom in health!

Bottom line, educate yourself about what you are eating, most drugs prescribed or over the counter have a full 8.5" X 11" page of fine print regarding the adverse health effects. We as a country by and large follow what the advertisers sell us, by the way that is also how we select our elected officials.

My advice, take the time to understand what is really in the items you ingest and don't listen to ANYTHING the advertisers say about the product!

OK, *phewwwwwwwwwww* feel better now.

Recently I took my kids to Sam's for a hotdog (ya, I know how bad they are for you..we eat them twice a year) and some shopping. I always sit next to someone that is eating alone and try to strike up a conversation to show my kids how much these folks often appreciate the companionship during a meal. We sat next to an older gentleman and he immediately started doting on my daughters telling them how beautiful they were and how lucky a man I was to be able to dine with such beautiful ladies. He was clearly not born in the US and at first I guessed Paris based on his accent. This guy was sharp as a tack, mid seventies and had a very active mind...after some discussion I asked where he was born and he said Persia (not Iran...Persians will never say Iran) but that he had studied extensively in France, come to the US with nothing but a few dollars in his pocket and became a doctor here. He was a local physician who had retired some years ago after a 30 year local practice. We talked about all kinds of things and then about being a physician (something I often tought about becoming) and the state of the medical industry. His view was dim overall and he summed it up by relating a story about Voltaire. He said once Voltaire had a young student come to him and Voltaire asked him "What would you like to become after your studies?" The student immediately responded "A physician!" Voltaire was taken aback by this answer and said this to the student:

"Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of which they know nothing. "

Voltaire also said this:

"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease"

I've seen what the medical system can do to a human being, both good and bad and I've seen firsthand what a natural approach to healing can do. I won't even take a Tylenol. We changed our diet and such after my wife became ill and since then none of us have had so much as a cold. My kids or the wife (who teaches fifth grade) haven't been sick in over 2.5 years. I was skeptical at first, but you cannot argue with results like these.

U235a4 wrote:

Matthaus wrote:This is probably off topic but can't help myself.

It always amazes me that people will use a respirator and other safety gear to guard against hazards from foreign substances and other occupational hazards (which is a good idea) and then will ingest whatever medicine their doctor prescribes and/or eat the foods deemed safe without any knowledge of the affects of the chemicals contained therein. We consume more than 80% of the medical drugs created in the world and yet we are very close to the bottom in health!

Bottom line, educate yourself about what you are eating, most drugs prescribed or over the counter have a full 8.5" X 11" page of fine print regarding the adverse health effects. We as a country by and large follow what the advertisers sell us, by the way that is also how we select our elected officials.

My advice, take the time to understand what is really in the items you ingest and don't listen to ANYTHING the advertisers say about the product!

OK, *phewwwwwwwwwww* feel better now.

you know that is how I feel, there was even a study done about all the chemicals in food we eat today and it's crazy to say the least; it seems that Americans are more concerned about the air around the earth then the processed food they eat or the medicine they take for dumb things.

I agree. That's due in part to the influence of the Medical establishment and the drug companies on the public. If an alternative therapy that does not involve the products of a major drug company is found, the knowledge of this therapy will never become common knowledge. A quick example: Chelation Therapy, which is a EDTA infusion deloped for people with high lead levels in their systems, had an interesting side effect: those people who had circulatory problems (restricted arteries, etc.) improved after the treatments (which they received for high lead levels). For years practitioners of alternative therapys have been quietly using the treatment for those with circulatory problems. Both my parents have had the infusions, my father died from a non-circulatory related disease (the doctor had said his artery blockages were inoperable after a mild stroke), my mother's problem has mysteriously cleared up. Of course insurance didn't cover the treatments, it was all out of pocket. If this treatment became mainstream think of all the cardiologists, drug companies, hospitals, etc. that would begin to see a drop in business. It's all about the $$$.
I do know several in the medical profession that put their patients before the quest for $$$, I appreciate that.
Enough of my ranting!

I saw my dad die from a lung disease caused by smoking and asbestos. He was a plumber and use to wrap pipes with it in factories without a mask while smoking non-filtered cigaretts. I always use a paper mask when I empty my ash pan but I think I really should be wearing a respirator and will start doing so. It's no fun to wake up one day and not be able to breathe. My dad would get panic attacks because he couldn't breathe until they put him on oxygen. It's better to be safe then sorry. And I also wear a mask when I cut the lawn. I just hope all the stupid things I did when I was a kid doesn't catch up to me. It's better to play it safe than be sorry. Also, burning oil has to be as bad as coal because when I clean my boiler there is nothing as toxic. If I catch a wiff of it I immediately start to choke.

traderfjp wrote:I saw my dad die from a lung disease caused by smoking and asbestos. He was a plumber and use to wrap pipes with it in factories without a mask.......

Sorry to hear that traderfjp but I think the big difference here is that as a consumer you are only being exposed to very little bit of ash. If on the other hand you were doing this all day, every day, undoubtedly it's going to affect your health if you don't use a mask. It's just like eating at Mcdonalds, if you eat there once a week its not going to affect your health, eat there every day and it's going to kill you. Having said that better safe that sorry.

e.alleg wrote:http://www.dhmo.org/ Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division : This stuff is a real killer.

I agree ! No wonder I get a headache after drinking beer. Who would'a thought DHMO !