Bush: Cut Decontamination Budget, same day as Ricin Found

[SPG]

WASHINGTON - President Bush asked Congress to eliminate an $8.2 million research program on how to decontaminate buildings attacked by toxins Ñ the same day a poison-laced letter shuttered Senate offices.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&ncid=703&e=6&u=/ap/20040206/ap_on_go_pr_wh/ricin_bush

Oops.
I guess he needed the money to give to his wealthy supporters.

[zimv20]

his timing is always spot on. i like to think bush intentionally supports something w/ words one day, only to cut its funding the next, simply to increase the dramatic irony. or to see if anyone's really paying attention.

often, i think only a select few are.

[Desertrat]

Well, we've been worrying about decontamination since the early days of nuclear fallout dust. It seems to me that more research--or at least $8.2 million's worth--is kinda like reinventing the wheel.

Damned expensive vacuum cleaner! :D

(Pardon my cynicism. I've been hearing "We need to do more study." for too many decades, even when reasonable answers were already available.)

:), 'Rat

[mactastic]

Originally posted by Desertrat
Well, we've been worrying about decontamination since the early days of nuclear fallout dust. It seems to me that more research--or at least $8.2 million's worth--is kinda like reinventing the wheel.

Damned expensive vacuum cleaner! :D

(Pardon my cynicism. I've been hearing "We need to do more study." for too many decades, even when reasonable answers were already available.)

:), 'Rat

'Rat, do you remember how long, and at what cost, those government buildings and postal facilities were out of service after the anthrax attacks? Seems to me we could do a lot better in terms of cost and time. Now whether $8.2 million will get us there I don't know, but you won't get anywhere without research. It's like they say, your odds of winning the lottery improve only slightly by playing, but without playing your odds are zero.

[Desertrat]

Seems to me there's a difference between dust/powder in an envelope, and wholesale scatter. Regardless, the big problem comes from having Bad Stuff in the file drawers and in the office equipment--keyboards, etc.

While I don't advocate a cavalier attitude about dealing with this sort of problem, I do wonder what the minimum level of hazard actually is? What sort of equivalent to an acceptable "parts per million" can be tolerated?

I guess where I come off as really grumpy is that FEMA has had gazillions of dollars thrown their way, and part of their mission is decontamination of nuke dust. At least, they pound their chests and yowl about how they're the experts. So how is a bit of cobalt or plutonium less hazardous than ricin or anthrax? Or more of a physical problem?

'Rat