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No threads about this on AB so far. News broke late last night and you're usually pretty darn quick off the mark, so can I presume a total lack of interest?
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//Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service
The Swiss scientists were extremely cautious about their findings.
Testing for polonium 210 so many years after Yasser Arafat's death is fraught with difficulties.
It is a very unstable element, with a half-life of 138 days.
That means after four months, the amount of polonium in a sample would have halved; after a year there would be just one eighth of the original amount; and after the eight years since Mr Arafat died, there would be a vanishingly small fraction remaining.
This adds huge levels of uncertainty to any findings - as does the fact that polonium is also found naturally in the soil and air.//
"Vanishingly small fraction remaining" eh? That makes we wonder how massive the dose must have been, for detectable traces to still be hanging around.
//f he were poisoned, it's equally as likely to have been carried out by palestinian hands as it is anyone elses. //
Maybe so. The difference being that they would have to source it from the Russians. Since Litvinyenko, it's now well known that this is a Russian specialism and it just looks clumsy for them to betray their level of interference in the country in this way. Makes far more sense to assume it was the Israelis, who are equipped to produce this stuff.
The Swiss scientists were extremely cautious about their findings.
Testing for polonium 210 so many years after Yasser Arafat's death is fraught with difficulties.
It is a very unstable element, with a half-life of 138 days.
That means after four months, the amount of polonium in a sample would have halved; after a year there would be just one eighth of the original amount; and after the eight years since Mr Arafat died, there would be a vanishingly small fraction remaining.
This adds huge levels of uncertainty to any findings - as does the fact that polonium is also found naturally in the soil and air.//
"Vanishingly small fraction remaining" eh? That makes we wonder how massive the dose must have been, for detectable traces to still be hanging around.
//f he were poisoned, it's equally as likely to have been carried out by palestinian hands as it is anyone elses. //
Maybe so. The difference being that they would have to source it from the Russians. Since Litvinyenko, it's now well known that this is a Russian specialism and it just looks clumsy for them to betray their level of interference in the country in this way. Makes far more sense to assume it was the Israelis, who are equipped to produce this stuff.
@doctorb
//only if you want it to be them.//
Not especially. I only arrived at that by the process of elimination and, to be fair, now I've read the article in full, it says he was taken to hospital in France when he first fell ill. The French have nuclear facilities. So do we, so do several other countries.
But not many of those other alternatives had both opportunity and motive.
@bazwillrun
That's the oddest part. He was 75 and you'd think his health wouldn't have lasted too much longer anyway. Why go to all that trouble of doing him in?
Wife requested no autopsy at the time. Odd. Or perhaps just sentimentality?
She is now happy for confirmation that he was assassinated but is magnanimously declining to point the finger at anyone.
The usual last resort is to ask "who gained?" Which brings us right back to doctorb's first reply.
//only if you want it to be them.//
Not especially. I only arrived at that by the process of elimination and, to be fair, now I've read the article in full, it says he was taken to hospital in France when he first fell ill. The French have nuclear facilities. So do we, so do several other countries.
But not many of those other alternatives had both opportunity and motive.
@bazwillrun
That's the oddest part. He was 75 and you'd think his health wouldn't have lasted too much longer anyway. Why go to all that trouble of doing him in?
Wife requested no autopsy at the time. Odd. Or perhaps just sentimentality?
She is now happy for confirmation that he was assassinated but is magnanimously declining to point the finger at anyone.
The usual last resort is to ask "who gained?" Which brings us right back to doctorb's first reply.
"Wife requested no autopsy at the time. Odd. Or perhaps just sentimentality?"
someone has obviously said something to her and put her up to asking for the tests...why I havent a clue
"She is now happy for confirmation that he was assassinated but is magnanimously declining to point the finger at anyone. "
magnaninmous !?...hardly, she doesnt have clue who to accuse, the list will be quite extensive and I imagine if she accuse the wrong faction she probably knows whats in store for her
someone has obviously said something to her and put her up to asking for the tests...why I havent a clue
"She is now happy for confirmation that he was assassinated but is magnanimously declining to point the finger at anyone. "
magnaninmous !?...hardly, she doesnt have clue who to accuse, the list will be quite extensive and I imagine if she accuse the wrong faction she probably knows whats in store for her
Well Doctordb suppose you tell us where the Palestinians would get Polonium from.
And yes it would be trivial to detect Polonium after 10 years or so I did stuff like that as a final year physics project 25 years ago (although not with corpses!)
Israelis or Americans - neither seem to have many scruples about murdering foreigners they dislike.
All the murders of nuclear physicists in Iran
http://
http://
etc.
And yes it would be trivial to detect Polonium after 10 years or so I did stuff like that as a final year physics project 25 years ago (although not with corpses!)
Israelis or Americans - neither seem to have many scruples about murdering foreigners they dislike.
All the murders of nuclear physicists in Iran
http://
http://
etc.
I am astounded that this wasnt detected earlier
[ but then that could have been why it was tried on Litvinenko...]
L's polonium toxicity was detected (ha!) very early on as any chemistry lab doing radiochemistry has leak detectors. AS soon as a radioactive sample of L's hit the lab, the leak detectors went off and could not be re-set. In the end they concluded there was no leak of their own materials ..... [ parallel to Windscale and Chernobyl ]. So in L's case they knew early on that he had been poisoned. - not reflected in the media alerts but that is another story.
Y A died in a French Hospital ( I dont think it was the american hospital in Paris ) and I just dont beleive they didnt have similar safety measures.
[ but then that could have been why it was tried on Litvinenko...]
L's polonium toxicity was detected (ha!) very early on as any chemistry lab doing radiochemistry has leak detectors. AS soon as a radioactive sample of L's hit the lab, the leak detectors went off and could not be re-set. In the end they concluded there was no leak of their own materials ..... [ parallel to Windscale and Chernobyl ]. So in L's case they knew early on that he had been poisoned. - not reflected in the media alerts but that is another story.
Y A died in a French Hospital ( I dont think it was the american hospital in Paris ) and I just dont beleive they didnt have similar safety measures.
like i said the israelis are bottom of the list, if theyre even on it.
they could have taken him out at will any time they wanted...remember the strategic pounding of his compound...they could have taken the whole place, him with it out in one strike if theyd have wanted to.
it will be one of any number of the other nutters like him in the region who did it.
they could have taken him out at will any time they wanted...remember the strategic pounding of his compound...they could have taken the whole place, him with it out in one strike if theyd have wanted to.
it will be one of any number of the other nutters like him in the region who did it.
Baz if the Isarelis had openly assassinated a major political figure like Arrafat it could have been politicaly difficult.
Remember their defense is largely paid for by American 'aid'
Who has the technology to produce and use Pololium poisons
That's a relatively small list.
Motivation, opportunity and capability leads you to the US or Israel
Iran had the technology and opportunity but not the motivation, ditto Russia
Remember their defense is largely paid for by American 'aid'
Who has the technology to produce and use Pololium poisons
That's a relatively small list.
Motivation, opportunity and capability leads you to the US or Israel
Iran had the technology and opportunity but not the motivation, ditto Russia
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