Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Assassinated'

A prize-winning Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the U.S. State Department and broadcasts to Iran.

An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour, 44, a nuclear physicist, had been assassinated by Mossad, the Israeli security service.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250196,00.html

n/t

Suggest radiation poisoning, possibly through exposure to gaseous uranium. There is not a single fact in evidence even suggestive of assassination.

Someone should come up with a grain-of-salt emoticon for throwaway posts like mine above. ;)

no matter what way you lean (conspiracy or accident).

UF6 is pretty nasty stuff - corrosive and toxic.

Maybe there was an "accident" at *Isfahan* that they are trying to cover up???

edit: Isfahan - not Natanz - my bad...

A species of workplace accident. The gaseous form of uranium is the medium through which it is sorted to enriched form, and the stuff is fiendishly difficult to work with. Expansion of pilot projects to industrial scale is a fertile field for error, and often requires the presence of occassion of the most expert leadership in the endeavor.

http://web.ead.anl.gov/uranium/faq/health/faq30.cfm

It decomposes to hydrofluoric acid, which is way nasty and easily dispersed.

Honeywell's UF6 conversion in Metropolis IL had an off-site leak in December 2003...

http://www.wise-uranium.org/epusa.html#METROP

<snip>

Honeywell Metropolis conversion plant shut down after UF6 leak
Illinois EPA files lawsuit against Honeywell Metropolis conversion plant for UF6 leakages

On December 30, 2004, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) external link filed a lawsuit filed against the Metropolis Works Conversion Facility (MTW) . The complaint charges Honeywell International with air pollution for the September and December 2003 incidents that occurred at MTW. The complaint charges that “Honeywell subjected its workers and its neighbors not once, but twice, to dangerous levels of hazardous materials” and that the state is “working to ensure that corrective measures have been taken to minimize the possibility that these alleged employee mistakes will occur again”. The suit seeks a civil penalty of $50,000 per violation and an additional $10,000 for each day the violation continues. (Converdyn Jan. 6, 2005)

<snip>

not for me thank you...

If it's that toxic I can't see how they would be able to manufacture it, much less charge the centrifuges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_hexafluoride :

> The long-term storage of DUF6 presents environmental,
> health, and safety risks because of its chemical
> instability. When UF6 is exposed to moist air, it
> reacts with the water in the air to produce UO2F2
> (uranyl fluoride) and HF (hydrogen fluoride) both
> of which are highly soluble and toxic.

Remember, your lungs are moist. And you don't react well
(in several different, nasty ways) with the resulting
hydrofluoric acid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid

> Symptoms of skin exposure to dilute HF are not felt
> immediately, but exposure of less than 10% of the body
> to it can be fatal, even with immediate medical treatment.
> Highly concentrated solutions may lead to acute hypocalcemia,
> followed by cardiac arrest and death, and will usually be
> fatal in as little as 2% body exposure (about the size of
> the sole of the foot). This substance is extremely toxic
> and has the capacity to kill upon exposure rather than
> simply damage skin and eyes. It should be handled with
> extreme care,

ER once did a very touching show where a fellow
was exposed to HF acid. Even though he seemed fine, his
death was assured within a few hours due to hypocalcemia.

-----------------------------------------

But I don't understant your comment:

> it's that toxic I can't see how they would be able
> to manufacture it, much less charge the centrifuges.

Enormously toxic stuff is handled every day in routine
industrial manufacturing processes.

Tesha

Shunting gas thru a series of centrifuges is not the same as storing it in a tank and feeding a small amount into a pressure cooker as a reagent.

By enormously toxic, I mean "even a small leak, in the air, or a tiny amount on the skin would kill a man"

Polonium or Ruthenium, for example.

By that standard, for instance, mercuric compounds can be very toxic but mostly the toxicity is only cumulative.

I mean, you had that guy (exploited immigrant laborer, of course) who was sent into a tank of industrial waste and ordered to clean it out without anything but a dust mask... He was permanently brain damaged... But the guy who went down there to save him, died.

That doesn't meet my definition of extremely toxic because it's survivable.

Certain powdered substances, a gram of it dumped in a lake would kill a swimmer. One such substance, a spill occurred and the man died instantly with 3rd degree chemical burns.

Thanks for the information, though. I knew HF was extremely acidic, but I didn't know it was as extremely toxic as the article states. (one can certainly handle hydrochloric acid much easier, it is often used in research)

I didn't know Wikipedia covered Merck Index type stuff.

Well, the company near me that used to make shampoo
and other similar chemicals always had several
railway cars of hydrofluoric acid lined up next
to their building, so I guess we can debate
exactly how toxic it is, but it's not debatable
that chemicals of that toxicity are
routinely used in industrial processes.

Then throw in a little ²³⁴U for
extra added excitement and you're starting
to talk about the toxicity of UF₆.

Tesha

The toxicity is worse than the radiation. Per Sax's Chemical Hazards Guide (the Bible of chemical toxicity), the LD50 by inhalation is only 2mg/kg of body weight.
The Professor

So, we have George Bush as the biggest villian in the world, followed by Israel's leaders. funny, no?

NO

:party:
rocknation

Did the fine print in the last article we had on this guy say it was an industrial accident with the fun stuff he was working with?

But any fucking asshole says Israel did something remotely negative and you buy it without a question.

It provides ZERO evidence and an unnamed source who merely "SUGGESTED" Mossad did it. Can I sell you a bridge? The Israelis don't want you to buy it.

BTW, if the Mossad has infiltrated the highest nuclear science circles in Iran, what is anyone worried about?

Sounds like a good alternative to all out war.

I saw the story though and thought it should be shared.I am still new at this will try to find better sources in the future.http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1170359775445&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Accurately rendered, it would run something like: A private security firm of no great reputation claims it was told by a source whose name and nature it would not disclose that this was done by Israel.

It is most unlikely Israel has much operational capacity in Iran: conditions are not very favoreable for either recruitment or infiltration.

I'm just sayin' is all.

Soe persons simply seek to entertain themselves with the fantasy that it is one. They should go to rent a video or read a thriller to get their fix of chills....

It is always fun to over-state one's rreach, and on the off chance the Iranians were foolish enough to take the claim seriously, they might cause themselves a little trouble through a purge in their technicians involved in the project. But it is an extraordinarily clumsy effort at disinformation, and will be received as such by the Iranian intelligence services, who are very, very good at the work....

And the early "spin" was indeed of an assassination. That it isn't is a good thing. However the early spin, is what was reported and as another DU'er stated seems a little fishy that it was the early spin, not to mention scary.

Are Indian physicists in on the Iranian nuke project? They would certainly have the expertise.

not Indian.

:eyes:

Elemental chemistry has always fascinated me.

For instance, Ruthenium is the rarest, most expensive, and most useless element...

With the radioactive heavy metals in stable isotopes, it's not the radiation, it's the toxicity.

and enough people choose to believe the story...it succeeds in heightening the tension between the two countries...(just what we need)...therefore increasing the possibility of a negative reaction...(not to say Israel/Mossad did or did not do anything of the sort...I sure can believe they'd take a hand to keep Iran from securing nuclear capabilities..and I can also see Iran claiming Israel/Mossad did exactly what is being claimed to cover an accident)...who really loses if this sort of action causes a confrontation? the US...because the US is spoiling for a fight, and WILL do whatever someone deems necessary(cooks up)to protect Israel, and justify war with Iran...so there you go...and from what I read, it is a spokesperson for a US intelligence agency telling the story, to the Iranians as well as anyone else...(a warning perhaps, or just plain catapulting the propaganda?)The way I see this, is anything negative that's happening, or any stories that are being told, regarding Iran/Israel at this point...is being done on purpose with a deliberate intent...
wb