Post by AdrianPost by Peter HillIf you are in Scotland you may get a pint of "heavy" Dihydrogen
Monoxide.
Only if you happen to be at Dounreay or one of the others, I'd hope...
Heavy water taken from a reactor would be a health hazard. It's not
radioactive or a major hazard before it's been used in a reactor and
one or more of the Deuterium atoms has been converted to Tritium.
Tritium is radioactive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium
During a normal life span you will drink quite a few pints of heavy
water, as it's naturally present in all water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium
100% substitution of normal water intake by heavy water over many days
would be a hazard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_water
Even normal water is toxic in excess or in the wrong conditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
For those that don't know, a pint of "heavy" is a pint of beer which
in some parts of Scotland is known by the old duty payable on a barrel
as 80 shilling (80/-). While a lower alcohol content brew was taxed
at 70/- a barrel. Other brews with duty at 54/- (a substitute for
water back in the days before clean piped drinking water), 60/- (piss)
and 90/- per barrel also exist.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A841060
Anyone not drinking a pint of "heavy" in Scotland is expected to be
drinking half 'n half, half pint of heavy with a tot of whisky.
--
Peter Hill
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