That is how much it would cost you to buy that much polonium by buying a zillion alpha sources from United Nuclear over the Internet.

Litvinenko ingested 10 micrograms if the 10x lethal dose is correct. (100x and 50x have also been reported).

For 10 micrograms to be worth $10 million, then a gram would have to be worth $1 Trillion. We purchase 6 to 8 grams a month from Russia and I *know* we are not paying 6 to 8 trillion dollars a month for it.

Lugovoi was contaminated on a trip on the 16th of October, a trip on the 25th of October, and the final trip around November 1. Kovtun was contaminated on the trip of the 16th. Did not attend the trip of the 25th and showed up contaminated again on the trip of the 1st.

What is interesting is that Kovtun was trailing contamination from Moscow to Hamburg but not from Hamburg to London but does appear contaminated again in London (hotel room contaminated and subsequent trip back Moscow showing contaminated airline seat). German police say that he was shedding two kinds of contamination. 1st being a kind consistant with the material being in his body fluids. In other words, somewhere along the line he had ingested the stuff too. German police also found contamination “inconsistant” with body fluids which I take to mean particles.

I believe they were smuggling the material. May not have been told exactly what it was or how dangerous it was. And had somehow contaminated themselves in contact with the material. The amount that killed Litvinenko would be about 1/100 of the size of the period following this sentance.

If a person is shedding particles of this stuff, a particle on a sleeve or a cuff of a jacket or shirt could easily be shed into one’s food or drink or if on their hands, ingested in the course of a snack.

Kovtun had the stuff inside him before Litvinenko fell ill. I suspect it will be shown that Lugovoi did too and I would bet you a burger and a shake that Litvinenko was already poisoned well before he was sick. Also note that his wide and his father showed contamination in their urine meaning they had also injested the material.

I don’t believe it was an assassination. And I am not convinced the Russians are “protecting” the other two, I believe they are likely being detained. If they have been severely poisoned, they are likely quaranteened as polonium poisoning could cause the bone marrow to die resulting in the loss of their immune system.

We will see. I am not jumping to any conclusions but it sure looks like a sloppy smuggling ring to me. Russia has nothing to gain from this. It would be like Bush assassinating Lyndon Larouche.