"Polonium-210: Murder Weapon and Public Health Threat"
Speaker: Charles W. Miller, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Monday, March 31, 2008 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
On November 23, 2006, Alexander Litvinenko died in London as a result of being poisoned with Polonium-210. Public health authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) subsequently found Polonium-210
contamination at a number of locations in and around London. UK authorities determined that citizens of 52 countries other than the UK may have been exposed to this contamination, and asked the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to contact approximately 160 such individuals in the United States. CDC's response to this public health threat will be presented, as well as
recommendations for more effective ways to address future events of this nature.
Dr. Charles Miller joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January 1992. He is currently Chief of the Radiation Studies Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects,
National Center for Environmental Health. In this position, he develops goals and objectives that integrate organization and environmental public health programs on the potential effects of exposure
to radiation and radiation-related health research, including providing leadership for the agency’s radiological emergency response and consequence management efforts. Previously, Dr. Miller worked
with the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Anderson (Indiana) University. His primary area of expertise is the transport and dose assessment of radionuclides
released to the atmosphere, and other facets of environmental radiological dose assessment. He has authored or coauthored over 100 journal articles, laboratory reports, and meeting papers. Dr. Miller
is a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and he is a member of the Health Physics Society. Dr. Miller holds a B.S. in Physics/Math from Ball State University, a
M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Bionucleonics (Health Physics) from Purdue University.
