[ RadSafe ] Costs of "rad protection"?

Mon Oct 24 13:55:53 CDT 2005

Friends,

Are these warranted actions and costs in the name of "rad protection"?   And
is this another campaign being pushed by IAEA?  Or is IAEA just responsible
for setting (extreme) "guidelines" for disposal?

Regards, Jim Muckerheide

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HSA acts on radiation alert

1,200 condos, factories, offices told to remove lightning rods

THEY can be seen all over Singapore - lightning conductors mounted on the
rooftops of buildings.

25 October 2005

THEY can be seen all over Singapore - lightning conductors mounted on the
rooftops of buildings.

But some of these conductors pose a possible radiation threat.

We're talking about radioactive lightning conductors, once widely used in
many parts of the world.

In Singapore, the Centre for Radiation Protection (CRP), which is under the
Health Sciences Authority (HSA), has asked the owners of about 1,200
buildings to remove these structures by December, reported Berita Harian.

The radioactive conductors in these buildings - condominiums, factories and
offices - were installed 30 to 35 years ago.

Lightning conductors redirect lightning charges to the ground, protecting
buildings and the people and property inside.

The HSA in an e-mail to Berita Harian said that the directive was issued in
the interests of health and safety because the radioactive lightning
conductors contains radioactive substances such as radium-226.

The HSA said that radium produces radiation that could also release radon
gas.

In the long term, this could increase the risk of cancer.

Because of the dangerous nature of these materials, such lightning conductors
can be removed only by experts.

In Singapore, only one company, RE Morris, can do the job.

That's because the disposal of radioactive materials must be done according
to strict guidelines laid out by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to Haji Ahmad Dawan, a director and consultant with RE Morris,
about 1,000 building owners have hired his company to replace the radioactive
lightning conductors with normal conductors that use battery power.

To minimise the risk of handling such materials, staff members wear special
jackets and gloves and other equipment that protect them from radioactive
emissions.

Once dismantled, the conductors will be placed in special lead-lined boxes
and handed over to the CRP.

The conductors will then be placed in steel drums and stored in CRP bunkers.

Building owners who want more information can contact the CRP at 6213-0703. 

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