[ RadSafe ] Contamination Monitor and Radon History

[Muckerheide, Jim (CDA)]

Hi Stu,  Stanley Watras. :-)

He became a radon remediator!? :-)

Regards, Jim 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Stewart Farber
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 3:29 PM
> To: Michael McCarty
> Cc: Stewart Farber; radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Contamination Monitor and Radon History
> 
> 
> >>> "Redmond, Randy (RXQ)" <redmondrr at y12.doe.gov> 09/08/06 
> 12:15 PM wrote:
> >
> 
> This is a pretty common problem and is due to radon progeny. 
> Polyester pants and hardhats are particularly bad.  Spraying 
> with static guard
> prior to entry helps.  
>    
>   ==================
>   Hi all,
>   An interesting and important part of environmental 
> radiation/radiation protection/nuclear plant history 
> regarding radon daughter tendencies to attach to nylon jackets.
>    
>   My recollections of this story as it played out around 1981 or so: 
>    
>   Prior to the start-up of Limerick Station, a plant worker 
> [Stanley --last name Polish sounding: "Wisnowski" perhaps] 
> was exiting the plant and set off an exit portal monitor. He 
> was surveyed by plant HPs and it was found there were 
> substantial levels of contamination on his nylon windbreaker. 
>  The plant was not operating and this worker had not been 
> near any type of potential  radioactive contamination. 
>    
>   After detailed evaluation, it was documented that this 
> worker had come into the plant that morning with 
> substantially higher levels of radon contamination [average 
> half life of daughters about 30 min so decay of contamination 
> on his jacket had gone thru 16 half lives!!! while still 
> alarming exit portal monitor]. Surveys were done at the 
> workers home and it was found that airborne radon levels and 
> surface contamination from radon daughters was extremently high.
>    
>   After this first event at Limerick, the State of 
> Pennsylvania first realized and documented the importance of 
> the existance of what came to be called the "Redding Prong" 
> an anomolous area of extremely elevated U-238 content in 
> granitic rocks and soil in an extensive area which led to 
> Rn-222 ingress to homes via cracks and well water in some cases. 
>    
>   After this event, awareness of the potential for elevated 
> radon levels in homes reached regulatory and public "concern".
>    
>   "The past is prologue" as the Bard once wrote.
>    
>   Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
>   email [new]:  radproject at sbcglobal.net
>   203 367-0791 [office]
>   203 522-2817 [cell]
> 
> 
> 
>   
>  
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