[ RadSafe ] Radiation in landfills

Tue Jul 17 13:36:15 CDT 2007

Anyone that has worked with liquid scintillation recognizes the potential
for chemoluminescence. We have found that WD-40 is one of the worst
problems. Other ring compounds seem to give similar readings. A quick check
for chemo is to count the sample and then turn out the room lights and do
multiple counts on the sample. If its chemo, the count will begin to drop.
The change rate is dependent on the particular light sensitive compound.

In the US also, the biomedical waste rule allows Tritium at <.05 uCi/gm to
be disposed in local land fills without regard to the radioactivity. One
company I know of in the US is allowed to release thousands of Curies per
year into the air from their burning operations.

As a result, pointing the finger at exit signs and watch dials is rather
simplistic.

Tritium is seen by most as a minimal damage radionuclide. With such broad
usage, finding the material in landfills comes as no surprise.The
benefit/risk is good for Tritium.

The same is true for the Am-241 in smoke detectors. If Am241 moved in the
environment like Tritium does, we would have a much bigger problem. Luckily,
most persons use the smoke detectors and never realize they contain
radioactive material.

Bob Gallagher
NSSI
713 641-0391

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl]On
Behalf Of John R Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 11:40 AM
To: Brennan, Mike (DOH); radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Radiation in landfills

Mike

Tritium as HTO has a 0.97 10 day and 0.03 40 day half life in adults
(according to the ICRP Pub. 67)  but tritium "organically bound" to carbon
(OBT) has a  0.5 10 days and 0.5 40 days half life  in adults. I don't know
what the tritium gas will "convert to" in the garbage.

John
***************
John R Johnson, PhD
CEO, IDIAS, Inc.
Vancouver, B. C.
Canada
(604) 222-9840
idias at interchange.ubc.ca

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brennan, Mike (DOH)" <Mike.Brennan at DOH.WA.GOV>
To: <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:12 AM
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Radiation in landfills

Hi, Franz.

I have on several occasions sampled leachete from land fills, and our lab
has reported finding tritium at puzzling concentrations.  The consensus is
that the tritium comes from exit signs that were disposed of in the
landfill, and on which the tubes containing the tritium gas were broken when
the garbage was compacted.

While I don't have a solid reason, I remain dubious of this explanation.  It
doesn't "feel" right to me.  I asked the chemists about contaminates that
might give false positives some how, and was told that the lab was confident
that was not the case.  I remain very open to suggestions beyond exit signs
and watch hands, or, as one of our activist groups claims, midnight dumpings
of drums of reactor primary coolant water into the landfill.

I am, however, quite satisfied of one thing: the tritium in the leachete
does not constitute a public health risk.  Should someone be drinking enough
leachete to gain a noticeable body burden (and do it on a regular basis, as
tritium has a 12 day biological half-life, and they would need to replenish
often), they should live so long that the rad becomes a health issue.  The
chemical hazards are far greater, though my bet is that the pathogens would
get them first.  That they would drink landfill leachete in the first place
hints at some non-trivial mental health issues that I would really have
someone look into.

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2007 12:55 PM
To: BLHamrick at aol.com; sandyfl at cox.net; radsafe at radlab.nl; powernet at hps1.org
Subject: AW: [ RadSafe ] Radiation in landfills

Barbara and RADSAFErs,

Additionally to the discussion I would like to put forward, that we have
found in Austria highly elevated tritium concentrations - more than 3000
Bq/l in the water collected routineously from the bottom of household
garbage landfillls. This water is routineously pumped to the surface and
sprayed into the landfill for evaporation.

We attribute these concentrations - without any really conclusive link, just
speculation - to the fact, that the use of watches from a certain Swiss
brand, which used tritium for the hands. It was more or less regarded as a
fashion object, which should be changed every few months and we attributed
this elevations of Tritium in landfill water to this fact, though we have no
conclusive research concerning the discharge of tritium from these watches.

I would appreciate very much to get into contact with somebody who has
similar experience.

Best regards,

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

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