[ RadSafe ] Re: Uranium in Grinding Wheels

[Leo M. Lowe]

Hello,

Not directly related to the issue of uranium in grinding wheels as 
indicated  at (http://www.hss.energy.gov/CSA/csp/advisory/SA_2009-01.pdf)

but at the recent 2009 conference of the American Industrial Hygiene 
Association in Toronto
(http://www.aiha.org/aihce09/default.htm) ,
  a paper by T. Rohm and L. Kincaid  was presented on modelling and 
measurement of airborne uranium during the fabrication of granite 
countertops.  The paper suggests that the airborne uranium 
concentration can exceed the PEL (permissible exposure limit) for 
some granites.   I suppose grinding/working with any material that 
contains enough uranium could result in elevated air concentrations 
of uranium without proper precautions.




Leo M. Lowe, Ph.D., P.Phys.