[ RadSafe ] Mules Contribute to Cleanup of California Radiation Site

[Glenn R. Marshall]

Of course, a better photo would be of a mule wearing Tyvek.......

Glenn Marshall, CHP


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dan W McCarn
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 11:09 PM
To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList'
Cc: Nielsen.Erik at epamail.epa.gov
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Mules Contribute to Cleanup of California Radiation Site

Great photo!  

And a great reason to use an equine in difficult terrain.  I covered several hundred kilometers in Northern Austria on my old horse, Boo, following Chernobyl, scintillation counter in my saddlebags.  I learned a great deal about dry and wet deposition of radionuclides (R/Ns) and about how R/Ns coat the leaves in the forest providing significantly more radiation than in grassy fields or farmed land.  Altogether, a valuable experience.

I have a project in mind for one of my horses next spring riding fields in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado with a 3x3" NaI(Tl) crystal and
1024 channel spectrometer (if the sample rate is high enough, or the horse is slow enough).  I'll be collecting data with an ADC and GPS on a laptop.
The intent is to study radium deposition in soils proximal to a uranium feature (regional redox-controlled, roll-front).  Hopefully, this will inform my soil-sampling plan. And, of course, I will be looking in detail at the mineralogy of the soils involved...

I suspect that uranium / radium was redistributed from high-volume irrigation wells near the redox front over the last 100 years of irrigated farming.  And, of course, I'll be looking to contract for 500 bales of good horse hay!

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/te_1396_web.pdf
pp.289-315

Dan ii

--
Dan W McCarn, Geologist
108 Sherwood Blvd
Los Alamos, NM 87544-3425
+1-505-672-2014 (Home - New Mexico)
+1-505-670-8123 (Mobile - New Mexico)
HotGreenChile at gmail.com (Private email) HotGreenChile at gmail dot com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Stewart Farber
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 08:03
To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Mules Contribute to Cleanup of California Radiation Site

The procedure described isn't all that unusual. They're simply using a modified Geiger-muler [GM] detector. 

Stewart Farber
SAFarber at optonline.net
www.farber-medical.com


=============
-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Nielsen.Erik at epamail.epa.gov
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 9:17 AM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Mules Contribute to Cleanup of California Radiation Site

Sometimes you got to think outside the box!  Creative solution to a difficult situation.

http://www.westernmulemagazine.com/image/webimage/MULES%20CONTRIBUTE%20BY%20
GREGG%20DEMPSEY.pdf

Erik C. Nielsen
Health Physicist
USEPA, National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory
540 South Morris Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36115
Phone 334-270-3475
Fax 334-270-3454

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