[ RadSafe ] Sr-90 in milk (re-named)

[franz.schoenhofer at chello.at]

Sorry Glenn, you are wrong. 

Sr-89 is a fission product, it is also a pure beta emitter like Sr-90. So it causes problems when determining Sr-90 in fresh fission products and especially in the first days after the Chernobyl accident it caused problems, because many person doing measurements did not know it or simply neglected it, producing much to high valures for Sr-90. Measurement is not easy, in most traditional methods radiochemical separation is necessary (it is anyway, but not to this extent like in the presence of Sr-89). Also short lived yttrium isotopes pose a problem and I know of several cases where wrong results for Sr-90 were caused because of the wrong assumption that this other Y-isotope was Y-90 in equilibrium with Sr-90. 

All these caveats might  also be applicable to the messages about Sr-90 and Sr-89 from Japan. One would have to know the details of the methods used. 

Sr-89 is used for what you described, but it is produced by some accelerator reaction - you would not be able to separate Sr-89 from Sr-90 produced by nuclear fission - or would you?

Best regards,

Franz

---- "Glenn R. Marshall" <GRMarshall at philotechnics.com> schrieb:
> Sr-89 is predominantly a medical radionuclide, whereas Sr-90 predominantly exists as a fission product.  I believe its primary use is treatment of bone cancer.  
> 
> With increased testing for every radionuclide on the chart, it's not surprising traces of oddball species pop up.  
> 
> Glenn
> (865) 257-2760
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Edmond Baratta
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 1:28 PM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList; The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Sr-90 in milk (re-named)
> 
> How can you have Sr-89, without Sr-90??
> 
> Ed Baratta
> edmond0033 at comcast.net
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steven Dapra
> Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 8:07 PM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Sr-90 in milk (re-named)
> 
> June 1
> 
>          A trace.  Well, my goodness, it sounds like time to panic.  (You go first, Chris, and show us how it's done.)
> 
> Steven Dapra
> 
> 
> At 09:41 AM 6/1/2011, you wrote:
> >May 31
> >
> >          Has any Sr-90 been measured in milk in Hawaii?
> >
> >Steven Dapra
> >
> >No Sr-90, but a trace of Sr-89
> >
> >http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/docs/rert/RadNet-Sr-Milk-Public-Release-5-
> >24-2011.pdf
> >
> >That was from early April.  Someday we may get more data.
> >
> >Tony Harrison, MSPH
> >Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Laboratory 
> >Services Division
> >303-692-3046
> 
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--
Franz Schoenhofer, PhD, MinRat
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
mobile: ++43 699 1706 1227