[ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns

Sat Mar 26 06:42:17 CDT 2011

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Boric acid is a weak acid.  I use it in my hot tub as part of a Boric
acid/Sodium carbonate buffer system.

On 3/25/2011 21:34, gqman9575 at aol.com wrote:
> Has there been any indication that the water could be acidic? From what I understand, significant amounts of boric acid were initially dumped into the facilities. Acid burns makes more sense to me than beta burns. Just curious.
> 
> GQ
> 
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry Addis <ajess at clemson.edu>
> To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing    List' <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
> Sent: Fri, Mar 25, 2011 11:16 am
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> How about waders (trout fishing type) and air fed hoods to mitigate heat
> 
> fatigue if that's a problem.
> 
> 
> 
> LA
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
> 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Strickert, Rick
> 
> Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 10:09 AM
> 
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> 
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> 
> According to an India Today news report: "The contaminated water seeped over
> 
> the top of their boots as the workers were working to get the damaged
> 
> plant's cooling system"
> 
> 
> 
> The internet article
> 
> (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/133330/world/japan-two-fukushima-n-
> 
> plant-workers-hospitalized-for-excessive-radiation-exposure.html) shows a
> 
> picture of what at least some of the workers were wearing.
> 
> 
> 
> There's also a YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAApiuIANPc),
> 
> starting @ 29 seconds) showing the workers in protective outfits.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rick Strickert
> 
> Austin, TX
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
> 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Lachapelle, Edward
> 
> B
> 
> Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 8:38 AM
> 
> To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
> 
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> 
> Good point about the Sr-90/Y-90 equilibrium.  (Sometimes you miss the
> 
> obvious.)
> 
> 
> 
> Given the same assumptions, I got a dose to curie factor of 1.6E-6 Gy/hr per
> 
> Bq/sq. cm.
> 
> 
> 
> That resulted in a Y-90 concentration of 0.08 Ci/L.
> 
> 
> 
> And for a 600/hr rads of beta dose, I got .01 mCi/sq. cm.  You're within the
> 
> bounds of RadCon math.
> 
> 
> 
> Ed Lachapelle
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu
> 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Glenn R. Marshall
> 
> Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 6:18 AM
> 
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> 
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> 
> Assuming Sr-90 is the culprit, the beta dose is from Y-90 with a 0.934 MeV
> 
> average energy.  A "very quick" calculation shows a dose of about 600
> 
> rad/hour from skin contamination of 1 mCi/cm2.  Disclaimer: I only had a
> 
> minute to do this and don't have time to check my math.....  
> 
> 
> 
> But if that's true, they have a problem.
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Glenn Marshall, CHP
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
> 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Lachapelle, Edward
> 
> B
> 
> Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 5:24 PM
> 
> To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
> 
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> 
> Here are my thoughts:
> 
> 
> 
> If you assume that the dose was on the order of 500 Rads, and they were
> 
> exposed for 10 hours, that would be 50 Rads/hr, or 0.5 Gy/hr.
> 
> 
> 
> If you also assume that the dose was from beta radiation from Sr-90,
> 
> (average beta energy of 0.196 MeV), and using a skin dose calculation from
> 
> Cember's "Introduction to Health Physics," you get a conversion of 4.9E-7
> 
> Gy/hr per Bq/sq. cm.
> 
> 
> 
> If you assume that there was about 0.1 cm of thickness of water over the
> 
> area, that would result in a Sr-90 concentration of 0.3 Ci/L.
> 
> 
> 
> Ed Lachapelle, M.S., CHP
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> From: radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu
> 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Strickert, Rick
> 
> Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 1:51 PM
> 
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> 
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Fukushima beta radiation burns
> 
> 
> 
> Below are a couple of links on reports that three workers at the Fukushima
> 
> No. 3 reactor got beta-radiation burns on their feet when they were laying
> 
> electrical cables while standing in radioactively-contaminated water.  One
> 
> report stated: "TEPCO said radioactive water may have seeped through the
> 
> workers' radiation protective gear, causing radioactive materials in the
> 
> water to stick to their skin."  
> 
> 
> 
> The workers also received radiation doses of 17 to 18 rem while working from
> 
> 10 AM to 12:10 PM (suggesting a 1.2 - 1.3 rem/h average dose rate).  It's
> 
> not clear whether the workers were standing in water the entire 14 hours.
> 
> 
> 
> Can one estimate (or WAG) the solution concentrations of beta-emitters
> 
> (Ci/L) that would have to be in the water for the workers to get radiation
> 
> burns from the water that seeped through the workers' radiation protective
> 
> gear (e.g. Tyvex booties over work shoes?)?  
> 
> 
> 
> http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110324D24JF855.htm 
> 
> http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110324/japan-radiation-tapw
> 
> ater-110324/20110324/?hub=CalgaryHome 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rick Strickert
> 
> Austin, TX
> 
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