[ RadSafe ] Respirators Contaminated at the Y-12 plant

[Redmond, Randy (RXQ)]

Only ONE of the respirators was contaminated with Co-60 and we do not have date information on that particular respirator.  A few were from 2009, but the majority are in the 2010 to 2011 time-frame.

Question for the group - 
Do you launder and re-use airline and PAPR respirator breathing tubes?

Thanks,

Randy Redmond
B&W Y-12
Radiological Engineering
865.574.5640

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Jeff Terry
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 12:09 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Respirators Contaminated at the Y-12 plant

Ouch. Respirators at Y-12 were contaminated with Co-60 which is not used at the Y-12 plant. Contamination was traced back to Feb 09. Co-60 is not used at the Y-12 plant so it raises the specter of cross-contamination from other sites. 

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2012/03/19/oak-ridge-plant-y-12-uncovers-respirator-contamination-031902.aspx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Jeff

Jeff Terry
Assoc. Professor of Physics
Life Science Bldg Rm 166
Illinois Institute of Technology
3101 S. Dearborn St. 
Chicago IL 60616
630-252-9708
terryj at iit.edu





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