[ RadSafe ] Radioactive medicine being tracked through rivers

[John Ahlquist]

Actually it goes even further back.  When I was on loan to the Radiological 
Analysis Branch of AEC Regulatory in 1973-4, this was an issue for licensing the 
Palo Verdes nuclear plant.  Their cooling water comes from municipal sewage 
treatment plants.  Excreted I-131 in the evaporating  effluent cooling water was 
a critical airborne pathway.  I don't recall the details but that source was of 
in the order of magnitude or larger than what the plant would emit.

In the late 70s or early 80s, Frazier Bronson had a technique to measure such 
releases down to a few atoms and could see it in many places. 

John Ahlquist


On Mar 23, 2012, at 1:49 PM, Stewart Farber wrote:

> The issue of radioactivity in discharges by hospitals into sanitary sewers
> and the contamination of sewerage plant sludge and effluents has been
> discussed widely and well regognized since the 1980s.  I recall seeing a
> d