[ RadSafe ] Red Sand

Mon Apr 1 23:13:34 CDT 2013

Thanks for all the input on the Red Sand, currently trying to track down the contractor who was using it to see if they have any in stock. Certainly was used in abrasive blasting, they call it Garnet, but it appears that it may be as you suggest Nick. Would be interested in any papers. Did see mention of this in the document Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in Australia: Issues for Discussion, which can be found here:

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/pubs/norm/rhsac_disc.pdf

It mentions state regulations which limit U and Th content to 200Bq/Kg. But sadly there are no references.

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Tsurikov
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 2:10 AM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Red Sand

Dear Jerry,
I think you're absolutely right - it could be a mix of staurolite and garnet that was not properly separated from other 'heavy sands' (some of which do contain quite a lot of thorium) and used in sandblasting.  As I recall, there was some paper (or papers) in Australia on this issue in early 1990's.
Kind regards
Nick

On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 3:13 AM, Falo, Gerald A CIV USARMY MEDCOM PHC (US) < gerald.a.falo.civ at mail.mil> wrote:

> Mike and Dan,
>
> Could it be staurolite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staurolite?
>
> DuPont makes a "Coarse Staurolite Sand":
> http://www2.dupont.com/Titanium_Technologies/en_US/products/staurolite/index.htmlfor sand blasting.
>
> Jerry
>
> ________________________________
>
> The statements and opinions expressed herein are my responsibility; no
> one else (certainly not my employer) is responsible, but I still
> reserve the right to make mistakes.
>
> Gerald A. Falo, Ph.D., CHP
> Army Institute of Public Health - Health Physics Program
> jerry.falo at us.army.mil
> 410-436-4852
> DSN: 584-4852
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:
> radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Cowie, Michael I
> Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 2:14 AM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing
> List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Red Sand
>
> Thanks Dan, but perhaps I was being a bit obtuse with information on
> my earlier email. The material has been found spread over an area and
> appears to have been used in an uncontrolled way in an abrasive
> blasting method. I have discovered that this area was used to overhaul
> and refurbish a large section of pipework, and included blasting/hydro
> testing. I have some pictures of the sand (unfortunately cannot append
> on the list), and also XRF/XRD analysis which indicates:
>
> Si 20.9%
> Fe 14.9%
> Al 4.7%
> Ca 3.7%
> Mg 1.7%
> Na 0.8%
> Ti 0.7%
> Mn 0.5%
> K 0.4%
> S 0.3%
> Cl 0.1%
> Zr 0.09%
>
> Almandine-(Mg0.6Fe2.4)Al2(SiO4)3        47 Wt%
> Quartz-SiO2                             44 Wt%
> Calcite-CaCO3                           6 Wt%
> Microcline-KAlSi3O8                     3 Wt%
>
>
> Looking at the U figure in the data provided it gives 14.8 +/- 3.7 ug/g.
> The Th iis 181.7 +/- 2.9 ug/g.
>
> The material is definitely alien to the place where it has ended up,
> but not yet been able to track down where it came from.
>
> I also have a nice image of the spread of the contamination over the
> area using the RadSurvey gamma mapping equipment.
>
> Mike
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:
> radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dan McCarn
> Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 8:50 AM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing
> List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Red Sand
>
> Dear Michael:
>
> I think it is highly unlikely to be garnet.
>
> The described material is far more likely to be a red zircon sand,
> hard and abrasive, and can be concentrated in beach and stream placers
> in & around igneous and metamorphic terrains because it does not tend
> to weather. From memory, it can contain up to about 1% uranium. Zircon
> is a zirconium silicate for which the zircon can be replaced with a
> significant amount of rare-earth elements including thorium as well as uranium.
>
> For a zircon containing 0.25% U-nat, that would amount to an activity
> of about 30 Bq/g for each member of the decay chain.  I have seen and
> mapped Cretaceous beach placers in the Trinidad sandstone of Colorado
> / New Mexico for many kilometers.  Undoubtedly, the beach sand was
> derived from the ancestral Rockies, full of granite with abundant zircon.
>  Long-shore drift concentrated the beach placers giving them a
> significantly higher gamma "kick" with borehole-logging tools than
> would be expected, and were occasionally mistaken for "roll-front"
> type sandstone uranium deposits, but are of no economic interest (for
> uranium) due to the chemically inert nature of zircon. Neither uranium
> nor thorium would leach from zircon sands.
>
> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon
>
> "Zircon occurs in many colors, including red, pink, brown, yellow,
> hazel, or black. It can also be colorless. The color of zircons can
> sometimes be changed by heat treatment. Depending on the amount of
> heat applied, colorless, blue, or golden-yellow zircons can be made.
> In geological settings, the development of pink, red, and purple
> zircon occurs after hundreds of millions of years, if the crystal has
> sufficient trace elements to produce color centers. Color in this red
> or pink series is annealed in geological conditions above the temperature about 350 °C."
>
> "Zircon is a common accessory to trace mineral constituent of most
> granite< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite>
>  and felsic <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felsic> igneous rocks. Due
> to its hardness, durability and chemical inertness, zircon persists in
> sedimentary deposits and is a common constituent of most sands. Zircon
> is rare within mafic rocks <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafic_rock>
> and very rare within ultramafic
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramafic>
> rocks aside from a group of ultrapotassic intrusive rocks<
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrapotassic_igneous_rocks> such as
> kimberlites <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberlite>, carbonatites,
> and lamprophyre, where zircon can occasionally be found as a trace
> mineral owing to the unusual magma genesis of these rocks."
>
> "Zircon forms economic concentrations within heavy mineral sands ore
> deposits
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_mineral_sands_ore_deposits>,
> within certain pegmatites <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegmatite>,
> and within some rare alkaline volcanic rocks, for example the Toongi
> Trachyte, Dubbo, New South Wales Australia[9]<
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon#cite_note-9> in association with
> the zirconium-hafnium minerals eudialyte<
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudialyte> and armstrongite."
>
> 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
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 10:51 PM, Cowie, Michael I <
> michael.cowie at aramco.com
> > wrote:
>
> > Abrasive Sand/grit
> >
> > Also recently encountered some red coloured fine sand, it has been
> > suggested the material is "Garnet". Activity concentration is in the
> > order of 30Bq/g (Total activity), and have measured gamma dose rates
> > of in excess of 3microSiverts/hr from the material. A few years ago
> > we ceased using abrasive sands/silica for blasting/preparation ops
> > due to health related issues (silicosis) and the replacement
> > material is a type of black grit (a trade name I have seen is
> > EuroGrit, but there are others). This also has slightly enhanced
> > activity levels but only around 1Bq/g. So it came as a bit of a
> > shock to find this material, particularly with such enhanced
> > activity levels and associated gamma
> dose-rate.
> >
> > Again a couple of questions:
> >
> > Are the activity concentrations in the "granet" or Rad Sand typical?
> > Are there standards to which suppliers should adhere?
> >
> > I am pretty certain that this material if shipped now would trigger
> > alarms at ports of entry if exported.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> >
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