[ RadSafe ] Treating Coal-fired plant waste as TENORM

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

I've had some classes on air sampling, and have been involved in environmental air sampling and radon for some years.  I admit that I am not highly confident that sampling from the edge of a stack meters is truly representative, especially concerning a noble gas.  I also admit to having doubts as to how well most dispersion models handle such a gas.  In any event, pulling the contribution from a particular stack to outdoor radon would be a challenge, given the flux of radon coming out of the ground (a flux that varies nonlinearly both over time and across locations).  Knowing that it happens is useful for pointing out the inconsistencies of the anti-nuke side, but should a coal-burning plant ever reach the point where radon is the biggest risk factor in its emissions, they would truly be "clean coal".

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of JPreisig at aol.com
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2014 5:07 PM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Treating Coal-fired plant waste as TENORM

Radsafe,
 
     Ever hear of a Pitot tube???  Find books on  Air Sampling and Analysis.  Man, this takes me back to my Air Sampling and  Analysis course with Ray Manganelli and Jill Lipoti at Rutgers.  Can't even  remember what the book was called, but it was good reading.  Frank Haughey  made me take Air Sampling instead of Mathematical Physics.
 
     EPA documents must be loaded with information (see  their websites also) on how to measure Radon and how to grab samples.  The  carbon absorber test kits were around New Jersey Department of Environmental  Protection.  The Reading Prong (geologically speaking) is right next to New  Jersey.  People in Pennsylvania still test for Radon in their homes and  need to.  You can measure stack effluents with a pitot tube, provided you  make the measurements correctly.  Search the internet, baby.  It is  all out there.
 
    Regards,   Joe Preisig
 
PS  Perhaps also check the New Jersey Department of Environmental  Protection (Radiation Protection Programs) website and the archives there.   NJDEP RPP still has a Radon group, I think, and you could call or email them, if needed.  NJDEP RPP was a nice place to work.  Some NJDEP RPP folks  lurk on Radsafe, I think.  Hi Herb!!!!