RE: Sm-153

[Joseph_W_Joe_DeMers@RL.gov]

Your client may be seeing Eu-152, which is sometimes present in the product
and/or vial that were used for Sm-153 production.  A quick spectrum analysis
should let you know if this is the case.

As always, the above represents my opinion only.

Regards,

Joseph DeMers, CHP
e-mail: Joseph_W_Joe_DeMers@apimc01.rl.gov
CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc
(509) 376-7781

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Alston [mailto:alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu]
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 2:37 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Sm-153


>I have a client who uses Sm-153 Quadramet and cannot get the vials to
decay to background so that they can be disposed of. The half life of
Sm-153 is 46.3 hours so the vials should be ready to toss after 20 days,
but when they were surveyed 11 months after being placed into storage they
still produced an exposure rate considerably higher than background.
>
>This has happened with all of the Sm-153 vials, and not just one, and with
several survey meters.  Has anyone else heard of this?  Is it possibly a
case of long-lived contaminants?  And if so, what and how much?  I have
tried contacting DuPont and Berlex by phone and e-mail but have not gotten
any help yet.
>
>M.E. Jafari, M.S.,DABR
>Western Radiological Physics, Inc.
>westrad@cyberhighway.net
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