Re: Sm-153

["David Whitfill" <DWhitfil@kdhe.state.ks.us>]

In addition to the Eu mentioned by others, another possibility might be
Sm-151 (approx. 90 y half-life) from n,gamma interaction with Sm-150
(natural abundance approx. 7.5 %). It may be a little hard to detect inside
a glass vial if using a pancake GM, but a thin crystal NaI scintillation
detector probably would see the X-rays: 0.076  MeV max beta-, 0.022 MeV Eu
L X-rays (I=4%).

Source: RHH 1970, p. 314




Chris Alston <alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu>@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu on
01/20/2000 04:35:25 PM

Please respond to radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu

Sent by:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu


To:   Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
cc:

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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