radioactive material releases

["Michael Stabin" <stabin@npd.ufpe.br>]

> At 09:27 PM 01/25/2000 -0600, Jim Muckerheide wrote:
> >> > Presently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the process
> >> > of legalizing the "release" or "clearance" of radioactive materials
from
> >> > licensed, regulated control into raw materials, building supplies and
any
> >> > other items that are sold to New York consumers. We fully support the
> >> > introduction of radioactive scrap metal into commerce without any
> >> > consumer notification ....

Otto Raabe repiled:
> It seems to me we should be refering to "very slightly radioactive
> materials" and "scrap metal whose radioactive content is well within safe
> limits".

I agree with Otto here.  Does anyone have an idea of how much actual
activity we are talking about, on an annual basis?  Carol Marcus and I did a
little analysis some years back, and found that grocery stores in the US are
permitting uncontrolled releases (with no consumer notification) of the
order of 7.5 *curies* of radioactivity (K-40) per year, in bananas alone
(there are other foodstuffs high in potassium whose contributions could be
added).  I would just be curious to know how the two numbers compared.


Michael Stabin, PhD, CHP
Departamento de Energia Nuclear/UFPE
Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000 - Cidade Universitaria
CEP 50740 - 540
Recife - PE
Brazil
Phone 55-81-271-8251 or 8252 or 8253
Fax  55-81-271-8250
E-mail stabin@npd.ufpe.br

"Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of"
- Steven Wright



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