[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Nickel ingots not the only concern in classified burial area --cosmic dusts
Hello Radsafe,
Insider speaks up-----more of the truth leaking out? Article below.
Sounds like more unresolved criticality safety questions for the Paducah
Classified waste burial grounds that contain EU slag-----this on top of the
USQ for the drum mountain with HEU deposits----currently under
investigations. Interesting how the Pu, Np, etc. contaminated slag ended up
as a desk ornament. The barrier cleaning processes also dumped a lot of
this matierial into ponds on sites. HP oversite at DOE?
Also, interesting comments on the Be presence at Paducah from the
dismatlement of nuke bombs to reclaim the gold and platinum-----and these
devices also contain a number of metals alloyed with beryllium to promote
strength or neutron reflection-----that are part of the tricks used in the
miniturization of weapons.
What about free release of Ni with this volumetic Tc-99 contamination?
PCB's and uranium chips don't hold a candle up to the HF emissions effects.
No wonder these gas diffusion plants had air space banned-----a crash into an
operating UF-6 process would have released tons of UF-6, which would form
extremely toxic and volatile HF--------which would serious damage a wide
area------almost like a Bopal situation.
What would profession ethics require for these risks?
Jim Phelps, Oak Ridge
Source:
<A
HREF="http://204.120.16.85/cgi-bin/view.cgi?/200003/31+0067_editorial.html+200
00331+editorial">http://204.120.16.85/cgi-bin/view.cgi?/200003/31+0067_editor
i
al.html+20000331+editorial</A>
=========================================================
Nickel ingots not the only concern in classified burial area
EDITOR: Recently there was a story covering the nickel ingots in The Paducah
Sun that might have misled readers. While I don't hold The Paducah Sun
accountable for the information contained therein (it was probably based on
information forwarded by individuals at the site), as a former site
investigator, I do want to outline the facts as I understand them.
To substantiate the following information, I have forwarded copies of
relevant internal documents to the Sun.
The article stated that the ingots contained only trace amounts of
transuranics and technetium. In fact, internal studies found that all of the
ingots contain technetium, some with levels in the 50,000 parts per billion
range. Reporting that the ingots had only trace amounts of contamination
implies that these materials and the processes that generated them were
largely benign and present no tangible risk. Nothing could be further from
the truth as indicated by "the rest of the story."
The contaminated nickel and aluminum ingots largely represent the final form
of scrap diffusion plant material from the big diffusion rebuild efforts at
the three diffusion sites. The bulk of these metals came from the
replacement
of compressor and converter units. Prior to the rebuild, several studies
noted that a grayish material that accumulated in these units contained,
among other things, high levels of transuranics and technetium. This
material
(called "cosmic dust" by some at the PGDP), represented one of the greatest
exposure risks to workers who disassembled and cleaned the units and handled
the resultant materials.
After the initial tear down and shredding of scrap materials (so it would
fit
in drums), more studies were conducted on how the material, that now
resembled fingernail-sized potato chips, could be melted and, hopefully,
sold. It was found from numerous tests that although the raw nickel chips
contained plutonium and significant amounts of neptunium, technetium,
uranium
and thorium; only technetium was found at high levels in the ingots. So,
anyone with sense would ask, where did the other contaminants go?
Pre-smelting tests showed that the more toxic and radioactive materials were
concentrated in slag that formed at the top of the melt with lesser
quantities adhering to the liner of the melting unit. The slag and most
furnace liners were buried in unlined pits in the classified landfill. Oh, I
should have mentioned, much of the scrap (from Portsmouth and Oak Ridge)
would have been contaminated with enriched uranium. Placing the somewhat
porous slag where it would be exposed to ground water would have resulted in
leaching of contamination at a minimum (I will leave it for those of you
with
a background in radiation to imagine other potential concerns).
So, is this one more thing to worry about when it comes to dealing with the
classified landfill? Certainly, but my real concern is that former workers
had/have not been given the whole story on the conditions where they worked
and they deserve to be informed. The lack of awareness (concern?) was pretty
obvious to me when I found slag spheres being used for decoration on a desk
in the smelter office.
Don't start to believe that this is the only concern in this burial area. In
the past, many of the materials in classified items were themselves
classified. Now it has been confirmed that many weapons contained regulated
hazardous metals. When a list of components and the metals used is reviewed,
the hesitancy for DOE and Lockheed to come clean on the beryllium issue is
laughable.
I will always remember that the classified burial area was the one location
that a former burial manager told me to never dig in, but could not tell me
exactly why because it exceeded my security clearance level. Other locations
did not warrant such cautions and one can only surmise the serious nature of
the problem by other occurrences. For example, when we drilled in a
different
landfill and went right through a drum of PCBs, solvents, and uranium metal
shavings, not an eyebrow was raised.
JOHN TILLSON
Sharpe
========================================================== >>
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html