Fwd: F.Y.I>: Russian radioactive scrap

[Philip Hypes <phypes@lanl.gov>]

>Russia
>
>Ozersk
>Chelyabvtormet [a scrap recovery facility in Chelyabinsk] dosimetry 
>workers measured some of facility scrap metal and found that one 
>piece emitted 1,000 microRoentgen/h.  A special committee was formed 
>to investigate.  During remeasuring of the piece, which looks like a 
>pipe coupling flange, the committee measured 1,500 microRoentgen /h 
>and found two additional radioactive pieces.  The pieces had clear 
>marking of the original facility, and the committee was able to track 
>them down.  It was found that a 4- ton batch of scrap metal was sent 
>by a proprietor from Ozersk.  The proprietor has a contract to supply 
>scrap metal but failed to establish radiation monitoring.  Studies of 
>the pieces showed that their swipes contained Cs-134, Cs-137, Co-60 
>and Am-241 and other man-made (not natural) radionuclides, and the 
>metal pieces were not irradiated by neutrons but were in a contact 
>with radioactive materials.  In spite of the investigation, there are 
>still a lot of unanswered questions like why the disassembled pieces 
>did not end up at RADON special facility but were released  and how 
>they made out of the closed territory.  This is the third time 
>radioactive metal pieces were discovered at the scrap facility for 
>the past several years.  [Chelyabinsk Worker 4/24]

___________________________________________________________
Philip Hypes
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Safeguards Science and Technology Group (NIS 5)
(505) 667-1556  phypes@lanl.gov

Opinions expressed are purely my own unless otherwise noted

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