Re: Radioactive material in film developer

[Mike Lantz <mlantz33@cybertrails.com>]

Would guess that it might be K-40.

Mike Lantz

Janzow1@aol.com wrote:

> Radsafers:
>          Does anyone know what in industrial X-ray developer is radioactive?
>
>          We inadvertantly allowed a 5-gallon tank of a standard industrial
> X-ray film
> developer to evaporate to dryness.  Since the location was adjacent to an
> area in which there may be wipable aloha-active material, we checked the
> residue (a tan-colored, granular material) for activity prior to disposal,
> No alpha, but significant beta-gamma, on the order of 35 pCi/gm (1.3 Bq/gm).
>            The developer is received as several liquids, which are mixed and
> diluted with water for use.  We mixed a new batch using new materials from
> sealed bottles (no chance of contaminating these), evaporated a sample to
> dryness.
> Essentially the same activity found as above.
>            The manufacturer states that the developer containes the following:
>                    Part A:  potassium hydroxide and hydroquinone
>                    Part B:  acetic acid and 1-phenyl3pyrazolidinone
>                    Part C:  glutaraldehyde
>
>             Can anyone tell me what I'm detecting, and/or a legal and proper
> way to dispose of it?
>
>         Thanks,
>            Ed Janzow
>              janzow1@aol.com
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