radioactive jewelry

[kxr01@health.state.ny.us]

In 1981 the NY State Department of Health carried out a gold jewelry
screening program in which more than 170 contaminated  items were found,
mostly in Western NY. The contaminant was identified as Pb-210 and its
decay products, believed to have been introduced in the gold by recycling
spent Rn-222 gold seeds in the 1930s and 40s.  A number of related health
consequences ranging from mild skin reactions to squamous cell carcinoma
were observed among users of the contaminated items. The findings were
summarized in Baptiste et al.: Health Effects Associated with Exposure to
Radioactively Contaminated Gold Rings. J  Am Acad Dermatol 10:1019-1023,
1984.



"Karam, Andrew" <Andrew_Karam@URMC.Rochester.edu> on 08/01/2000 12:45:03 PM

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

To:   Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
cc:    (bcc: Cynthia A. Costello/BERP/DEP/CEH/OPH/DOH)
Subject:  radioactive jewelry




Greetings, all.  I received a phone call from a local reporter doing a
story
on radioactivity in antiques.  She asked me what I could tell her about an
incident in Buffalo in the 1980s in which a number of rings were found to
contain radioactivity, and said that apparently law suits were filed.  She
also thought that the incident was written up in either Health Physics or
some other journal.

I have searched Quest and the HPJ WWW page, but have been unable to find
any
reference to this under "jewelry".  I'd really appreciate any help from
Radsafe-land on this one so I can get back to the woman to give her some
specifics as to the amount of activity, the probably dose, and expected
effects.

Thanks -

Andy

PS   I do not get the idea that this reporter has any particular ax to
grind or that she is predisposed to think this is bad or a scandal.  I
think
she's just interested.

Andrew Karam, CHP              (716) 275-1473 (voice)
Radiation Safety Officer          (716) 275-3781 (office)
University of Rochester           (716) 256-0365 (fax)
601 Elmwood Ave. Box HPH   Rochester, NY  14642

Andrew_Karam@URMC.Rochester.edu
http://Intranet.urmc.rochester.edu/RadiationSafety

If a man never contradicts himself, the reason must be that he virtually
never says anything at all.  (Miguel de Unamuno, quoted in "What is Life?"
by Erwin Schrodinger)

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