Re: ABCNEWS.com: Hundreds of Radioactive Devices Missing

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: Gerald Nicholls <GNICHOLL@dep.state.nj.us>

An: emarshall@fnal.gov <emarshall@fnal.gov>; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

<radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>; Jack_Earley@RL.GOV <Jack_Earley@RL.GOV>

Datum: Mittwoch, 17. April 2002 19:13

Betreff: RE: ABCNEWS.com: Hundreds of Radioactive Devices Missing





>The boy did not steal the signs.  He was walking past a demolition site

near his home and found 3 tritium exit signs in the debris.  He took them

home, reportedly to illuminate posters on the walls of his basement level

bedroom.  After partially disassembling the signs and apparently breaking

one or more of the tubes, he contacted local officials because he was

concerned about the radiation symbols he found on the signs.  Analysis of

his urine showed a TEDE of about 80 mrem.  It probably would not have been

nearly this high if he hadn't been in a basement level room (relatively low

ventilation) and hadn't been snacking while working on the signs.

>

>About $100,000 in clean up, disposal and temporary relocation costs for the

family were paid by the state's Spill Fund.



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I have some problems to understand this story. What is the basis for the 80

mrem (within what time)? Tritium is in exit signs to my information present

as tritium gas. If it is liberated it may of course be inhaled and will lead

to some dose. Opening the windows and doors will after not too long a time

dilute the tritium concentration to almost zero. Does the opening of windows

and doors cost $ 100 000?????? Tritium is very slowly converted to HTO, so

there will hardly any residual tritium contamination be present - and HTO is

as volatile as H2O (within some extremely low differences.....) and will

vanish within short time. Are the temporary relocation costs at $ 100 000?

The family must have spent some months on travelling first class around the

world together with a big party.



Please enlighten me!



Franz









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