Re: [OEM] Reuters/PPL: Rad contam wkers in PA nuke

[Joel Baumbaugh <baumbaug@NOSC.MIL>]

All,


This article reminds me of a situation that happened in that same general

area in/around 1985.  At that time a field engineer for a

sub-contractor building Philadelphia Electric Co.'s Limerick nuclear

plant was setting off alarms at the plant even though there was no

nuclear fuel yet in the plant!  After some study/investigation, it

ended up that the contamination came from Mr. Watras' home in the form of

"Radon" contamination.  Mr Watras' house (with a large

unvented basement) sat on what is known as the Reading Prong, a 2

million-year-old granite formation containing uranium (the radon levels

inside Mr. Watras' house were later measured at 13.5 pCi/l).  The

Reading Prong stretches from Reading Pennsylvania all the way through New

Jersey and into New York.  I wonder if we're seeing the same

contamination source/problem with the two employees below?


Just my 2 cents (and long memory),


Joel Baumbaugh (baumbaug@nosc.mil)

SSC San Diego



> Radioactivity found on two GE workers at
>
> Pa. nuke
>
>
> http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20043/story.htm
>
>
> USA: March 6, 2003
>
>
> NEW YORK - Two contract employees reported to the Susquehanna
>
> nuclear
>
> power plant in Pennsylvania with low levels of radioactive material
>
> on
>
> their clothing, owner PPL Corp. (PPL.N) said.
>
>
> Highly sensitive monitoring equipment at the plant detected the
>
> radioactivity on Monday as the General Electric Co. (GE.N)
>
> contractors
>
> were leaving an area inside a security fence, the company said in a
>
> statement.
>
>
> The radioactive material is believed to have originated at another
>
> facility, and not at Susquehanna, the company said, and the level 
>
> of
>
> radioactivity was very low.
>
>
> ...
>
>
> The contractors' previous job was at a nuclear power plant in
>
> Sweden,
>
> PPL said in its statement. Monday was their first day inside
>
> Susquehanna's security fence, however neither contractor had entered
>
> the
>
> part of the plant that contains radioactive materials, Scopelliti
>
> said.
>
>
> ...
>
> MARCH 04, 2003
>
>
> Contact: Joe Scopelliti 570-759-2285
>
>
> Radioactive Material Discovered on Contract Employees’ Clothing at
>
> PPL’s
>
> Susquehanna Plant
>
>
> Two contract General Electric employees reported to PPL’s
>
> Susquehanna
>
> nuclear power plant in Luzerne County yesterday with low levels of
>
> radioactive material on their clothing. The radioactive material is
>
> believed to have originated at another facility, and not at
>
> Susquehanna.
>
>
> Highly sensitive monitoring equipment at the plant detected the
>
> radioactivity as the contractors were leaving the area inside the
>
> plant’s security fence. Plant personnel began investigating the
>
> situation and conducting additional radiological surveys
>
> immediately,
>
> said Joe Scopelliti, public information manager for the Susquehanna
>
> plant.
>
>
> “At no time was the health and safety of the contractors, other
>
> Susquehanna workers or the general public affected because of this
>
> incident,” Scopelliti said. “The level of radioactivity on the
>
> clothing
>
> was slightly above what is seen in background radiation in the
>
> environment.”
>
>
> The contractors’ previous job was at a nuclear power plant in
>
> Sweden.
>
> Yesterday was the contractors’ first day inside Susquehanna’s
>
> security
>
> fence, however neither contractor had entered the plant’s
>
> radiological
>
> control area, Scopelliti said.
>
>
> Routine radiological surveys outside the plant’s radiological
>
> control
>
> area, as well as follow-up surveys done yesterday in the
>
> contractors’
>
> office area and off site, were found to be free of radioactive
>
> contamination.
>
>
> “Anyone inside of the plant’s protected area, whether they have been
>
> in
>
> the radiological control area or not, is screened for radioactivity
>
> before leaving the plant,” Scopelliti said.
>
>
> General Electric is continuing to investigate.
>
>
> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Pennsylvania Department 
>
> of
>
> Environmental Protection have been notified of the situation.
>
>
> The two-unit Susquehanna plant, located about seven miles north of
>
> Berwick, is owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna LLC and Allegheny
>
> Electric
>
> Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.
>
>
>
>
> -