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Re: Brazil Nut Radwaste Standard
Good point about Brazil nuts. I remember someone was trying to do an
epidemiological study involving people, who ate large quantities of Brazil
nuts. I am not sure of any results ever being published.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Cohen" <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>
To: "Susan L Gawarecki" <loc@icx.net>; "RADSAFE"
<radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: Brazil Nut Radwaste Standard
>
>
> >
> > But then came the discovery in 2002 that Boeing's Rocketdyne laboratory
> > in
> > Ventura County had dumped tons of waste with very low levels of
> > radioactivity at three Los Angeles city landfills.
> >
> > The outcry over the Rocketdyne waste prompted state legislation that
> > would have prohibited industrial waste with even trace amounts of
> > radiation from going to public sites.
> >
> > Gov. Gray Davis vetoed the legislation, but banned industrial disposal
> > until the state could develop its own standards.
> >
> > It's not known how much radioactive waste has ended up in public
> > landfills across the state.
>
> Several years ago, I was involved in a DOE sponsored study to
determine
> a reasonable
> de minimis, or BRC level for radioactive waste. One of the conclusions
was
> that any waste
> containing less than 1.0 nCi/g (regardless of the specific radionuclides)
> could be considered essentially non-radioactive and disposed of
accordingly.
> Although this conclusion may have been scientifically sensible, it was
> politically incorrect and as such, was ignored.
> One on the many irrationalities in radiation safety regulations is
> allowing the consumption of Brazil nuts that typically have a natural
> radioactivity content in excess
> of 3.0 nCi/g. Apparently, it's OK to eat them, but not to dispose of them
in
> landfills.
> If we were to set a de minimis radioactvity in landfill standard of <3.0
> nCi/g, based on the Brazil nut, I wonder if it would it be accepted? I
doubt
> it, but it might be fun to try.
>
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