Re: Brazil Nut Radwaste Standard

["Jerry Cohen" <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>]

Stewart, et al,

    Thanks for the corrections, but why quibble over a few orders of

magnitude. The study I referred to was done a long time ago (pre ICRP-30).

As I recall, we used an estimate of

20 pci/g total alpha in Brazil nuts, which we assumed was all Ra-226. Based

on a ratio of MPC(w)'s, the ingestion radiotoxicity was equivalent to 3400

pci/g of Pu-239, or 3.4 nci/g. Perhaps the reasoning was a bit convoluted ,

but the idea that anything edible ought to be acceptable for landfill

disposal seemed sound - except,of course in California where the prevailing

attitude seems to be, "Any amount of radioactivity is too much - and don't

try to confuse the issue with that nonsense about natural radioactivity"

    BTW, if a level of <1.0 nci/g of total radioactivity were to be applied

as  de minimis for underground waste disposal, could anyone suggest a

plausible scenario where dire consequences might result?      Jerry



----- Original Message -----

From: Stewart Farber <farbersa@optonline.net>

To: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>; Radsafe <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 10:06 PM

Subject: Re: Brazil Nut Radwaste Standard





> Jerry & Radsafe:

>

> From the HPS Ask the Expert, there is information on the radioactivity of

Brazil

> Nuts. See:

>

> http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q1147.html

>

> From the above reference:

> Total alpha = 14 picoCuries/g  [14 pCi/g]

> Ra-226  Ranges from 0.16 to 3.5 pCi/g

>

> There appears to be an inadvertant error in units in the post below which

is high

> by a factor of several hundred at a minimum.  It appears that Brazil nuts

have

> been actually measured to have Ra-226 content of up to 3.5 picoCuries/g

[and

> total alpha of 14 pCi/g (= 0.014 nCi/g)], not 3 nanoCuries/g [3,000 pCi/g]

as

> stated below.

>

> Stewart Farber

> ================

>

> 6/6/03 7:58:52 PM, Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:

> >    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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