AW: Hanford Site cleanup standards [corrected and re-posted]

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

But a point I have not seen raised is the risk involved in the clean-up

itself (of any site, to a given "safe" level). I imagine it would be

possible to do a risk analysis of the cleanup operation itself, based on

past experience.

And not just the radiological risk, but the overall risk of all cleanup and

storage operations (personal injuries, vehicular accidents, contamination

dispersion outside the site, etc.)

Obviously, it is necessary to remove the really bad stuff, but, at some

point, you get to (very) diminishing returns. And  the risks involved in

continuing the cleanup will outweigh the benefits, expense notwithstanding.



Somewhat analogous to the choice between removal of hard asbestos

insulation from a building or sealing it in place. Generally more risk is

involved in the cleanup than leaving everything as is (with suitable

sealing and maintenance).



But I guess that the forces that drive these cleanups (greenies, a

frightened, misinformed, public and, of course, the lawyers......) consider

the workers who do the cleanup as "expendables" .....



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As far as I know, such analyses have been made in the case of the removal of

Uranium mill tailings in Southern Utah, but I guess that there are other

people on RADSAFE more knowledgable on these agenda.



Furthermore I have yesterday sent a request to RADSAFE to enlighten me on

the radiological impact on the options for Hanford - leave it as it is,

clean it up, based on LNT, non-LNT. Not surprisingly I have not received any

answer. It is so easy for the Greens to simply state, that "there is

radioactivity there, so it is deadly", but the same seems to be similarily

easy for pro-nuclears to "qualitatively" argue and discuss, but not to give

an answer by putting the facts on the table. Science and radiation

protection is not done by "feelings", but by numbers and facts.



Franz



Jim, your comment was great as usual!



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