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Re: Study Raises Projection For 'Dirty Bomb' Toll



I have to agree with Jose.  According to EPA there are thousands of

orphan sources right here in the good old USA.  I would venture to say

that that number of sources missing says something about controls in the

USA needing to be improved.



Tom Hazlett



joseroze@netvision.net.il wrote:



 >Please, consider:

 >a) poor control in Brazil

 >b) poor control by user

 >

 >In the First case we can consider general context, and this is not 

correct.

 >

 >Poor control by user you can find anywhere in many developed countries,

 >including USA

 >

 >AN OVERVIEW OF MANAGING THE U.S. RADIATION PROTECTION PROGRAM CONCERNING

 >GENERALLY-LICENSED SOURCES AND DEVICES

 >Commissioner Greta Joy Dicus, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

 >Washington, D.C. 20555

 >Keynote Presentation at the

 >10th Annual International Radiation Protection Association Conference

 >May 15, 2000

 >Hiroshima, Japan

 >

 >...............

 >"U.S. operational experience with radioactive materials includes few

 >accidents with generally-licensed devices, and only five have resulted in

 >potential radiation overexposures to the general public since 1989. 

The U.S.

 >metal recycling industry has been particularly affected by losses and 

thefts

 >of radioactive sources, some of which were generally-licensed and have

 >subsequently become mixed with metal scrap destined for recycling."

 >

 >"For a smelting event involving a large radiation source (believed to 

not be

 >a generally licensed device) one U.S. steel mills incurred an average cost

 >of approximately US$ ten million, while yet in another case the cost

 >approached US$ 23 million."

 >

 >"Lost, stolen, and abandoned generally-licensed sources or devices 

appearing

 >in recycled metals constitute a worldwide problem. Thirty other smelting

 >events have been reported in at least eighteen other countries (1). Others

 >may have occurred but have not come to our attention or cannot be

 >confirmed."

 >

 >----------------------------------------------------------

 >

 >USA PERSPECTIVES

 >SAFETY & SECURITY OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

 >BY GRETA JOY DICUS

 >IAEA BULLETIN, 41/3/1999

 >

 >

 >............................

 >"Each year, the NRC receives about 200 reports of lost, stolen or 

abandoned

 >radioactive sources and devices. It is important to note that such reports

 >are received only when licensees recall that they have a source, know that

 >it is lost or stolen, know that there is a requirement to report the 

loss or

 >theft, and make that report."

 >"In some cases, the loss of control of radioactive sources resulted in

 >radiation overexposures of unsuspecting members of the public. For 

example,

 >in 1979, an unshielded 1 GBq (28 Ci) iridium-192 industrial radiography

 >source was accidentally left at a temporary job site in California. A

 >worker, not knowing what itwas, picked it up and placed it  into a back

 >pocket of his trousers. The dose to his buttock exceeded 200 Sv(20,000 

rem).

 >

 >In 1992, a 0.14 GBq (3.7 Ci) iridium-192 brachytherapy source was 

accidently

 >disconnected from the cable attaching it to a remote afterloader while it

 >was emplaced in a patient. The source eventually became dislodged from the

 >patient together with surgical dressings. The discarded dressings 

containing

 >the source were sent to a disposal facility which routinely conducted

 >radiation surveillance of incoming waste. Radiation from the source was

 >detected and it was thus discovered the patient died from complications

 >resulting from the overdose and 90 members of the public were accidentally

 >exposed to the source.

 >

 >In 1996, industrial radiography devices were stolen....."

 >

 >

 >The above examples doesn't mean poor control by Regulatory Authority.

 >So, I can't agree with your expression:  "poor control in Brazil"

 >

 >Jose Julio Rozental

 >joseroze@netvision.net.il

 >Israel

 >

 >

 >----- Original Message -----

 >From: "Stewart Faber" <radproject@optonline.net>

 >To: "Stewart Farber" <farbersa@optonline.net>; "Hart, Tim P GS (RASO)"

 ><harttp@RASO.NAVY.MIL>; "Radsafe" <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>; "Jose 

Julio

 >Rozental" <joseroze@netvision.net.il>

 >Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2004 7:41 PM

 >Subject: Re: Study Raises Projection For 'Dirty Bomb' Toll

 >

 >

 >

 >

 >>1/15/04 9:47:36 AM, Jose Julio Rozental <joseroze@netvision.net.il> 

wrote:

 >>

 >>[EXCERPT INCLUDED FROM MY ORIGINAL POST:]

 >>

 >>

 >>>>The fact that the Goaiana incident was not a group of "workers"

 >>>>

 >>>>

 >servicing a

 >

 >

 >>>>teletherapy unit, but a group of thieves/scavangers who were ripping

 >>>>

 >>>>

 >apart

 >

 >

 >>>>an abandoned teletherapy unit due to poor controls in Brazil of unused

 >>>>medical equipment [at the time] alone should be corrected by the W.

 >>>>

 >>>>

 >Post, along

 >

 >

 >>>>with the clear errors in the number of people seriously injured.

 >>>>

 >>>>

 >>[COMMENT BY JOSE ROZENTAL]:

 >>

 >>

 >>>About the topic "poor control", I don't agree, this is not correct.  I

 >>>

 >>>

 >was

 >

 >

 >>>Director of Department of Nuclear Installations and Material for 18 

years

 >>>and among my responsibilities, one was the control of radioactive

 >>>

 >>>

 >sources.

 >

 >

 >>>About Goiania, as before mentioned, I was sent there by the Regulatory

 >>>Authority as General Coordinator to Respond the Emergency. I was the

 >>>

 >>>

 >first

 >

 >

 >>>person in Brazil to be informed about the event by the Health Secretary

 >>>

 >>>

 >of

 >

 >

 >>>State and in the same day I travel to Goiania. There were 5

 >>>

 >>>

 >investigations

 >

 >

 >>>on the Goiania Accident in Brazil.

 >>>a) Police in Goiania,

 >>>b) State General Attorney,

 >>>c) State Congress,

 >>>d) Federal Police,

 >>>e) Federal Court of Justice

 >>>

 >>>The dimension in Goiania was  lack to follow good  procedures and I 

agree

 >>>control by users.The Users were penalized by the Federal Court of

 >>>

 >>>

 >Justice.

 >

 >

 >>>Anyone that wish correct information about Goiania, please write to me,

 >>>

 >>>

 >no

 >

 >

 >>>one better than me know data about Goiania Accident.

 >>>

 >>>Jose Julio Rozental

 >>>joseroze@netvision.net.il

 >>>Israel

 >>>

 >>>

 >>>

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

 >>Dr. Rozental:

 >>Your comment above leaves me a bit confused. I wasn't in any way 

trying to

 >>

 >>

 >criticize overall regulations

 >

 >

 >>or procedures in Brazil [as they existed at the time] in my original

 >>

 >>

 >comment, only that the fact that a

 >

 >

 >>group of illiterate scavengers could come to possess an unused 

teletherapy

 >>

 >>

 >unit implies a clear failure

 >

 >

 >>of controls [at least by the user who owned the unit]. You write 

above the

 >>

 >>

 >the Goiania event was due to

 >

 >

 >>"lack to follow good procedure and I agree control by users." So my

 >>

 >>

 >comment that the incident was:

 >

 >

 >>"due to poor controls in Brazil of unused medical equipment [at the 

time]"

 >>

 >>seem in agreement. Thus, I'm not clear why you write my basic comment on

 >>

 >>

 >this point is not correct and

 >

 >

 >>you don't agree. Perhaps I'm missing some fine point of semantics.

 >>

 >>I completely recognize your expertise and involvement in dealing with 

this

 >>

 >>

 >unfortunate event and have the

 >

 >

 >>highest regard for your thoughts on this matter.

 >>

 >>Thanks,

 >>Stewart Farber

 >>

 >>

 >>

 >>

 >>

 >>

 >

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 >

 >

 >







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