Re: Radon Attenuation by HDPE

[Kai Kaletsch <eic@shaw.ca>]

Leo,



Since I didn't see any answers to this on radsafe, I'll give it a shot:



We investigated the transmission of radon through HDPE pipe once. The pipe

was carrying uranium tailings slurry, which was old enough so that radon had

built up again. We put some plastic sheets around the pipe and sampled the

air in the space between the pipe and the sheets. The radon concentration in

this air was about the same as in the air outside of the sheets.



>From that, I concluded that the radon transmitted through the pipe was very

low and could not have been the source of the radon we were seeing in the

mill. (Turns out the source of the radon was a pin hole leak on a valve on

the air bubble of a leach vessel.)



Sorry that I can't be more quantitative, but I dropped the issue as soon as

it became clear that transmission through the HDPE was not a factor in our

case.



Regards,

Kai



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

From: "Leo M. Lowe" <llowe@senes.ca>

To: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 8:59 AM

Subject: Radon Attenuation by HDPE





> Hi,

>

> Does anyone have any information/references on radon transmission through

> high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or equivalent materials that are often

> used as synthetic liners/covers at waste sites.

>

> I get RADSAFE in digest mode, so feel free to respond directly to me if

you

> have any relevant information.

>

> Thank you.

>

> Leo M. Lowe, Ph.D., P.Phys.

>

> SENES Consultants Limited

> llowe@senes.ca

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